Tangerine tree: care at home, how to water and grow from seed? How to grow decorative tangerine at home Indoor plants tangerine tree.

Mandarin is an evergreen plant that belongs to the Rutaceae family. Species Latin name tangerine Citrus reticulate. Like orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit, it belongs to the Citrus genus. The life form of this plant is interesting - it can be a shrub or a tree, reaching a height of 5 meters.

Like other representatives of the Citrus genus, mandarin has long been grown in greenhouses, greenhouses, winter gardens. Despite its size, tangerines can be grown at home on a balcony or windowsill. Currently, breeders have developed many varieties of dwarf and low-growing tangerines for home grown, the maximum height of which is 0.6-1.1 m. Indoor tangerine may not be a dwarf variety, then the plant needs to be heavily pruned and shaped.

Indoor tangerine is very impressive potted plant. And not only because of the bright, fragrant and appetizing orange fruits that can last for several months. Sometimes a plant gives pleasure only by its flowering, because the delicate white flowers of tangerine exude an amazing aroma. In some varieties, flowering begins in the spring and may continue all year round. An indoor mandarin grown as a bonsai is a real work of art.

The fruits of indoor tangerines are set without artificial pollination, usually ripen at the end of the year. Often indoor tangerine in a pot, bought in a store with fruits already hanging on it. Despite the fact that they are very appetizing, you should not eat them. After all, to achieve such a high decorative effect plants receive high doses of fertilizers.

The tangerine has beautiful leathery and corrugated leaves.

Popular tangerine varieties for growing at home – Unshiu Japanese variety , the most unpretentious, begins to bear fruit in 3-4 years, in room conditions
grows up to 0.8-1.5 m. Branches well. It blooms profusely in spring, producing fruits in late October-November. Pear-shaped fruits lack seeds. Kowano-Wase, Micha-Wase, Miyagawa-Wase
- dwarf tangerines of the Vasya group - suitable for growing on a windowsill, height 40-80 cm. Orange-yellow fruits ripen for the first time in the second year of cultivation, flowering is abundant. Like all dwarf varieties, they do not require crown formation.– early compact fast-growing variety. The fruits are small, no more than 30 g
Murcot t – the fruits of this compact tangerine variety are very sweet, ripen in summer, and taste very sweet, which is why the name of the variety is translated as “honey.”
Clementine- a hybrid of tangerine and orange, bears fruit at home in the second year. One adult domestic tree produces up to 50 medium-sized, flattened orange-red fruits per year, very fragrant, with shiny skin. Plants of this variety with numerous seeds are called Montreals.

Mandarin: home care

Lighting mandarin at home

First step in successful cultivation indoor tangerine - choosing a place for the plant and its correct lighting.
Indoor tangerine, as well as those grown in open ground, necessary good lighting with some direct sunlight. When there is insufficient light, the plant slows down its growth, throws out a small number of flowers or does not bloom at all. With a strong lack of light, the leaves of indoor tangerines become faded, new shoots become elongated, thin and painful in appearance. Therefore, it is better to grow the plant on eastern, south-eastern and southern windows, shading them from direct midday rays. In summer, the plant can be taken out to the balcony, gradually accustoming it to the street.
IN winter period, with short daylight hours, indoor tangerine should be placed in the most illuminated place with straight sun rays. But sometimes this is not enough: artificial lighting is needed. For this purpose, an ordinary phytolamp is suitable, which can be screwed into a chandelier or table lamp. It is necessary to transfer the plant to additional lighting gradually. With a sudden change in length daylight hours it may shed its leaves.

Content temperature

Optimal temperature for indoor tangerine summer time+ 20-25 oC. During the period of budding and flowering, so that the flowers do not fall off, it is better to keep the plant at a temperature slightly below + 20 ° C. IN winter time To ensure a relative period of rest, tangerine is kept at + 5 -10 °C. A plant that has rested over the winter will bloom and bear fruit better.

