Calamondin transplant after purchase. Proper care of calamondin at home

13.06.2019

Citrofortunella (calamondin) is an elegant citrus tree that is easy enough to grow and propagate at home. Planting any variety of calamondin will not disappoint you. With proper care, the plant is very decorative, as you can see by looking at the photo.

Description

Citrus calamondin comes from Southeast Asia, from where it was first introduced to the Philippines and then to Europe. It is a hybrid of kumquat and mandarin obtained naturally. It is successfully grown in greenhouses and at home.

Outwardly, citrofornutella (calamondin) looks very attractive. It is an evergreen fast growing citrus tree just over a meter high. The branches are densely covered with small rich green glossy leaves. During the flowering period, the plant is dotted with star-shaped white flowers. Both leaves and flowers of calamondin are very fragrant.

Citrofortunella looks like a small tangerine tree

Calamondin fruits look like miniature tangerines, bright orange or yellow. Their weight is 15-25 g, the size is 3-4 cm in diameter. The fruits are sour with bitterness, there are many seeds inside, both the pulp and the skin are edible.

Flowering of calamondin occurs in summer, although it can last year-round. The tree can bear fruit and bloom at the same time. Citrofortunella is a relatively short-lived plant. Its life span is from 5 (in a pot) to 20 years (at home in open ground). Of all the kumquat hybrids, calamondin is perhaps the most unpretentious to care for.

Varieties and varieties

The varietal diversity of calamondin in our country is not very large. Among the varieties of citrofortunella grown by citrus growers, large-fruited and variegated forms can be found:

"Peters"- is valued as a highly ornamental plant. The fruits are edible, sour.
Tiger- small-fruited variety with variegated (milky-bordered or milky-striped) leaves.

Sort "Tiger"

Shikinari- large-fruited Japanese calamondin, of all representatives of the species, it has the most delicious fruits.
Variegata- the foliage of this variety of calamondin with milk smudges and, as can be seen in the photo, is very decorative. Fruits in an unripe state are similar to watermelons - the same striped. When ripe, they acquire a uniform fiery orange color.

Sort "Variegata"

Landing

For planting calamondin, pots made of natural materials- clay (ceramics) or wood. The depth of the pots should not exceed the width. plastic containers can also be used by pouring a thicker layer of drainage from crushed stone or gravel onto the bottom.

You can plant calamondin in a ready-made soil mixture for citrus plants or in a prepared one yourself. For this upper layer park or forest land is thoroughly mixed with river sand, humus and ash (2: 1: 0.5: 0.5). For the preparation of soil mixtures for calamondin, you can not use turf from oak, poplar, chestnut.

Having bought a seedling, be sure to transplant it into nutrient soil

Calamondin is planted before it goes into active growth (at the end of winter). Drainage is placed in the pot, a layer of sand is poured, then prepared soil, leaving a gap of a couple of centimeters to the edge of the container. The root neck and bases of the main roots are not deepened, leaving them on the surface.

In the future, the plant needs regular transshipments, young - every year, adults - with an interval of several years. It is advisable not to disturb the earthen clod during transshipment.

Further care

The young plant is given a warm sunny place. Citrofortunella grows very well on a window on the west or south side. In summer, the tree is comfortable on the street or balcony. It loves direct sunlight. AT winter period it is desirable to keep the plant in cool air (+ 12-15º).

Citrofortunella is very fond of spraying

Citrofortunella needs regular watering. In hot summer days may need daily watering, in winter - 1-2 times a week. It is impossible to allow complete drying of the earthen coma.

Advice. By squeezing a lump of the top layer of earth from the pot in the palm of your hand, you can determine the need for watering. After unclenching, a formed lump remained in the palm of your hand - you need to wait a little with watering, the soil has disintegrated - it's time to water the plant.

Water for irrigation should be separated, at room temperature. Watering cold water will lead to tree exposure.

Calamondin is a subtropical plant and does not tolerate dry air, so it needs regular spraying. Spray it with settled water 2-3º higher than room temperature. He is responsive to water procedures in the shower.

Citrofortunella after sanitary and shaping pruning is quickly restored. They are carried out until the beginning of the growth phase ( in early spring). At the same time, a crown is formed, damaged and unsuccessfully growing branches are removed. In summer, you can shorten long branches.

