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Tangerine trees take root in city apartments easier than lemon or orange. They do not fade when the temperature in the room drops to +14, and they can produce up to 70 juicy and sweet fruits in a year. Citruses purify and disinfect the air, protecting residents of the apartment from colds and viral diseases, delight the eye with a thick dark green crown and soft white flowers that smell much better than any freshener.
Mandarin purchase rules
On the Internet or specialized nurseries sell already mature fruit-bearing trees, which are enough to bring home, water and feed. Formed citruses will cost a round sum, so it is easier to grow your own tangerine from a germ or stone.
The first option is less troublesome, but when buying a young tree, you should ask the vendors for a certificate. Some merchants give out for the tangerines Calamondinas, which smell of citrus and bear fruit, but the orange fruits are completely tasteless. They cheat mainly in the markets or in supermarkets, because nurseries value their reputation, but even when visiting a specialized center, you should ask employees for documents.
Land preparation
Citrus fruits do not tolerate acidic soils, which include peat. The land for growing tangerine should be light and nutritious, allow air to pass through and trap moisture. To prepare the right soil for young trees, you need to mix 4 components:
- sheet and turf soil in equal proportions;
- coarse river sand, which must be disinfected;
- humus obtained from cow dung.
The last ingredient can be replaced by compost, which is not less nutrients. When the mandarin is 3–4 years old, rich clay is added to the soil, which will retain moisture and protect the root system from drying out.
Pour a drainage layer 3–5 cm thick into a pot or tub intended for citrus. Claydite, small pebbles or clay shards are suitable. Use large pebbles that better allow air to pass through and prevent water from stagnating at the bottom.
Do I need to transplant Mandarin
Every year a citrus tree is moved from a smaller pot to a larger one, because a growing tree needs more space. The four-year-old mandarin is recommended to be transplanted immediately into a wooden tub, where he will live and bear fruit for the next 2-3 years.
It is better to relocate the plant in spring when citrus wakes up and actively develops. First, make a small dig, to check the status of the root system. If the mandarin is tightly braided earthen room, it is transplanted. If not, change the top layer of soil and leave in the old pot until next year.
How to move a citrus without injuring him?
- Dampen the ground around the edges so that it is better behind the walls of the pot.
- Lightly tap on the container with a spatula or hand. It is easier to separate the roots with the soil from the clay or wooden walls.
- Take the mandarin by the trunk and remove it with the ground.It is not necessary to clean the old soil from the plant in order not to damage it.
- Prepare in advance a new pot with drainage and a layer of earth. Put a mandarin in it, fill it with soil from above.
- Ramming the soil, but not much. Water the citrus and put in the sun.
Replanting a tree, you can not completely fill the ground root neck. Its upper part should remain on the surface in order for the citrus to settle down faster.
Reference: The root neck of a mandarin is a line separating the trunk and skeletal roots. In this place a small seal near the tree, which is covered with earth by half.
Lighting
Tangerines need sunlight. The more, the healthier the tree and the juicier the fruit. Adult citruses are placed next to the western or eastern windows. Pots with young trees are placed on the northern windowsill.
Plants feel good and next to the southern windows, if they are equipped with blinds or translucent curtains that scatter light. It is undesirable that on the leaves of citrus fell direct sunlight. Ultraviolet burns the crown of mandarins and desiccates the earth.
In summer, citruses are useful to make on the balcony or leave in the garden.Kadku put under the high spreading trees that will disperse and soften the light. Plants that are in the apartment by the window should be closed from the sun at noon, and in the evening, closer to 4–5 hours, open.
In winter, mandarins must be filled with phytolamps. The length of the daylight hours is 8–12 hours, no less, otherwise the citrus weakens, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. The tree is restored long and difficult, spending a lot of energy and nutrients, and some specimens do not cope with the shock and die.
Tip: When using special lamps, a tub with citrus needs to be rotated around its own axis from time to time so that all sides of the plant receive approximately the same amount of light.
Temperature and humidity
In spring, the first buds appear on the tangerine tree, and it is important that the temperature in the room does not fall below + 20-25 degrees. When the mark of the thermometer drops to + 17–15, the citrus is covered with empty flowers, which smell pleasantly, but do not yield a crop.
In winter, the plant is transferred to a cool room. The temperature in the room is reduced gradually, due to a cold snap, the tree can shed its leaves. The room should first be +18, after + 16–14, and some gardeners down to +10.Why keep citrus in a cool room? So that the mandarin could have a little rest and gain strength. After a short winter break, more buds bloom on the tree, and the fruits become juicier and sweeter.