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How to water and spray tangerines at home

The indoor mandarin, like its wild ancestors, is adapted to withstand dry periods. In extreme cases, the plant will shed its leaves to reduce the amount of liquid that evaporates. Common problem when growing tangerines at home, it is excessive watering, which leads to the development of fungal diseases.
The amount of water for watering indoor tangerines depends on several factors:
- size of the plant;
- the size of the container in which the tangerine grows;
- ambient temperature;
- length of daylight hours and lighting intensity.
The larger the leaf surface of an indoor tangerine, the greater the evaporation, and the more it needs watering. Temperature also affects the rate of evaporation: the higher it is, the more moisture the plant loses. The length of daylight directly affects the amount of moisture that evaporates. Stomata are formations with bottom side land plants that serve for gas exchange open during daylight hours.
Watering indoor tangerines should be done in the first half of the day, when the plant has activated life processes. When the temperature drops, watering is reduced, even stopping for several days during the period when the room temperature is only +12-15 oC. In this case, the tangerine is watered with a small amount of water only to maintain vital functions.
Mandarin at home needs regular spraying of leaves. Very dry air has a bad effect on the plant and is often a prerequisite for its infection. spider mite. If an indoor tangerine is blooming, then you need to make sure that water does not get on its flowers.

How to feed tangerines at home

Complete care for tangerines at home is not possible without additional mineral and organic feeding. The soil in the pot is quickly depleted and washed away when watering, and recreational processes practically do not occur in it, unlike soil in nature.
For fertilizing, you can use soluble or dry fertilizers. In the spring, as daylight hours increase, fertilizing for indoor tangerines is increased. It is in the early spring that vegetative and generative buds begin to develop intensively; at this time, the plant requires additional nutrients.
At home, tangerines are fertilized like all other indoor plants, that is, in the first half of the day. The ambient temperature should be at least + 18-19 degrees.
Soluble fertilizers are often used for fertilizing. You can water the plant with them, and spray its leaves in a weaker concentration. For feeding indoor tangerine, any complex mineral fertilizer containing phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium - the main elements, necessary for plants.
Fertilizers should be dissolved in soft or settled water at room temperature. The main thing is not to increase the dose. If the instructions say: 1 capful of product per 1 liter of water, do not think that 2 capfuls will make the solution more useful. This will lead to the opposite effect - a chemical burn or toxic poisoning of the plant.
You need to feed tangerines at home during the period of intensive growth (from March to September) 2 times a week. Possibly less often, but not more often.
Dry fertilizers, which are applied to the soil and gradually dissolve, releasing microelements to the soil, must be applied even more carefully. Their advantage is that by introducing them in the spring you can for a long time forget about feeding. However, they can be quickly used by the plant, and it will be difficult to guess about it. Adding an additional dose of fertilizer will lead to the above-mentioned overdose.
To grow tangerines, organic fertilizers are also needed. To do this, you can dilute infused cow dung in proportion 1/10. The best option There will be the use of organic fertilizer in combination with mineral fertilizers for soil feeding.

Additional care for tangerines at home

To form a lush tangerine tree, pinch the tops of its branches.
Caring for tangerines at home also involves removing dried leaves or elongated branches.
On the young flowering plants The flowers are partially removed so as not to deplete them and to allow several fruits to ripen. For 15-20 leaves of an adult plant, you can leave one ovary. The fewer fruits remain on the tangerine, the larger they will be.
The fruiting branches of the indoor tangerine are tied and tied to a support, otherwise they may break due to the weight of the fruit and the plant will not have attractive appearance.

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Growing indoor citrus trees at home is, although troublesome, but worthwhile. By growing a tangerine tree on a windowsill, you get not only a fragrant and colorful plant, but also delicious, useful fruits. You are required to plant correctly and provide the plant with competent and timely care.

Mandarin looks great as an ornamental plant

Features of citrus

Mandarin belongs to plants of the Rutaceae family. Homeland of growth - China. Today, citrus is grown in many tropical countries- Israel, Turkey, Africa, Thailand, Spain.

The evergreen tree reaches 2-4 m in height. The leaves are dense, leathery, with a glossy surface, dark green in color. Leaf plate lanceolate in shape with a pointed end.

Citrus blossoms in early spring and lasts throughout the growing season. Mandarin flowers are snow-white, small, formed singly or in groups of several pieces.

The shoots are smooth, erect, dark green. The crown is medium dense, oval or spherical in shape.

The fruits, with thick orange skin, are in no way inferior in taste to industrially grown citrus fruits.

At home, a dwarf species is grown, the maximum height of which is 1-1.3 m.

Indoor varieties

There are several varieties of tangerine tree for home cultivation.