The plant needs regular feeding.

Feeding and fertilizing

Calamondin spends a lot of energy on flowering and fruiting, so he needs regular feeding, without which he will throw off the foliage and stop setting fruit. In summer, fertilizers are applied once every 10 days, in winter - once a month. Use complex mineral fertilizers for citrus fruits or a mixture of ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride (5 g and 2 g, respectively, per 1 liter of water).

Attention! Root top dressing is carried out only in moist soil the next day after watering. Pour in the solution until it starts to flow out through the drainage holes in the pot.

Foliar feeding is also very useful for citrofortunella, since it absorbs some nutrients only through the leaves. Often, foliar top dressing alternates with root.

Tree diseases and pests

Failure to comply with the required air humidity when growing calamondin leads to attacks on it by various pests:

scale insects;
ticks;
thrips.

These enemies are capable of destroying an adult plant in a short time. To combat them, special low-toxic agents (acaricides) are used. Processing is carried out repeatedly according to the scheme, while providing the plant with proper care.

Advice. To prevent the invasion of pests, once a month the leaves of the plant can be washed with laundry soap. In this case, the soap solution should not get into the soil. After the procedure, rinse the leaves warm water from under the shower.

Citrofortunella is affected by fungi and viruses. The most common of them:

sooty fungus;
gommosis;
anthracosis.

To combat and prevent fungal diseases (soot fungus, anthracosis), regular (1 time per month) treatments with Fitosporin or potassium permanganate solution are carried out.

Inspect plants for pests

It is quite difficult to cure gommosis, and in some cases it is impossible. To prevent this disease, a number of measures are taken:

provide a sufficient drainage layer in the pot;
a rusty nail is buried in the soil;
the bases of the skeletal roots are not deepened into the ground when planting.

Reproduction of calamondin

Citrofortunella is propagated by cuttings or grafting. The survival rate of cuttings is far from 100%. Root them for 4 weeks in wet sand. In doing so, it is necessary to create greenhouse conditions by covering the containers with film or glass. Next, the cuttings are transplanted into pots, no more than 15 cm in diameter and covered with a jar until the plant takes root. A seedling from a cutting will bloom in 2-3 years.

Citrofortunella stalk

Faster and reliable way reproduction of calamondin - vaccinations. As a rootstock, you can use any citrus plant or a one-year-old seedling of Calamondin. The grafted plant grows rapidly and already on next year starts to bear fruit.

Growing calamondin at home is not at all difficult, especially if you provide it with the right care. In response, this is an ornamental tree all year round ready to delight you with flowering, exotic fruits, and an incredible citrus aroma.

Growing citrus fruits in an apartment: video

How to grow citrofortunella: photo

Citrus calamondins (citrofortunella) are Exotic fruits that can be grown at home. They usually grow up to 40-45 centimeters tall in a one liter pot, so this standard plant is great for a small space. These trees are hardy, adapt to the cold and can withstand temperatures as low as -6°C. They are hybrids of the mandarin and the kumquat (yellow-orange tropical fruit).

Calamondin is perfectly adapted for growing at home.

Calamondin trees are grown throughout South Asia, Malaysia, India and the Philippines, where their sap is used. These citrus fruits were introduced from China to the US around 1900. In the US, they are used primarily for decorative purposes. Since the 1960s, potted calamondin citrus trees have been shipped from South Florida to other states in North America to grow as indoor plants.

Description of Calamondin

Calamondin trees are small, dense evergreens, from 90 centimeters to 1.2 meters in height. The woody stem of this dwarf citrus tree is densely covered with oval, glossy green leaves. You can expect an abundance of flowers and fruits after the second year of growth of Calamondin.

On the branches of growing citrus trees there are small thorns, on which white, star-shaped flowers with a pleasant aroma appear in summer. Over time, these flowers become small orange fruits (2.5–5 cm in diameter) resembling a tangerine crossed with a lemon. Fruits ripen slowly, their color changes from dark green to bright orange.

The segmented fruits are seedless and very acidic. But do not rush to collect fruit. They can hang on a tree for a long time without falling off or spoiling, so you can enjoy their beauty for several months.

