How to properly grow tangerines at home?

Most of our children, and often we ourselves, adults, began their acquaintance with botany with a mandarin duck. Orange, fragrant, with bright slices and nondescript bones, it brought us to the question: is it possible to grow such a miracle on our own? And if this question overtook us not far from a pot of earth, even if already occupied by some plant, the seeds were immediately sent to the soil. And after a while, the already forgotten experiment turned into a difficult task: how to care for and get the fruits from your own tangerine in home growing conditions? We will talk about this in the article.

Mandarin tree (Citrus reticulata)

Content:

• Tangerine from the bone - analyzing the difficulties
• What seeds to plant?
• Cooking the ground and picking up the pot
• Planting mandarin seeds
• Transplanting mandarin seedlings
• Mandarin formation
• Tangerine care at home
• First fruiting of tangerines
• How to make tangerines bloom?
• Mandarin grafting
• Tangerine care during flowering / fruiting
• Mandarin pests
• Problems when growing tangerine
• Interesting facts about tangerine

Tangerine from the bone - analyzing the difficulties

Before deciding to grow a tangerine from a bone, you need to think: how much are you willing to work hard to achieve a result, and what exactly do you want from the tree you are growing - just decorative or also fruits? Are you ready to wait? The seed tangerine grows rather slowly. Do you agree to experiments? In order for the plant to bloom, it will take more than one year, and there are often cases that the tangerine, in general, does not bloom, then you will need to help him.

In addition, if a tangerine grown from a stone produces fruits, they do not look like those from which the seed was taken (in order for the variety to repeat, it must be propagated vegetatively - by cuttings, grafts). However, what turns out, in any case, pleasantly surprises!

What seeds to plant?

For planting tangerines, it is best to take seeds from the many hybrids offered for sale today. They sprout faster, bloom earlier, in most cases, produce edible fruits and are easier to graft. It is very simple to distinguish them from real tangerines: the real ones do not have seeds in the fruits, or there are very few of them, and hybrids are always with seeds.

The selected seeds should not be thin, as if dried out, deformed or with a blackened tip. It is good that there are at least five mandarin seeds, since not all will germinate, and if the plants are planned to be grafted, then at least ten, because grafting is not always successful.

Sprouted from mandarin seeds

The next task is to prepare the substrate.There should be no peat in it, since mandarin does not like acidic soil. Therefore, the substrate is either bought in a store, marked with a pH = 6.5-7 (neutral soil), or they are made on their own by mixing two parts of well-rotted humus, two parts of forest land (from under deciduous trees) and one part of sifted river sand. If there is no humus, you can just take non-acidic soil and sand.

Now you need to pick up a container for planting. The first pots for young tangerines are quite capable of becoming plastic cups with a volume of 200 ml, bowls with a depth of at least 7-9 cm (always with a drainage hole) or small pots.

Planting mandarin seeds

For all citrus fruits, there is a single rule: the faster the seed from the fruit gets into the soil, the higher its germination. Therefore, after eating a tangerine, you do not need to dry its bones, you must immediately place them in the ground, digging them to a depth of 4 cm.

If, for some reason, mandarin seeds could not be planted immediately, then, in order to slightly speed up the germination process, it is recommended to soak them for several days. In this case, the dishes in which they will lie should be flat, the cloth should be damp, but not filled with water, the place should be warm, but not in the sun. So that the cloth in which the tangerine bones are wrapped does not dry out, the saucer can be placed in a plastic bag, slightly covered, but not tied.

Hurried tangerine from seeds

From sowing to germination

It is impossible to say in advance how long it will take for the seed to germinate and sprout. In some cases, this is 15 days, but more often - about a month. In any case, before germination, it is important to monitor soil moisture and air temperature, which should not fall below + 20 ° C and exceed + 25 ° C. At the same time, it is not recommended to place the pots in a mini greenhouse, tangerines sprout so well, and plants grown in greenhouse conditions will then need to be accustomed to the conditions of the room.

Transplanting mandarin seedlings

If the mandarin seeds are not planted in separate pots, but all together in a bowl, when four leaves appear (it is believed that citrus fruits do not have cotyledon leaves), it is time to transplant them into separate cups. From the obtained seedlings, the most powerful are chosen, and the weak and deformed are discarded, getting stronger and more capable of growth and development of plants.

Sometimes it happens that two sprouts grow from one mandarin seed (in citrus fruits, multi-embryonic seeds are observed). In this case, you can do two things: either pin a weaker plant, or plant the shoots in different pots - usually each of them has its own root system.