1. Winshiu. Seedless hybrid form, in wildlife reaches 2-3 m in height, in apartment conditions - from 0.8 to 1.3 m. It is a frost-resistant crop, characterized by early ripening and productivity. At home, tangerine blooms profusely with small white flowers. The first fruits are born at the age of 3-4 years.
2. Kovano-Vase. This dwarf mandarin begins to bear fruit in its second year. A low-growing plant with a compact crown at home reaches 40-70 cm in height, so it is grown in a pot on the windowsill. Blooms profusely with snow-white flowers. Citrus variety Kovano-Vase is valued for its long flowering, which lasts throughout the year. Indoor tangerine produces juicy, orange fruits that are well preserved on the tree and may not fall off for several months.

Secrets of growing

To achieve high decorativeness and high-quality fruiting, the plant should be provided with growth conditions that are as close as possible to natural growing conditions.

Selection of soil mixture

For the tangerine tree, which is grown primarily in tropical climates, it is necessary to select a balanced soil composition. In a specialized store you can purchase ready-made soil mixture for indoor tangerines. You can also prepare it yourself by mixing several ingredients:

• turf soil - 2 parts;
• leaf soil - 1 part;
• rotted manure - 1 part;
• river sand - 1 part.

In such nutritious and loose soil, the plant takes root well and grows intensively.

Preparation of material

To grow a full-fledged tangerine tree at home, you will need a ripe fruit seed. The seed is removed from the pulp, washed and wrapped in damp gauze. The tissue is irrigated daily with warm water to prevent the seed from drying out.

First, the seed should swell, then hatch and produce a small sprout. This is a sign that it is time to plant it in the ground.

The best option for planting tangerines is a 3-liter clay pot.

Landing Features

It is better to plant an ornamental plant in a pot made of natural material- ceramics or clay. The container is filled with a nutrient mixture, the recipe for which is described above. Then they make a small depression - 2-3 cm and lower the bone into the hole with the sprout facing up. Afterwards, the seed is buried and generously sprayed with a spray bottle.

Rules of care

After planting, tangerines at home require careful care, especially in the first years of life. Indoor citrus does not require much cost or effort, so even a novice gardener can grow it.

Lighting

This is one of the main conditions for caring for tangerines at home. Tropical crops require good and continuous daylight throughout the year. Therefore, a tub or flowerpot with a tree is placed on a south, southwest or southeast window sill.

Homemade tangerine reacts poorly to sudden temperature changes and does not tolerate drafts. Under such conditions, the plant sheds its leaves en masse and may die.

With the onset of warm spring days, the plant can be placed on a balcony or loggia; in the summer, it can be placed outside, where there is protection from the scorching sun.

Temperature

For tangerine at home, a certain amount of temperature regime- from +16 to +18 °C. Then the plant begins to bloom and bear fruit successfully.

IN summer period indoor tangerines easily tolerate heat and temperature increases up to +40 °C.

In the winter season, the plant is given the opportunity to rest - it is moved to a room with a temperature no higher than 14 °C. In such conditions, the growth and flowering of citrus is suspended until spring.

Humidity

The basis for caring for tangerines at home is optimizing the humidity level - at the level of 65-70%. To ensure high humidity, you should regularly irrigate the tree, place trays with water or containers with moistened expanded clay next to the pot.

Watering

In winter, settled water at room temperature should be used for indoor tangerine plants. Water the tree no more than once every two weeks. In spring and summer, the frequency of watering is increased and moisture is produced as the earthen clod dries out.

Indoor tangerine does not react well to overwatering, so the plant should be watered in small doses. The water flowing into the pan should be poured out to prevent the appearance of mold in the lower layer of soil and rotting of the roots.

The citrus plant responds well to showers with warm water. Washing of foliage is carried out once a month. Before irrigation, the soil is covered with polyethylene. Additionally, the plant is sprayed with warm water every day from a spray bottle.

Feeding

For tangerines at home, care includes regular fertilization. Citrus requires organic and mineral supplements, which are applied to well-moistened soil. Slurry or ready-made complex fertilizers for citrus fruits are suitable as food.

Feed the tree throughout the growing season no more than once every two weeks. In winter, feeding the plants is stopped, because during this period the resting phase begins.

To enhance fruiting, the tree can be fed with fish soup. 200 g of fish products are poured with two liters of water and boiled for half an hour. Then cool, filter and water the soil around the tree trunk. This fertilizing is applied in combination with the preparation “Mandarin”. Suitable for plants with a height of at least 1 m.

The Unshiu variety bears fruit at home in the 3rd year of life

Transfer

As you grow decorative tangerine at home, it should be regularly replanted into a new container 2-3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. Transplantation is carried out by transferring an earthen clod with the addition of fresh nutritious soil mixture.

