Decorative mandarin: care and maintenance, features of growing, photo

You can get acquainted with botany by the example of growing decorative mandarin at home. For this, even a bone made from store fruit is suitable. It is only necessary to create optimal conditions and adhere to the rules of care.

Is it possible to grow decorative mandarin from stone?

Cultivation from the seed is one of the methods of propagation of the decorative tangerine tree. More than one year can pass from the moment a seed is planted in the soil until flowers and then fruits appear. In some cases, flowering may not occur, and you need to be prepared for this.

Even if small tangerines appeared on the tree, their seeds may differ slightly from those that were used. The differences are not only in appearance, but also in the inability to give offspring.

Often the owners of such houseplants wonder whether it is possible to eat decorative mandarin or not. In this case, the answer will be positive, but not everyone will be satisfied with the taste of the fruit, since its flesh will be more acidic.

Seed selection

For planting in the substrate, it is recommended to choose the seeds of hybrid varieties of mandarin. They can be purchased at any store in the country. Such planting material is characterized by a quick shoot, easier grafting, in addition, the fruits obtained as a result will be edible. Yes, and real mandarin simply does not have seeds, because in order to preserve the variety it propagates vegetatively (by grafting or grafting).

Seeds are not suitable for planting:

• thin;
• too dry;
• deformed;
• with black tips.

Soil and pot preparation

A peat-free substrate is suitable for growing ornamental tangerines in pots, since this plant does not tolerate acidic soil. For planting, you can buy soil in a specialized store, giving preference to the one on whose packaging the pH is from 6.5 to 7, which guarantees the acquisition of neutral soil. If desired, the substrate can be prepared independently. There are several ways:

1. Mix 2 parts of rotted humus and forest land (for decorative tangerine, one that was dug near deciduous trees is suitable), 1 part of sifted river sand.
2. Mix non-acidic soil with sand in a ratio of 5: 1.

There are no special rules in choosing a pot for homemade tangerine. Directly planting the seed can be done in 200 ml plastic cups, low cups or small flower pots. Regardless of the choice, you need to lay out the drainage layer and make holes on the bottom of the tank.

Rules for planting seeds in a substrate

The main rule that should be followed when planting all citrus fruits, including homemade ornamental tangerine, is that the sooner a bone from the fruit enters the soil, the greater the likelihood of its germination. That is why the seeds immediately after eating the mandarin need not be dried, but placed in the prepared soil. It is preliminary recommended to make a 4 cm recess in which planting material will have to be placed.

If this is not possible, then the bone can be soaked for up to three days. This will speed up the germination process. But you can’t fill a bone with water, you need to wet a rag in which to wrap a seed. Put the rag on a flat plate. Soaked seeds should be put in a warm place, but away from direct sunlight. All the time you need to make sure that the rag does not dry out.

Some gardeners put a plate with a bone in a plastic bag, but do not tie it. This manipulation creates a kind of greenhouse effect, which also contributes to faster seed germination.

There is no clear evidence of how long the seed will germinate. On average, it can take from 15 to 30 days. This period is relevant only if optimal conditions are created, in particular, moist soil and air temperature within + 20 ° ... + 25 ° C are required.

It is not necessary to create mini-greenhouses after planting seeds in peas, since in the future it will be difficult to accustom such home-made decorative tangerine to ordinary room conditions.

How to transplant a tangerine seedling?

If the seed was originally planted in a small container, then in the future a seedling transplant will be required. This can only be done after the appearance of four leaves. It is recommended to choose the strongest and largest, as frail and deformed seedlings may not take root in a new place.

Some bones are capable of giving two sprouts at once. In this case, you can:

• to plant them in different pots, while each of them must have an autonomous root system;
• pinch a weaker sprout, and transplant a stronger one.

You can transplant at a later time, namely when there is already not enough space in the container for the root system of the decorative mandarin, in another pot you need to put the root along with a lump of earth.

The future pot should not be much larger than the previous one, otherwise there is a risk of waterlogging of the soil, which can lead to rotting of the roots.

Subsequent transplants can be performed once a year (this does not apply to old plants and large ones, in this case it is only necessary to renew the topsoil), if the tree is fruit bearing, then this should be done less often, about once every 2-3 years. At one time, the diameter of the pot can only be increased by 4-6 cm.

Microclimate for mandarin on the windowsill, the rules of watering and top dressing

For the full development of the tangerine of a decorative room, suitable conditions are needed. They depend on the age of the tree and the purpose of growing. For example, if the plant is not older than 5 years old or it is not a fruit bearing, but a green decorative representative, then it is necessary:

• Ensure the air temperature is not higher than +25 ° .
• Water it regularly so that the soil is constantly moist, but not waterlogged.
• Spray constantly.
• Provide access to a sufficient amount of daylight, while in the summer you need to shade the decorative mandarin a little and protect it from direct sunlight, and in winter you may need additional lighting to increase daylight hours up to 12 hours (if there is a lack of lighting, the tree may lose foliage).
• In the warm season, a pot with a plant can be periodically taken outside to accustom it to street conditions, while the mandarin must be protected from the wind.
• With a frequency of once a month, arrange a kind of warm shower for the plant (but in winter this procedure is not needed).

In winter, decorative tangerine care should be a little different:

• air temperature + 10 ° ... + 12 ° C, because at this time there is a period of rest, and in spring this parameter can be gradually increased to + 16 ° ... + 18 ° so that buds form;
• watering frequency should be reduced.

Any changes in the microclimate should occur gradually.

Important in the process of growing mandarin in a pot is top dressing. Its frequency is once every 2 weeks. For citrus, it is recommended to use organic fertilizers. If it is impossible to use them, the use of chemicals is allowed, but only as an exception and alternately with organics.