The next tangerine transplant should be focused on root development: as soon as the roots take up the entire volume of the cup, the plant is transferred into a more spacious pot. But immediately planting a seedling in a large volume of land is highly discouraged, because in this case, waterlogging of the soil often occurs, which significantly inhibits the plant.

Young tangerine trees are transplanted annually. Fruiting - once every 2-3 years, increasing the diameter of the pot not by 1, but by 4-6 cm. When planting, it is important to take care not to deepen the root collar.

Old plants and large specimens of tangerine are not transplanted, but every few years the top layer of soil is carefully removed in a pot, replacing it with a new, fertile one.

Mandarin is one of those plants that often have to be shaped. The first pinching (if he did not start branching himself) is done to him when the seedling reaches a height of 30-40 cm. This technique makes the tree start up side shoots of the first order. But this is not enough for flowering, because tangerine bears fruit only on branches of the 4th-5th order. Therefore, the pinching is continued, removing the tips of all shoots after 4-5 leaves, as well as weak shoots and those that grow inside the crown. In general, it takes 3-4 years to form.

But to force the branching of the first-order branches, you can go the other way - reject the shoots with a commit. This method is more time consuming, but quite interesting. For its implementation, one end of the wire is fixed on a branch, and the other is fixed with a hairpin at the edge of the pot so that the formed mandarin shoot tilts closer to a parallel position with respect to the ground.

Mandarin tree (Citrus reticulata)

Caring for tangerine trees varies somewhat depending on their age and purpose. If the specimen is young (up to 5 years old) or is grown exclusively for the sake of green foliage, it needs regular watering (the soil must be kept moist, but not flooded), spraying (fairly frequent) and a lot of light (with shading in the summer from the bright midday sun and backlit on winter days).

In warmer months, the tree can be taken out into the air (gradually accustoming it) to a place protected from the wind. It is good for a tangerine to have a warm shower once a month.

If the tangerine began to bloom, then, in addition to the usual care, it needs a period of winter dormancy, at a temperature of + 10 ... 12 ° C with more rare watering (it is necessary to allow the earth to dry out a little), a smooth rise in temperatures in the spring and an optimal temperature regime for education buds (within + 16..18 ° C). As well as moderate heat in summer - no higher than + 25 ° C (at a higher temperature, flowers can crumble) and careful spraying (water should not get on the flowers).

Like other citrus fruits, mandarin tends to turn the leaves towards the main light source. Therefore, for a more uniform formation of the crown, it can be rotated around its axis. But this should be done no more than 10 ° at a time and no more than once every two weeks, because citrus fruits do not like permutations and can react negatively to them.

Since tangerines ripen for about 6 months, many people have a question: should the tree rest in the winter or light it up with a lamp so that the fruits ripen? Answer: arrange. Even in conditions of + 10..12 ° C, tangerines slowly ripen.

Top dressing mandarin

Small tangerines are not fed, they are simply transferred into a larger pot. But older plants need to start fertilizing from the beginning of spring growth until autumn. This must be done with a special fertilizer for citrus fruits or mullein infusion (1:10 with water) every two weeks. Chicken droppings are also suitable for feeding (dilute 1:20 tincture at the rate of 1:20 with water).

If the tree is planned for transplantation, tangerine feeding is stopped at least three days before this event. After transshipment, they return to fertilizers no earlier than 2 weeks later. In winter, tangerines are not fed.

Tangerine grown from seed begins to bear fruit in the 5th-6th year. Its fruits do not exactly repeat the taste of the mother variety and may differ from it in size, sweetness, aroma, but not only in the direction of deterioration of these qualities (as is commonly believed), but also in the direction of improvement (here - whoever is lucky).

At the same time, the first fruiting does not yet fully reveal all the characteristics of the plant obtained from the seed. Therefore, if a tangerine has bloomed and set fruits, it must be provided with the most attractive conditions so that the tree can show itself upon repeated fruiting.

How to make tangerines bloom?

It's good if the tangerine blooms on its own. And if not? If so, he can be encouraged to do so. It is necessary to take a copper wire and tightly wrap it around the base of the mandarin trunk so that it is pressed into the bark. This will disrupt the process of sap flow and make the plant “think” about the offspring - to bloom. After six months, the wire must be removed, and the wounded place must be treated with garden pitch - it will recover quickly enough.

However, the method will not work if the mandarin has not formed a crown and has not had a dormant period.Therefore, before starting the experiment, it is necessary to help the tree grow branches of the 4th and 5th order and go through a cold winter.