Mandarin must be prepared for hibernation after harvesting. In the middle of January, the temperature in the room is gradually increased, so that the citrus “wakes up” and has time to prepare for the spring flowering.
The tangerine tree loves heat and moisture, so in the heat it needs to be sprayed twice or three times a day from a spray bottle. In the summer, a bucket or bowl of water is left next to the plant to prevent the air from drying out. In winter, it is advised to install special humidifiers or ionizers. If the tub with mandarin is located near the battery or radiator, the heater is covered with a wet towel.
The room in which the citrus stands is regularly aired. But the tree is moved away from the window, because the mandarin does not tolerate drafts.
Watering citrus
When the ground in the tub with mandarin dries, spider mites may appear on the plant. The soil should always be slightly wet, but not wet, so in the summer the tree is watered daily and reduced in the winter to 2-3 times a week.
The soil should be tried with a finger, and if it seemed crumbly and too dry, add a little water. Before watering, look into the pan. The accumulated liquid indicates that there is too much water and the tree does not have time to absorb it. Watering should be stopped before the pan dries, otherwise the root system will rot or a fungus will appear.
Use only purified, melted or rain water. The liquid is settled for 3-4 days in a large saucepan or plastic bucket, and then passed through a kitchen filter. You can not water the mandarin with water just from the tap, because heavy impurities and salts settle in the ground, inhibiting the plant.
Fluid volumes depend on tree size and air temperature. The hotter the room, the more moisture evaporates. If a small mandarin 0.5-1 liters is enough, then an adult tree will need three or four.
Water must be heated to + 35-40 degrees. How to check the temperature of the liquid without a thermometer? Put your finger in it. Must be nice, but not hot.
Pour the water over the root, trying to keep the droplets from falling on the leaves and trunk. Moisten the crown separately from the sprayer so that the liquid is evenly distributed.During the flowering period to ensure that water does not fall on the buds. If a few droplets fall on green or ripe fruit, that's okay.
Watering a tree is better in the morning. Water helps the plant to wake up and starts metabolic processes.
Fertilizer
In winter, the mandarin does not need additional feeding, but from April to September-October, when the buds open and the fruits ripen, the tree needs to be fertilized. Nutrients contribute twice a month. Buy complex fertilizers containing:
- phosphorus;
- nitrogen;
- potassium.
Find suitable fertilizers in flower shops. Recommend to stay at:
- Uniflor-bud in the flowering period;
- Kemira Suite;
- Uniflor-growth during ripening.
Mineral fertilizers alternate with organic. Natural nutrient solutions are prepared from cow manure or bird droppings. Part of the dry matter is diluted in 10-12 parts of water, insist 2-4 days, and then contribute in small portions.
Soil before fertilizer moistened. When using chemicals it is important to follow the instructions. If you increase the dosage, you can burn the roots of mandarin or poison the tree.A weak solution is processed and the leaves of citrus. Mineral fertilizers should not fall on the fruit.
Recommendations
In the spring, before flowering, the tree is pruned. Remove dry and thin branches, tearing off the yellowed leaves. Garden shears need to be ground and sanitized before pruning. The cuts are processed with wood resin, so that they heal faster.
To form a mandarin oval crown is easy. It is enough to pinch the tops of the twigs and cut off the excess shoots that are not able to bear fruit, and only pull nutrients from the tree.
When the plant blooms for the first time, you need to leave only 10-15 buds. The rest are carefully cut so that they do not deplete the young tree. The older the mandarin becomes, the more ovaries can be left.
In the tub set one or more wooden poles, to which branches are tied up with fruits. Large fruits are attracted to the ground, and the mandarin can break or split into several pieces.
Citrus need to bathe monthly. Cover the pot and the ground with plastic wrap and place the plant in the bath. Leaves first moistened, and then lather.You can gently rub them with a soft cloth to remove dust and spider webs. Turn on weak pressure and wash off soap suds. Water should be at room temperature or slightly warmer.
It remains to wet the leaves and branches with a dry towel. Let the mandarin stand in the bathroom until it is completely dry, and then you can return it to the old place and remove the film.
Taking care of a citrus tree is no more difficult than taking care of an apple tree in a garden or an orchid growing on a window sill. A lot of light, a little water and fertilizer - and the mandarin will stretch, covered with dark green leaves and delicate buds. In the summer, citrus will delight you with its rich aroma, and in the winter it will thank you with sweet and healthy fruits that are associated with the New Year and magic.
Video: how to grow a tangerine from the bone
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