Top dressing is necessary only during the period of active development - from April to October. You can prepare the solution yourself:

1. Manure (bird or cow) diluted with water in a proportion of 1:10.
2. The resulting liquid must be applied directly under the root in small portions.

Decorative mandarin: care during flowering and fruiting

When flowers and fruits appear, you need to make changes in care. During this period, the plant needs:

• fertilizers with a large amount of phosphorus and potassium;
• more frequent watering, but it should not be excessive;
• careful spraying, during which it is necessary to ensure that water does not fall on the flowers.

Decorative mandarin (how to care for during the growth period, indicated earlier) can independently regulate the load and discard excess flowers and ovaries. But in some cases, they may need a little help, which is to remove excess flowers and fruits. Ideally, it is recommended to leave one fruit for every 15-20 leaves.

Improper care during this period can lead to bursting of fruits, in particular, irregular watering and excess nitrogen in the soil lead to this.

How to plant mandarin?

It is possible to ensure fruiting of a citrus tree only by grafting. To do this, you need to grow the stock from the seed at home to a trunk thickness of about 6 mm, and then pick up the scion, which is a small stretch of shoot that can be taken from varietal mandarin (it can be a kidney or an eye with a leaf petiole). After preparing the material, you can proceed directly to the procedure according to the following plan:

1. On the bark of a tree grown independently, at a distance of 7 cm, make an incision in the form of the letter “T”. To do this, use the sharpest knife possible, ideally take a special calibration tool. The notch should not be too deep. Its length is 2.5 cm, and the size of the upper bridge is about 1 cm.
2. The ends of the bark must be pry off with the tip of a knife and bent. Insert the scion into the resulting hole, then return the bark to its place and press a little.
3. Treat the damaged area with garden varieties, and then wrap with blue tape so that only the grafted stalk remains on top.
4. Now from a plastic bag you need to make a mini-greenhouse for tangerine.
5. After three weeks, the greenhouse can be ventilated, but provided that the scion has taken root.
6. A month after a sprout has appeared from a new kidney, the rootstock trunk needs to be cut obliquely. The minimum cutting height from the vaccination level is 5 mm. After that, the dressing needs to be removed, and a new cut processed.

Pest control

Self-grown indoor tangerine is characterized by good immunity and resistance to pests and diseases. But in the absence of proper care, this plant can become a home for insects that can not tolerate ultraviolet rays and high humidity. On the tangerine can start:

1. Spider mite. The size of this insect does not exceed 0.3-0.6 mm, so it is almost impossible to see it on the leaves or trunk of the plant. Symptom of the lesion is the presence of small bright spots and a thin web on the back of the lower leaves. The struggle consists in washing each leaf separately. For this, only running water with laundry soap is suitable. After the “shower”, the plant needs to be sprayed several times with insecticides, for example, “Fitoverm”. The frequency of processing is once every 7-10 days.
2. Shield. The pest has the form of a convex oval plate. Size no more than 4 mm. Symptoms of the lesion are the presence of a sticky syrup-like coating on the leaves. If you do not destroy the scale in time, the plant will dry up. Processing consists of spraying with a soap solution with the addition of kerosene (1 l of water, 5 g of soap, 10 g of kerosene). The procedure is repeated twice a week until complete recovery. If this treatment did not give a positive result, then insecticides can be used. They need to spray the plant once every two weeks, the number of treatments - 3-5 times. After this, one cannot affirmatively answer the question of whether it is possible to eat decorative mandarin.
3. Powdery Worm. It is easy to recognize it by the presence of a white fluffy coating. Usually it appears in the form of spots of 3-6 mm in size. To combat the pest, you need to collect it manually, and then treat the mandarin with an insecticide, soap solution or tincture of garlic (2 slices of finely chopped garlic in 0.5 l of water, leave for 4 hours, and then strain).
4. Aphid. This is a green insect with a body size of 1-3 mm. The danger from reproduction is that aphid colonies suck out all the juices, which is why the plant is depleted. There are several methods of control: several washings with soap and water, spraying with garlic solution (1 head per 1 tbsp of water, leave for 48 hours) or tobacco infusion (40 g per 1 l of water).

Possible problems with growing tangerine at home

When growing ornamental mandarin (home care comes down to maintaining the desired level of humidity and air temperature), various problems can arise, because the temperate climate is atypical for them.

Most often, the grower may encounter the problem of yellowing of the leaves, which the mandarin is trying to dump as quickly as possible. There may be several reasons:

• insufficient lighting (it is worth trying to rearrange the pot closer to the window);
• dry air (regular spraying should not be neglected);
• improper transplantation during which the root neck was deeply deepened or a too large pot was selected;
• the presence of drafts.

There are other problems with the leaves:

1. If they began to dry from the tips, and the lower ones are damaged first, then the soil is definitely waterlogged. You can solve the problem by replanting in a smaller pot and changing the watering mode.
2. If the lower leaves turn yellow first, and then the problem rises gradually upwards, then this may indicate a lack of nitrogen.
3. The light yellow color of young leaves may indicate incipient chlorosis, that is, a lack of iron.
4. Falling leaves for no apparent reason means a lack of potassium.

A beginner grower needs to remember some of the features of indoor mandarin. Do not worry if:

• a young tree has long spines;
• the size of leaves in winter is much larger than in summer and spring;
• There is no distinct citrus smell on the leaves.

With a great desire to grow mandarin decorative care at home is not difficult. It is necessary to ensure optimal conditions, which at least remotely resemble the warm and humid climate familiar to them. And do not forget about enough attention, because if it is not there, then the plant will hurt.