The first transplant procedure is carried out 3-4 years after planting, once a year. Adult plants are not disturbed; they only periodically replace the surface layer with a new nutritional composition.

Trimming and pinching

The pinching procedure stimulates fruiting and the growth of young shoots. Perform pinching in early spring, shortening the apical shoots by a third of the length.

Flowering and fruiting

Growing at home, a tangerine in a pot can bloom endlessly without entering the fruiting phase. To stimulate this process, you should remove some of the flower buds and fruit ovaries, which take strength and energy from the tree. This procedure is carried out on the basis that there should be at least 15 leaves per 1 fruit.

Reproduction methods

There are several ways to get a houseplant:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• layering;
• vaccination.

Seed cultivation is used if you do not have your own specimens at home. Propagation by layering is suitable for old trees. Cuttings are used only for some varieties of indoor tangerines in order to obtain a varietal fruit-bearing plant. The grafting is suitable for those who already have a sprouted tangerine sprout and any other citrus on which it can be grafted.

Tree grafting

Indoor tangerine can grow and develop for a long time at home without bearing fruit. To speed up the process of formation of fruit ovaries, gardeners carry out the grafting procedure.

Before grafting, the tree is watered abundantly to speed up the process of sap flow in the shoots. This way the bark will move away from the trunk better. For grafting, a well-ripened shoot with several vegetative buds is used. All foliage is removed to prevent the process of moisture evaporation and drying out of the branch. Optimal height

grafting on a tree - 7-10 cm from the soil level. The bark in this area should be healthy, smooth, without buds or leaves.

A T-shaped incision is made in this area with a sharp knife. The bark at the incision sites is lifted and a prepared cutting or bud with a heel is inserted into it so that the bud remains on the surface. The raised bark on the rootstock is pressed tightly and wrapped with insulating tape. After the kidney has taken root, the tape is removed.

You can understand that the grafting of a tangerine tree was successful after three weeks - at the grafting site the petiole should turn yellow and fall off. If it has dried out and remained in place, the grafting procedure should be repeated.

After successful budding, after about 3-4 weeks, it is necessary to trim the apical shoots on the rootstock, and also remove the insulating tape. Pruning of shoots is carried out in two stages - first, the branch is shortened 10 cm above the eye, then after its germination - at a distance from the thorn up from it. Later after grafting for mandarin home care

the same as for adult specimens.

Diseases and pests

If affected in winter, the use of pesticides is not recommended. For spider mites, folk infusions and solutions based on garlic, tobacco dust, soap and ash are used.

In the fight against scale insects or false scale insects, water-oil emulsions are very helpful.

To prevent diseases and pests, it is necessary to carry out regular treatments of the crown - with a weakly concentrated solution of potassium permanganate at least once a month.

Many gardeners, especially beginners, do not know how to care for tangerines at home, as a result of which it is not always possible to grow a strong, beautiful and fruit-bearing tree.

Conclusion

Growing an indoor tangerine on a windowsill is not difficult. The main thing is to plant the plant correctly and on time and choose a high-quality one for cultivation. planting material. With proper home care, tangerines will regularly bloom, bear fruit and delight with their beauty.

And vegetatively. For planting, you can take seeds from any fruit. Remove them and immediately plant them in a fertile substrate consisting of leaf humus and sand with the addition of a small amount of fatty clay. Seedlings appear quite quickly and after a few years become quite lush bushes.

Flowering and fruiting on mandarins grown in this way occurs very late. The process can be accelerated by grafting the plant.

Vegetative method propagation is quite labor-intensive, but by propagating in this way, you will get fruits much faster in 2-4 years. Do air layering. To do this, select a suitable branch and remove the bark about 2 cm wide from it. Tie this area with damp moss and periodically moisten it as it dries; the substrate should always be wet. After some time, roots should appear on the cuttings. Cut off a branch and plant in a pot with light soil.

How to care for a tangerine

Tangerines, unlike other citrus fruits, are quite unpretentious and require minimal care, but in order to get them to bloom and bear fruit, you need to create certain conditions for the plant.

The tangerine needs bright, but diffused light. Place the pot on an east or west window. IN sunny days shade from direct rays.

The plant is moisture-loving. In spring and summer, it must be watered 1-2 times a day with soft water at room temperature. In winter, watering should be slightly reduced, but the soil should always be moist; you should not allow the earthen clod to dry out, as the tangerine can shed its leaves. Spray the plant regularly, especially if the air in the room is very dry.