Citrofortunella is one of the hardiest citrus varieties. The fruits of this plant appear in the spring months and can be stored until winter. These fruits can be used to make drinks in the same way that lemons or limes are used. They also make marmalade, jellies and cakes. You can use them in place of lemons in cooking recipes as both fruits are similar in acidity.

Calamondins are used in cooking instead of lemons.

How to grow calamondin

This hardy ornamental evergreen citrus makes a great addition to the home garden, which is why many gardeners wonder how to care for calamondin at home. If you live in a cold climate region, then this specimen is one of the few citrus trees you can grow outside. Calamondin trees can grow even in the shade. They are drought tolerant but need to be watered anyway to avoid damaging stress.

Calamondins propagate through seed sowing or by rooting thin cuttings in spring or denser cuttings in summer. They can also be bud-grafted to the stem. The flowers do not require cross-pollination and will produce fruit at two years of age, continuing to produce nearly all year round.

Calamondin bears fruit all year round

What you need for boarding

Big pot.
A mixture of purchased ground soils.
Organic supplements or slow release fertilizers.
Insecticide (optional).
Secateurs.

Hint: place flower pot onto a tray with wheels or into a trolley for easy movement. This acquisition will facilitate the care of the tree.

Calamondin prefers large pots

Caring for calamondin trees at home

Although calamondin trees can be grown indoors, they are best suited for growing outdoors. outdoors in partial shade or direct sun. Caring for citrofortunella is to fulfill the following conditions:

Light. Provide the tree with as much sunlight as possible throughout the year (at least 4 hours of direct sunlight each day). Rotate the plant a quarter of a turn every week because it will grow rapidly towards the light source and its trunk will twist. During the warmer months, it is best to move the tree outdoors to give it room to grow.
Temperature. The most suitable temperature is 18-24 °C. In winter, this tree can withstand a minimum of 10°C, but any temperature below 12°C will adversely affect the growth of the tree.
Watering. It is impossible to flood the plant too much, so that the roots do not rot. Before watering, the soil should dry to a depth of 2.5 centimeters.
Humidity. In a place where citrus grows, there should be moderate humidity. Dry air causes flowers to drop. Place the container or flower pot on a tray of damp pebbles to increase the humidity.
The soil. For calamondin, any good mixture of earth is suitable, you can buy it ready-made or mix it yourself by buying soil different kind. Use a potting mix designed for potted plants, not garden soil.
Fertilizer. The best and most suitable for citrofortunella is an organic fertilizer from fruit trees. It contains all the nutrients necessary for the healthy growth of citrus roots and promotes the growth of the tree and its fruits. When fertilizing calamondin during the winter, use a single-use, water-soluble fertilizer approximately every five weeks. Then add a slow release fertilizer in early spring and continue to fully fertilize the soil with a water soluble fertilizer every month during the growing season.
Purity. Make sure that the leaves are not covered with dust. This prevents infestation by mites or other pests. Check the tree's foliage regularly for them. When they appear, treat the leaves with chemicals, following the directions on the package. But this must be done before the leaves begin to fall. Important Note: If you plan on eating fruit, be very careful when spraying pesticides to avoid poisoning them. Reapply natural organic insecticides whenever possible to prevent the introduction of new pests.
Reproduction. Take stem cuttings in early summer. With a sharp knife or blade, cut off 10 centimeters of stem with at least 2-3 leaf nodes without flowers or fruit. Dip the end of the trimmings into the hormone powder for the soak before inserting it into the wet mixture. Then put in a plastic bag to maintain moisture. The cutting planted in the substrate will begin to grow in about 6-8 weeks, developing roots and buds.
Collection of fruits. Harvest the fruits by cutting them with scissors so as not to damage the stem. Fruits are best eaten shortly after harvest or kept cold as they rot quickly at high temperatures.

Compared to other citrus trees, calamondin is easy to care for. Follow the necessary rules for growing this plant, and citrofortunella will bear fruit and bloom all year round.

Calamondin loves constant but moderate humidity.

Citrofortunella bears fruit at the age of two. Pay attention to the age of the plant when you buy it. You can buy annual seedlings for cheap, but once purchased, it will take a lot longer for you to enjoy the ripe fruit.