Mandarin grafting

Another way to get fruit from a mandarin seedling is to plant it. To do this, it is necessary to grow a stock (tangerine from a bone) to the thickness of a trunk with a diameter of a simple pencil (about 6 mm) and find a scion - a small segment of a shoot taken from a varietal mandarin, or rather, a bud (eye) with a leaf petiole.

At a height of 7 cm from the soil on the bark of the stock with a very sharp, preferably with a special gauge knife, make an incision in the shape of the letter “T” so as not to cut through the wood. The length of the incision should be about 2.5 cm, the upper jumper (cap of the letter “T”) about 1 cm. Insert the cut mandarin bud (with the leaf petiole) into the bent ends of the bark (gently push them aside with a knife) and press the bark back. Treat everything with garden pitch and wrap tightly with blue electrical tape, leaving the petiole outside. Place the grafted plant in the greenhouse from the bag.

If the mandarin vaccination is successful, the kidney will take root within three weeks, the leaf petiole will turn yellow and easily fall off. If the vaccination is unsuccessful, the petiole will turn black.

If successful, they begin to air the greenhouse little by little, gradually increasing the session time. A month after the emergence of a shoot from a new bud, the stem of the mandarin stock is cut with pruning shears at a height of at least 5 mm from the inoculation site, obliquely. The bandage is removed. The cut is treated with garden pitch.

In the phase of flowering and fruiting, the tangerine needs more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers than nitrogen. Watering should be regular, but not excessive. When the plant blooms, it must continue to be sprayed, but in such a way that water does not fall on the flowers.

In most cases, the mandarin sheds excess flowers and ovary, independently regulating the load. If this does not happen, he needs to be helped by removing excess flowers and tangerines, leaving one fruit on the plant for every 15-20 leaves.

If the tangerines burst when ripening, it means that the plant is watered irregularly, or is experiencing an excess of nitrogen. In order for the mandarin to lay flower buds, it definitely needs winter rest.

Mandarin pests

It has been noticed that, grown from a bone, mandarin is much more resistant to environmental influences and pests than those that can be bought in the store. But, unfortunately, he also has malicious enemies. Most of them are afraid of ultraviolet radiation and high humidity, so maintaining good conditions for keeping plants is also a prevention against them. Who is this? Spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs, and also aphids.

Mandarin tree (Citrus reticulata)

Spider mite

Measuring only 0.3-0.6 mm, it is practically invisible to the human eye. But you can calculate it by the presence of small light dots on the underside of the leaves of the plant and the presence of the thinnest cobweb. If a tick is found, the fight against it should be immediate.

The first thing to start with is to thoroughly wash the plant with warm running water and laundry soap. Then it is necessary to spray the mandarin with Fitoverm, Intavir, Aktelik or other insecticide several times at intervals (7-10 days).

Shield

It is a convex oval plate with a size of only 4 mm. The main sign of its presence is a sticky syrupy coating that appears on the leaves of the plant. If the pest is not destroyed, the tree is quickly depleted and dries up.

You can try to cope with the shield by treating the tangerine with soapy water with the addition of kerosene: for 1 liter of water, 5 g of soap and 10 g of kerosene. Spray up to twice a week.

But more effective treatments (from 3 to 5 times with an interval of 15 days) with insecticides Aktara, Fitoverm or others that can always be found on sale.However, after such treatment, the fruits from the tree cannot be eaten and it is necessary to change the top layer of earth in the pot.

Mealybug

It is quite simple to detect it: the pest resembles a white fluffy bloom, scattered over the plant in the form of small, with a diameter of 3 to 6 mm, dots. You can fight the worm manually, painstakingly collecting individuals, using insecticides - Karbofos, Decis, Intavir, or infusion of soap and garlic (2 cloves of garlic per 0.5 liters of boiling water, insist 4 hours).

Aphid

Almost everyone is familiar with this pest: from 1 to 3 mm long, light green in color, multiplies quickly, lives in colonies. The harmfulness of aphids lies in the fact that they suck the juices from young shoots and mandarin leaves, deforming them and depleting the plant.

In the fight against it, repeated (with an interval of 5-7 days) washing the plant with a solution of laundry soap, spraying with an infusion of garlic (1 head of finely chopped garlic in a glass of water, leave for 2 days), infusion of tobacco (40 g per 1 l of water) is used.