To achieve required humidity, pour expanded clay into the tray and moisten it. As it dries, add a little water to the pan.

During active growth, during budding and fruiting, feed the plants with organic and mineral fertilizers. Use complex fertilizers for citrus fruits, and as organic matter - slurry from cow manure (in a ratio of 1:10).

Transplanting a plant

Young bushes must be replanted annually, and adult plants once every 3 years. Best time for this - spring, at this time the tangerine begins a period of active growth, so the plant will tolerate the procedure very well.

Place a layer of drainage at the bottom of the pot. This could be broken brick, crushed stone or expanded clay. Then add a nutritious but light citrus substrate. Remove the plant from the old pot, shake off the soil and rinse the roots in warm water. Remove diseased and rotten ones and plant the tangerine in fresh soil.

It is quite problematic to replant adult large plants, but you can get by by replacing the top layer of soil in the container. Remove about 5 cm of old soil and add fresh substrate. Lightly compact it and water the plant with warm water.

Mandarin- an evergreen plant that belongs to the Rutov family. The specific Latin name of the mandarin is Citrus reticulate. Like orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit, it belongs to the Citrus genus. The life form of this plant is interesting - it can be a shrub or a tree, reaching a height of 5 meters.

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Indoor tangerine
Like other representatives of the Citrus genus, tangerines have long been grown in greenhouses, conservatories, and winter gardens. Despite its size, tangerines can be grown at home on a balcony or windowsill. Currently, breeders have developed many varieties of dwarf and low-growing tangerines for home cultivation, the maximum height of which is 0.6-1.1 m. An indoor tangerine may not be a dwarf variety, then the plant needs to be heavily pruned and shaped.

Indoor tangerine is a very impressive potted plant.. And not only because of the bright, fragrant and appetizing orange fruits that can last for several months. Sometimes a plant gives pleasure only by its flowering, because the delicate white flowers of tangerine exude an amazing aroma. In some varieties, flowering begins in the spring and can continue all year round. Indoor tangerine, grown as a bonsai, is a real work of art.

Fruits of indoor tangerine set without artificial pollination, usually ripen at the end of the year. Often an indoor tangerine in a pot is bought in a store with fruits already hanging on it. Despite the fact that they are very appetizing, you should not eat them. Indeed, to achieve such a high decorative effect, plants receive high doses of fertilizers. The tangerine has beautiful leathery and corrugated leaves.

The tangerine has beautiful leathery and corrugated leaves.
Unshiu is a Japanese variety, the most unpretentious, it begins to bear fruit in 3-4 years, in indoor conditions it grows to 0.8-1.5 m. It branches well. It blooms profusely in spring, producing fruits in late October-November. Pear-shaped fruits lack seeds.
Kowano-Wase, Micha-Wase, Miyagawa-Wase - dwarf tangerines Vasya group - suitable for growing on a windowsill, height 40-80 cm. Orange-yellow fruits ripen for the first time in the second year of cultivation, flowering is abundant. Like all dwarf varieties, they do not require crown formation.
Shiva-Mikan is an early compact fast-growing variety. The fruits are small, no more than 30 g
Murcott- the fruits of this compact tangerine variety are very sweet, ripen in summer, and taste very sweet, which is why the name of the variety is translated as “honey.”
Clementine- a hybrid of tangerine and orange, bears fruit at home in the second year. One adult domestic tree produces up to 50 medium-sized, flattened orange-red fruits per year, very fragrant, with shiny skin. Plants of this variety with numerous seeds are called Montreals.

Mandarin care at home
Lighting mandarin at home
The first step in successfully growing indoor tangerine is choosing a place for the plant and its proper lighting.
Indoor tangerines, as well as those grown in open ground, need good lighting with some direct sunlight. When there is insufficient light, the plant slows down its growth, throws out a small number of flowers or does not bloom at all. With a strong lack of light, the leaves of indoor tangerines become faded, new shoots become elongated, thin and painful in appearance. Therefore, it is better to grow the plant on eastern, south-eastern and southern windows, shading them from direct midday rays. In summer, the plant can be taken out to the balcony, gradually accustoming it to the street.
In winter, when daylight hours are short, indoor tangerines should be placed in the brightest place with direct sunlight. But sometimes this is not enough: artificial lighting is needed. For this purpose, an ordinary phytolamp is suitable, which can be screwed into a chandelier or table lamp. It is necessary to transfer the plant to additional lighting gradually. With a sharp change in daylight hours, it can shed its leaves.