When the plant grows in spring, it is necessary to shorten it so that it does not become too large. Pruning long branches in spring will encourage new branches to grow just below the cut. Dried or diseased branches should be removed. Cut the stems at an angle just above the leaf node (where the leaf attaches to the stem).

Repot young trees every 2-3 years. Plants will not bloom if there is not enough space for them. At first, it is worth growing calamondins in small containers. Use a pot of about 15 cm until the plants are three or four years old. And then transplant them into a 20 cm container. Always use a pot with a drainage hole to prevent root rot.

For fruiting, the plant must be pollinated. Calamondin trees that are grown indoors must be handled by hand.

Use a small, dry brush to fertilize each flower. Move the brush around the center of each flower, moving from one flower to another. This is how you transfer pollen from male flowers to female flowers, just like bees do.

If you moved the plant indoors for the winter, then after warming you can’t immediately expose it to the open air. Take the citrus outside at night for about a month. And when calamondin adapts to the temperature, you can leave it in the fresh air for the whole day. Remember that indoors, any extra light and humidity you can provide will be good for your tree.

Instruction

Calamondin was obtained by crossing a mandarin and a Japanese kinkan, a small evergreen with small leaves. The leaves may be bright green or mottled, both of which give off a pleasant citrus scent. Citrofortunella flowers are white and very fragrant, and the fruits resemble tangerines in shape and color, but their diameter does not exceed 3-4 cm. In ripe fruits, it is easy to separate the peel from the pulp, while the pulp is sour and contains many seeds, and the peel is sweet and pleasant to taste.

If you maintain the conditions necessary for the plant, it easily grows in an apartment and endures wintering. The plant will have very decorative look, continuously bloom and at the same time bear fruit, but for this, citrofortunella needs care. One of the important conditions for care - suitable for a flower soil, pot and timely transplant.

Calamondins are transplanted at the end of February, when the plant is about to end its dormant period. Young plants are transplanted into a slightly larger pot annually, and adults every 2-3 years. When choosing a pot for transplanting, you need to make sure that it is not much larger than the previous one. Optimal size it will be if the old pot can be freely placed inside the new one, and the gap between their walls will be no more than 2 cm.

It is better if the new pot will repeat the previous one in shape and material - the plant will not have to spend time adapting. It is preferable to choose middle lane plastic pots, not clay, as clay retains both heat and moisture well. The roots of the plant in the offseason will suffer from the cold, and during heating season- from the heat. Plastic pots accept the temperature of the substrate placed in them, and therefore the roots of the plant are more comfortable.

Be sure to have a drainage layer in the pot at least 1 cm thick. For drainage, you can use expanded clay or pebbles. The soil for transplantation can be made up of leaf humus, soddy soil and rotted manure with river sand in equal proportions, or you can take ready-made soil for citrus fruits.

Calamondin does not like transplanting with the removal of the old substrate, so it is better to transfer the earthen lump from the old pot to the new one completely, filling the free space with the new substrate. To do this, the pot with citrofortunella is placed on its side and the soil is separated from the walls with gentle taps. Taking the plant by the trunk at the very base, they take it out of the old pot and put it in a new one with expanded clay and a small layer of soil about 2-3 cm previously laid on the bottom. priming. After that, the plant is watered and put in a permanent place.

Citrus plants are not only decorative and beautiful, but also bring many benefits to the air of the room in which they grow. Therefore, many flower growers tend to have citrus trees at home.

Instruction

All citruses are very demanding on the conditions of their residence, and require certain temperature, illumination and humidity. Calamondin is also capricious, but in comparison with other citrus fruits, it can be considered unpretentious. This plant is a hybrid from crossing wild sour mandarin and citrus with oval fruits called kinkan. Calamondin is also called small-fruited. Compared to mandarin, it has a denser crown, but the ratio of fruits and leaves remains the same as for all citrus fruits that are grown at home - 1 fruit per 10 leaves, otherwise the plant may die.

In order to be able to grow more leaves and fruits, a timely transplant is important - only then can it grow and develop harmoniously. Calamondin bears fruit at a very young age, so transplantation should be given attention initially. Of great importance for development is the correct volume of the pot and the composition of the soil. In order to bloom and bear fruit well, calamondin needs tightness, so transplanting into a spacious pot will not suit him. Calamondin aged 3-4 years feels great in a pot with a diameter of 15 cm. Experienced citrus growers say that ready-made citrus soil does not suit calamondin very well, and you need to make the mixture yourself. For this in equal parts humus, leaf soil, soddy soil and coarse river or white quartz sand are mixed.

The main indicators of soil quality are its air permeability and moisture capacity, therefore, instead of various sand, vermiculite can be used - it is lighter in weight and absorbs and retains water better than sand. When the roots of calamondin will braid the whole earthen ball and begin to look out into drainage hole, the pot needs to be changed to a larger one. Young plants add green and root mass quickly, so an annual transplant will be needed. Old trees are transplanted as needed every 5-6 years or even less often.

A transplant pot is chosen 2-3 cm larger than the previous one, with a capacious water tray and a large number of holes at the bottom. A layer of expanded clay or small pebbles is poured on the bottom, a layer of soil 2-3 cm on top. The transplanted plant should be carefully removed from the old pot, wrinkling the walls slightly so that the earth and roots separate and pulling the trunk up. Calamondin is placed in a new pot in the center and the void between the old earthen clod and the walls of the pot is filled with soil, periodically tapping on the walls to tamp the earth. No need to pour earth over the old layer, deepening the tree trunk - this can cause root rot. The transplanted plant is put in its permanent place (calamondin does not like frequent movements) and the first week is only plentifully sprayed, giving the roots the opportunity to adapt.

Sources:

Calamondin from the store - adaptation

Calamondin is a beautiful evergreen plant with yellow-orange fruits, very similar to tangerines. Calamondin belongs to the rue family and is a hybrid of the mandarin and the kumquat. The fruits of this plant have a bitter-sour taste, but are quite edible.

Instruction

First of all, it must be transplanted into the plant. In general, it is customary to transplant calamondin every year into a pot larger than the previous one. Place the container with the plant in a well-lit place, protected from direct sunlight, and maintain a constant air temperature of + 22-25 ° C in summer and + 15 ° C in winter. Lowering the temperature during the cold season will ensure abundant flowering and fruiting in the future.

Calamondin is a moisture-loving plant. Therefore, you need to water it regularly, as soon as you notice that the topsoil is slightly dry. The plant is also required to be sprayed, and if you notice that the newly acquired calamondin sheds leaves, it is recommended to wrap it in a plastic bag and open it once a day for airing. Drafts to a tree are strictly contraindicated. From spring to autumn, fertilize the plant once every 7-14 days with foliar fertilizer for citrus fruits, spraying them on the crown.

The calamondin tree may still be small, but its root system is quite developed and branched. Therefore, every year in March, the plant is transplanted, without much destroying the earthen ball, into a mixture consisting of soddy soil, sand and rotted manure in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Don't forget about good drainage- its layer should be at least 2 cm. In spring, you can cut off all young shoots from the crown - this way you will achieve more abundant flowering. As soon as the plant grows enough and begins to bear fruit, there will be no need for an annual transplant: it will be enough to do this once every 2-3 years.

In no case should you turn and rearrange the tree during flowering and fruiting, as in this case the flowers or fruits will fall off. For a symmetrical formation of the crown, the plant must be moved literally 1 mm per day. It is very difficult to propagate Calamondin. Few cuttings give roots: most disappear, and if you plant a seed, you will have to wait more than one year to get fruits. If you really want to get cuttings, then you need to at least prepare a loose substrate and provide an air temperature in the range from +23 to +25 ° C. Phytohormones are required.

If calamondin sheds flowers, leaves and fruits, it may be too hot. If you cannot wait for flowering for a long time, try transplanting the plant into a larger pot and moving it to another place - where there is more light. If the leaves on the tree turn yellow, then most likely it's all about poor drainage.

Calamondin - description

The homeland of citrofortunella is China, from there the culture spread to the territory of the Philippine Islands, to Indonesia and Malaysia. A tree under natural conditions grows to a height of 3–7 meters, while indoor varieties reach a meter mark.

The trunk of the plant is straight, branched at the top. The oval leaves are dense and smooth, dark green on the outside and yellowish below. They are small, up to 7 cm long, attached to the branches with short petioles and have a regular arrangement.