Content temperature
The optimal temperature for indoor tangerine in the summer is + 20-25 oC. During the period of budding and flowering, so that the flowers do not fall off, it is better to keep the plant at a temperature slightly below + 20 ° C. In winter, to ensure a relative period of rest, tangerine is kept at + 5 -10 °C. A plant that has rested over the winter will bloom and bear fruit better.

How to water and spray tangerines at home
The indoor mandarin, like its wild ancestors, is adapted to withstand dry periods. In extreme cases, the plant will shed its leaves to reduce the amount of liquid that evaporates. A common problem when growing tangerines at home is excessive watering, which leads to the development of fungal diseases.
The amount of water for watering indoor tangerines depends on several factors:
- size of the plant;
- the size of the container in which the tangerine grows;
- ambient temperature;
- length of daylight hours and lighting intensity.
The larger the leaf surface of indoor tangerine, the stronger the evaporation, and the more it needs watering. Temperature also affects the rate of evaporation: the higher it is, the more moisture the plant loses. The length of daylight directly affects the amount of moisture that evaporates. Stomata - formations on the underside of land plants that serve for gas exchange, open during daylight hours.
Watering indoor tangerines should be done in the first half of the day, when the plant has activated its life processes. When the temperature drops, watering is reduced, even stopping for several days during the period when the room temperature is only +12-15 oC. In this case, the tangerine is watered with a small amount of water only to maintain vital functions.
Mandarin at home needs regular spraying of leaves. Very dry air has a bad effect on the plant and is often a prerequisite for its infection with spider mites. If an indoor tangerine is blooming, then you need to make sure that water does not get on its flowers.

How to feed tangerines at home
Full care of tangerines at home is not possible without additional mineral and organic nutrition. The soil in the pot is quickly depleted and washed away when watering, and recreational processes practically do not occur in it, unlike soil in nature.
For fertilizing, you can use soluble or dry fertilizers. In the spring, as daylight hours increase, fertilizing for indoor tangerines is increased. It is in the early spring that vegetative and generative buds begin to develop intensively; at this time, the plant requires additional nutrients.
At home, tangerines are fertilized like all other indoor plants, that is, in the first half of the day. The ambient temperature should be at least + 18-19 degrees.
Soluble fertilizers are often used for fertilizing. You can water the plant with them, and spray its leaves in a weaker concentration. To feed indoor tangerines, any complex mineral fertilizer containing phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium - the main elements necessary for plants - is suitable.
Fertilizers should be dissolved in soft or settled water at room temperature. The main thing is not to increase the dose. If the instructions say: 1 capful of product per 1 liter of water, do not think that 2 capfuls will make the solution more useful. This will lead to the opposite effect - a chemical burn or toxic poisoning of the plant.
You need to feed tangerines at home during the period of intensive growth (from March to September) 2 times a week. Possibly less often, but not more often.
Dry fertilizers, which are applied to the soil and gradually dissolve, releasing microelements to the soil, must be applied even more carefully. Their advantage is that by adding them in the spring you can forget about fertilizing for a long time. However, they can be quickly used by the plant, and it will be difficult to guess about it. Adding an additional dose of fertilizer will lead to the above-mentioned overdose.
To grow tangerines, organic fertilizers are also needed. To do this, you can dilute infused cow manure in a ratio of 1/10. The best option would be to use organic fertilizer in combination with mineral fertilizers for soil feeding.

Additional care for tangerines at home
To form a lush tangerine tree, pinch the tops of its branches.
Caring for tangerines at home also involves removing dried leaves or elongated branches.
On young flowering plants, the flowers are partially removed so as not to deplete them and to allow several fruits to ripen. For 15-20 leaves of an adult plant, you can leave one ovary. The fewer fruits remain on the tangerine, the larger they will be.
The fruiting branches of indoor mandarin are tied and tied to a support, otherwise they may break due to the weight of the fruit and the plant will not have an attractive appearance.