Flowers five-petalled axillary, white color, their diameter is 2.5 cm. Depending on the variety, they can be single or multiple. Flowering is accompanied by a wonderful aroma, which in nature attracts bees.

Citrus calamondin micro is a self-pollinating plant, characterized by abundant fruiting. In summer, orange-red, rounded fruits ripen on its branches. Their diameter rarely exceeds 4.5 cm. The peel is smooth with multiple glands containing essential oils. She tastes sweet. The pulp of the fruit is sour, almost like a lemon, has a lobed structure and several drupes. An indoor tree lives about 4 years, and in nature its life expectancy is 15–20 years..

Features of growing citrus

It is not difficult to care for an Asian plant, but it has its own characteristics that must be taken into account. Like lemon, citrofortunella loves warmth. This culture has a need for a dormant period. It is for the winter. At this time, the tree accumulates strength before the upcoming flowering and fruiting. At home, the flowers will have to be pollinated by hand with a soft bristled brush, otherwise the fruits will not set.

Culture preferences:

increased air humidity;
bright lighting;
regular watering;
lack of temperature drops and drafts;
loose and light soil.

Calamondin loves peace, it cannot be disturbed unnecessarily - rearranged from place to place and rotated, especially during flowering.

Lighting Requirements

Citrofortunella prefers to be indoors with good lighting. It is placed on the western or eastern windowsill, where the midday rays of the sun do not fall on the crown. If the grower has only southern windows at his disposal, it is better to put the pot inside the room. Variegated hybrids need more bright light.

In summer, citrus is taken out on outdoor terrace or in the garden, under the openwork shade of foliage. A suitable length of daylight hours is 12 hours. With insufficient lighting, the tree will refuse to bloom, and its leaf plates will increase in size.

An abundance of light is necessary for citrofortunella even in winter, during the dormant period. At the end of summer, if the tree was previously in the garden, it is transferred to the house. A sharp change in location and conditions can provoke leaf fall. The florist should try to smooth out this transition - find a place at home with the brightest lighting or use a phytolamp.

Microclimate

During the period of active vegetation, calamondin develops best at a temperature of + 18-26 ºС. In winter, the plant is kept cool, the thermometer should not fall below +12 ºС. When a strong heat is established, the flower is placed in a pan with expanded clay or pebbles filled with cold water.

Citrus is demanding on the level of humidity in the room. Dry air is detrimental to him, so the crown is sprayed daily from a spray bottle in the morning and evening. Those who have an electric humidifier should use it by setting the regulator to around 60-70%.

Watering

From spring to autumn, the flower actively grows and bears fruit. At this time, it is watered daily in the morning, provided that the room is warm and the soil has time to dry out. It is important to use purified or settled water at room temperature without harmful impurities. Its excess is drained from the pan a quarter of an hour after watering.

In winter, the plant does not need moisture. During the dormant period, when the citrus is in a room with a low air temperature, frequent watering can lead to root rot. Experienced flower growers advise moistening the soil at this time every 7-10 days.

top dressing

Calamondin is fertilized only during the growing season. Some flower growers feed the tree in winter. An excess of nutrients is just as harmful as a deficiency, and often leads to the death of the plant.

Citrofortunella is suitable for liquid mineral complexes for citrus fruits. They are administered together with water for irrigation in the usual dosage with a frequency of 2 times a month. The plant also responds well to foliar feeding, but you need to choose one method of fertilizing.

crown formation

beautiful house tree needs pruning. It is performed at the end of the rest period. Remove old, broken or diseased branches. Healthy and young are shortened by a third, which stimulates branching.

The crown of citrofortunella is given different shape- oval, pyramidal or spherical, and some leave it as it is. At the end of summer, it is worth shortening the longest branches. To maintain symmetry, the plant is rotated a few degrees around its axis every day.

Citrus fruits are tied on last year's branches, so they are not touched when pruning. Only a slight shortening of these shoots is allowed in order to stimulate tillering.

Organization of the rest period

Winter rest is very important for calamondin. In its absence, the plant will wither, will not be able to bloom profusely and set fruits. In the middle of autumn, watering is reduced, top dressing is not applied, and the flowerpot is left on a warmed loggia or veranda. The tree is kept at a positive temperature in the range of + 11–15 ºС.

The duration of the dormant period in citrus is 1.5–2 months. It stops when the daylight hours increase and the temperature rises. environment. This usually happens in mid-February.

Plant transplant

The need for transplantation arises immediately after the purchase of a tree. Many note that after a while the acquired specimens shed their leaves and die. This is not only due to a sharp change in conditions of detention. Often the reason for the poor health of the flower is poor store soil. Experienced flower growers recommend transplanting the plant in the near future.

A thick layer of drainage is laid at the bottom of the flowerpot. Culture prefers nutritious and loose soil. Suitable purchased land for citrus. If the grower wants to prepare a mixture for planting on his own, you will need the following components:

peat;
turf;
leaf land;
humus;
sand.

All components are well mixed and disinfected by calcining in the oven. The soil is poured into the pot, filling it halfway. The plant is carefully removed from the old flowerpot and placed together with a clod of soil in a new one. The voids on the sides are filled with earth.

The roots of citrofortunella during transplantation are not cleared of soil residues.

Young trees are transplanted annually in early March - their root system is actively developing. Plants older than three years are often not worth disturbing. In a larger flowerpot they are placed every 2 or 3 years, but the surface layer of the soil is changed every spring.

Reproduction of citrus calamondin

Citrofortunella is propagated by seeds, cuttings and grafting. The first option involves the long-term development of the plant, which, if it bears fruit, is not earlier than in 6 years.

It is much easier to grow a tree from cuttings. Then it will inherit maternal traits. Grafting is also of interest to flower growers who are guaranteed to want to get fruits from citrus.

seed method

Growing calamondin from seed is as easy as growing a lemon or tangerine. The main thing is to use fresh bones. They are placed in a moist substrate (perlite or a mixture of peat and sand is suitable), covered with a glass dome. Favorable temperature for the appearance of sprouts ranges from + 22–25 ºС.

The greenhouse is ventilated daily, and the condensate is wiped off. When the seeds germinate, the glass is removed. Picking is carried out after the appearance of 2-3 true leaves. On an adult tree grown from seeds, a cutting is usually grafted to get a crop at home.

cuttings

This method of reproduction allows you to quickly find a new tree. It is used in the summer after flowering. You will need cuttings from young shoots 10–12 cm long with three buds. It is better to take a few, as not all will take root. For better rooting, they are kept in a growth stimulator and placed in a substrate of a sand-peat mixture.

To maintain high humidity, a greenhouse is installed above the cuttings. polyethylene film or fragment plastic bottle. A suitable temperature for rooting is +25 ºС. The dome is removed daily to allow access. fresh air to plants. Roots form slowly.

The grower will determine that the process was successful by the newly appeared leaves. You should not rush with a transplant, you have to wait until the young plants get stronger.

Graft

This method of reproduction is used during the active growing season. As a rootstock use any citrus crop grown from seeds. A vertical incision is made on the plant site selected for grafting. The bark is gently pulled apart, separating it from the wood.

On a fresh cutting taken from a varietal calamondin, an oblique cut is made, which is placed in the gap of the rootstock. This place is tightly pressed with an insulating tape. You can remove it only after 7-8 weeks. It is recommended to cover the plant with a transparent plastic bag and make sure that the soil remains moist.

Diseases and pests of citrofortunella

A citrus tree rarely gets sick if it is properly cared for. If waterlogged in winter, the roots can rot. Of the pests, calamondin is threatened spider mites, scale insects, whiteflies and aphids. Humidification of the air will help to avoid the attack of insects.

If the pests still hit the tree, they act immediately - the colonies quickly increase and deprive the plant of nutrients. Insecticides are used to control aphids, scale insects and whiteflies. Against ticks, these drugs are powerless. Acaricides will help to destroy arthropods.

Growing citrofortunella at home is within the power of a novice grower. The main thing is to study its features and follow the recommendations for care. Among them - do not overdo it with watering, maintain a normal level of humidity in the room, arrange winter holidays, and feed the culture.

Calamondin or, as this indoor variety of citrus fruits is also called, citrofortunella is a hybrid obtained from crossing a kumquat and loved by many gourmets. Growing calamondin at home makes it possible not only to replenish the collection with an exotic culture, but also to get bright small-sized fruits.