Diseases and pests
Mandarins at home can be affected by scale insects, red spider mites and mealybugs. Spraying the plant with a soap solution (2 tbsp) will help against scale insects liquid soap, you can use “Fary”, for 3 liters of water). It is better to remove pests by hand first. After leaving the solution on the leaves for half an hour, it is washed off with warm water. In case of spider mite infestation, the pest is collected manually, then the leaves and twigs are wiped with a cotton swab moistened cold water or alcohol, then sprayed with a two-day infusion of garlic or onion (crush 200 g and pour warm boiled water). Removing the pest with a cotton swab and spraying it with garlic infusion 3 times (once every 7 days), or rubbing it with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol (can be replaced with calendula tincture) will also help against mealybugs. In case of persistent damage by any pest, they resort to potent chemicals, which are used according to instructions.
At improper watering tangerine leaves become spotted and fall off. To prevent or eliminate the problem, follow the rules for watering citrus plants.

Replanting a tangerine at home
Proper care picking a tangerine at home involves replanting the plant. Usually a transplant is carried out if the plant, in our case the indoor tangerine, is cramped in the pot. As a rule, young indoor tangerine plants are replanted annually, plants older than 7 years - once every 2 years. For replanting, use a special soil mixture for citrus fruits or make it yourself from turf soil (50%) and leaf soil, humus and sand, taken in equal parts.
To transplant an indoor tangerine, choose a pot with a diameter of 5 - 8 cm larger than the previous one. It is forbidden small plant plant immediately in big pot: This often leads to rotting of the roots. In addition, it is neither aesthetically pleasing nor practical.
Mandarin at home, as in nature, prefers a light substrate with weak acidity. It is necessary to put drainage at the bottom of the container for replanting - this is the prevention of stagnation of water and root rot. For drainage you can use: expanded clay, small stones, fragments of ceramic dishes, pieces of foam plastic.
Indoor tangerines cannot be replanted while the plant is flowering. It is better to do this in the spring at the beginning of the plant’s awakening from a relative period of dormancy.
You cannot feed the plant 2-3 days before replanting, and also use fertilizers for 12-14 days after replanting.
After transplanting, the indoor tangerine is lightly watered so that the soil settles. After 30-40 minutes, if necessary, add the substrate to the pot and water it again.

Reproduction of indoor tangerine
Mandarins can be propagated at home in two ways:
- vegetative (rooting of branches);
- generative (growing from seed).
To root cuttings, it is better to use a rooting agent - the survival rate will be 3-4 times higher. To do this, cuttings with 2-3 leaves are dipped in a rooting agent and planted in moist soil, covering the top with film or cut plastic bottle, be sure to leave holes in them for ventilation. Cuttings take root within several months.
Growing tangerines at home from seeds is the longest method of propagation, especially since some varieties produce almost no seeds. In addition, an indoor tangerine grown using this method will need grafting, otherwise it will not bloom. For rootstock would be better suited indoor lemon or grapefruit grown at home from a seed.
Since both methods of propagating indoor tangerines take too much time, more often amateur gardeners buy already grafted indoor tangerine in shops.

Many people have tried at least once in their lives to stick a tangerine or other fruit seed into the ground, in the hope that flower pot soon a fruit-bearing tree will grow. The task is difficult and overwhelming, mainly due to a lack of knowledge on cultivation, and then there is no need to talk about proper care.

But it turns out that if you approach the matter correctly, without relying on “maybe”, then, for example, anyone can grow a tangerine tree in an apartment, even those who are not a skilled gardener. The main thing is patience, the ability to care and the desire to achieve what you want!

As is the case with other citrus crops, there are two possible ways to grow a tangerine tree - purchasing a seedling from a specialized store, or growing a tree yourself from a seed. The second path is more interesting and exciting (if you have the habit of caring for plantings), and if everything works out, then in a couple of years you will be filled with pride that your homemade tangerine not only smells fragrant, but also bears fruit!

It’s worth starting the process of growing at home with production seed material

The procedure is expected to be as follows:

• Extraction and preparation of seed material
• Preparing the container
• Preparing the land for planting
• Waiting for shoots
• Preventive measures against diseases and pests

So, let's start moving through the list from the very beginning. It is worth starting the process of growing at home by obtaining seed material - several tangerine seeds, preferably 5-6, since not all of them can sprout. To do this, purchase ripe tangerines from your nearest store, which are stored in appropriate conditions (not in the refrigerator, not in direct sunlight), from which you can obtain the necessary this stage bones. Rinse the “extracted” seed thoroughly and place it on a flat, open surface to dry. After the seeds have dried, you need to start preparing them for planting.