It is thanks to them that the plant received the popular name "golden orange". small size fragrant fruits abundantly cover the crown and sometimes seem fake. Therefore, novice flower growers have a question: “Is it possible to eat calamondin?”.

Round, with a thin peel and juicy core, the fruits are edible. But wait for the sweetness of tangerine in this case is not worth it. The pulp of yellow-orange calamondins is sour or even bitter, but the peel, like that of a kumquat, is sweetish and very fragrant.

Features of care and cultivation of calamondin

When kept indoors, the plant forms a compact shrub or an elegant standard tree, although in the open air the culture sometimes reaches a height of five meters. With simple care at home, citrus calamondin:

grows well;
bears fruit;
it can be propagated by cuttings or seeds.

Today, lovers of indoor plants are offered plants not only with plain foliage, but also variegated forms, in which even the fruits have an unusual striped color.

In the second half of spring, citrus blooms, and then the crown is covered with very fragrant star-shaped flowers of white color. The plant requires manual pollination, after which numerous ovaries are formed on it.

Even a small specimen, with proper feeding and watering, will not drop them and may bloom when unripe fruits still remain on its branches. Calamondin signals discomfort or violations of growing conditions by the loss of foliage.

If the right measures are not taken, the plant will die. How to care for calamondin? What are the maintenance and care requirements of this culture?

Care for citrus calamondin at home

For the first time, the flower grower may encounter wilting and falling leaves a few weeks after acquiring a bright plant. The fact is that an exotic perennial is not easy to adapt, and when moving from a store to an apartment it changes:

air temperature;
humidity;
composition of irrigation water;

In addition, the reasons for the unhealthy and unsuccessful care of citrus calamondin may lie in the depletion of the fruit-bearing tree from a long stay in the store or insufficient care. Therefore, it is better to transplant the plant, having previously examined and cleaned the root system of dead or rotten fragments. The crown can be covered with a bag to artificially increase the humidity of the air and create a semblance of a greenhouse.

Since exotic cultures are not indifferent to the sun, then a place for them must be found on the bright side. True, it is still worth taking care of shelter from direct scorching rays.

Calamondin bought in winter is protected from possible drafts and immediately placed under to extend daylight hours. And in subsequent winters, backlighting is required.

At home, growing calamondin does not require the grower to maintain a special temperature. Plants, if all the rules for caring for citrus calamondin, easily tolerate the hot season, and the temperature is considered optimal for them:

18-24°C in summer;
12–16 °C in winter.

Plants are moisture-loving and respond well to spraying, which helps them survive the heat. In the cold season, such frequent soil moisture is not required.

Top dressing can be traditional, combined with watering, and foliar. Calamandins need additional nutrition all year round, especially with frequent and abundant fruiting.

If foliar top dressing is practiced when caring for calamondin at home, it is better to irrigate on the back of the leaves. So it can't be ruined appearance glossy sheets. Carrying out such procedures is prescribed for the evening, so that the sunbeam burns the places where the drops fall.

Propagation by seeds and growing calamondin from cuttings

Growing calamondin from seeds is a painstaking task and requires remarkable patience. The florist will be able to pluck the first fruits only after 6-7 years. You can also get new citrus specimens using cuttings.

But even here there are pitfalls. In order for the cuttings to take root, you will need:

loose substrate for deepening the apical parts of the shoots;
greenhouse with bottom heating;
maintaining a temperature of about 23–25 ° C;
long daylight hours.

Cuttings and rooting are best done from May to June, when these conditions are easiest to provide. After the formation of roots, young calamondins are seated in their own pots.

When choosing pots for transplanting calamondin, you need to consider the size of the plant and the growing root system. Therefore, it is better to take bulk containers where the tree will be comfortable for at least one year.

When transferring an earthen clod to a new container, it is important not to damage it. And for the outflow of excess moisture, a powerful drainage layer is created at the bottom of the pot. It is calculated so that when the root system is installed on the soil layer, the root neck, when backfilled, is above the surface of the substrate.

The soil mixture for growing calamondin is made from ready-made soil for ornamental crops with the addition of humus or from the same humus, twice as much soddy soil and sand to make it loose. After the limbers, calamondin needs watering, and the first top dressing is carried out only after a month.