To do this, the seed must be soaked for better germination: it is better to take a clean, damp cotton cloth, wrap the tangerine seeds in it and leave them for a couple of days. There is no need to fill the fabric with seeds with water, but you need to make sure that the fabric is constantly wet - completely drying it out is unacceptable, as this will ruin the whole thing. For those who don’t want to deal with fabric and constantly monitor its moisture status experienced gardeners I advise you to purchase a hydrogel (possibly called aqua-soil, eco-soil), which will allow you to carry out the desired process without hassle. The hydrogel will replace damp cloth/gauze: by mixing the powder in the required proportion with water and placing the seeds inside the resulting jelly, you will not need to worry for several days that the seed will dry out at home.

Video about how to grow a tangerine from a seed

While the seeds are swelling and hatching, they do not need any more care than described above, and therefore it is time to start preparing the container and soil. Let's start with containers: at the first stage, you can take a container of any size, up to a plastic cup. In the future, the grown seedling will need to be grown in a pot with a volume of about 4 liters. Before filling with soil, drainage must be placed at the bottom of the pot (or any other container you have prepared). Let it be small pebbles, crushed walnut shells.

Now let's decide on the land. Like the “wild” one, the domestic tangerine does not like acidic soils, so if you purchase a substrate at a specialized point of sale, you need to make sure that the soil is peat-free. If you prepare the soil for planting yourself, then some light mixture that allows air to pass through well, for example, a mixture of turf, leaf soil and sand, is best.

After everything is prepared, and the seeds have hatched and sprouts have already appeared, you can proceed directly to planting. Selected grains must be placed in grooves 3-4 cm deep and sprinkled with earth. Water the soil well, but try not to overwater. After this, we remove the pots with plantings in a dark, warm place. As a rule, tangerines even in natural conditions take quite a long time to sprout, so do not be alarmed or despair because there are no sprouts for a long time; as a rule, they appear 3-4 weeks after planting. At this time, it is necessary to ensure that the soil in the container is moist, but not waterlogged.

Water the soil well, but try not to overwater

After the sprouts have appeared, it is necessary to move the pot to a bright, but again warm place. Mandarin is a heat-loving plant, and for its good growth and development the temperature environment should be at least 200C.

First of all, as noted above, tangerine grows only in suitable temperature conditions. If the pot with sprouts is placed in a cool place (below 20 -22 0C), the plant will stop growing and may soon die completely.

After each watering, it is strictly necessary to care for the tangerine: loosen the soil

Secondly, it is imperative to remember that citrus tree is moisture-loving. In the summer, care includes mandatory watering, which should be done several times a day (depending on temperature and humidity conditions). In winter, watering is done less frequently - about 3 times a week, as the soil in the pot dries out. In addition, the leaves of the tree must be sprayed generously every day, and a container of water must be placed next to the pot. All these measures are necessary to ensure sufficient humidity, which is vital for the tangerine tree, since under natural conditions it, as a rule, does not lack moisture. The water must be filtered and settled, at room temperature. However, you can’t overwater the plant either. After each watering, it is strictly necessary to care for the tangerine: loosen the soil and, if necessary, apply fertilizer.

Thirdly, some gardeners who have a citrus tree growing in artificial conditions This is not the first year, it is recommended to replant the plant annually in the spring. Moreover, this must be done extremely carefully, trying not to touch the soil around the roots. After the tree reaches eight years of age, replanting can be done once or twice a year. Such home care will not only allow the tree to grow better, but from a certain point will also affect the qualitative and quantitative indicators of tangerine yield.

Fourthly, mandatory when growing citrus fruits at home, are fertilizing the tree with mineral and organic fertilizers. Balanced fertilizers are best purchased at a specialty store. The most frequent feeding should be done when the plant has its first leaves. The frequency of feeding in the summer is once every 14 days, with the onset of autumn once a month.

Video about tangerine tree

Pest and disease control.

Citrus trees grown at home can be seriously damaged by flies, aphids, and red mites. Therefore, mandatory care should include a weekly visual inspection of all parts of the plant, from the trunk and root part to the leaves and shoots.

As soon as you notice pests, you must immediately take a number of measures aimed at saving the tree. If you notice pests in time, then you won’t need strong “chemistry”. It will be enough to prepare a solution from onion peel or garlic, and use it to thoroughly rinse the entire plant - leaves and trunk. Don’t be lazy, wash everything carefully and thoroughly, since spraying will not give the desired results. Instead of homemade infusions prepared yourself, you can buy a biological product “green soap” in a specialized store, which will help cope with pests.