Problems when growing tangerine

Yellowing and falling foliage

This problem can have different causes. It is important not to rush, to carefully analyze the condition of the plant and make the correct diagnosis. In adult tangerines, the leaves may turn yellow and fall off due to their old age. But at the same time, the tree itself looks healthy and develops normally.

General lighting of foliage may indicate insufficient lighting of plants. In this case, you need to take care to rearrange the tangerine closer to the light, or arrange artificial lighting for it.

The shedding of mandarin leaves can begin due to too dry air (in the absence of regular spraying, especially during the heating season), improper transplantation (when the root collar is deepened, choosing too large a pot volume), drafts. If one of these reasons is found, they simply need to be eliminated.

Drying and falling off of the lower leaves of a mandarin, despite the fact that the leaf begins to dry from the tip, is associated with regular waterlogging of the soil. This phenomenon occurs either as a result of over-grooming, or due to too large a pot in relation to the seedling. In any case, the plant must be transplanted into an appropriate pot with fresh, loose (breathable) soil, after removing the rotten roots.

If the yellowing began from the bottom of the crown and spreads to the top, this indicates a lack of nitrogen. In this case, the tangerine must be fed with nitrogen fertilizers.

The light yellow color of young tangerine leaves, which gradually passes over to old leaves, indicates chlorosis (lack of iron). Treatment with iron chelate will help here.

Mandarin leaves fall off for no apparent reason - perhaps the plant lacks potassium. In this case, it must be fed with potassium nitrate.

Blooming tangerine tree

It is important to know that young tangerines often produce rather long thorns - you don't need to do anything with them!

In winter, citrus fruits, growing foliage, often form larger leaf plates than in spring and summer.

In order to distinguish a tangerine sapling from a lemon sapling, you need to smell their leaves - in lemon they smell of citrus, in tangerine - a light aroma of fresh greens. Older plants can be easily distinguished by their leaf stalks - the lemon has a simple stalk, and the mandarin has a narrow long lionfish.

Few people think that a fruiting exotic tree can be grown from a tangerine seed. Wonderful citruses will delight you with their regular harvest, though not large. You don't have to live in the tropics to have your tangerine tree on your window... The material below will allow you to grow tangerines at home without making mistakes.

Is it possible to grow a tangerine from a bone at home

Recently, tangerines have been successfully grown in greenhouses, winter greenhouses and on windows. Amateur gardeners have learned the intricacies of growing exotic trees, now it's not a secret for anyone. Due to doubts whether it will bear fruit, many do not dare to have an exotic pet on their window.

Indoor mandarin

Growing it from a seed is as easy as shelling pears, but in order to get fruit, you need to follow some recommendations. Benefits of breeding tangerines in an apartment:

• citrus plant by characteristics unpretentious and tenacious;
• neat tree in a pot is wonderful decorate the interior;
• wood will delight with abundant foliage and a pleasant aroma;
• the owners of the tree note that it helps with depression and loss of strength.
• tangerine, like indoor flowers It does not require special care;
• you can grow it from any purchased mandarin;
• from the bone it will turn out excellent decorative tree.

To germinate the seed correctly, you need to buy several mandarin fruits. Remove the largest seeds from the inside. Small and soft will not work, it is better to throw them away.

For indoor cultivation, it is better to choose low-growing species.

Fruiting aside, for the sake of an evergreen on the window, you can plant seeds from any purchased tangerine. For the sake of fragrant fruits - it is recommended to plant the following varieties of mandarin:

1. Unshiu early-fruiting citrus variety it is considered very productive and unpretentious. The undersized tree has a spreading crown with flexible branches. With sufficient care and additional lighting, the tangerine will continue to bear fruit.
2. Indoor variety of tangerine Murcott allows you to get sweet, like honey, fruits. The ripening season is summer.
3. Early ripe tree Shiva-Mikan takes root well in room conditions. Blooms profusely and bears fruit. Fruit weight can reach 30 grams.
4. Many people successfully grow tangerines of the Clementine variety on the window.... In order for it to bear fruit and not grow "wild", a grafting of a sprig of cultivated citrus will be required.

In principle, you can try to plant any tangerine, the question is, will there be any fruit on it? The answer to this question and many other aspects of growing will be discussed below.

Will an ornamental tree grown from a stone bear fruit?

Experts are unanimous in the opinion that the tree will not bear fruit without vaccination. Do not let this scare you, it is not difficult to acquire a cultured scion, one branch will be enough. Tangerines grown in this way, delight with orange fruits for 3-4 years.

If not vaccinated, the tangerines will be small, green and tasteless.

On a well-rooted crown, the scion will quickly take root. Such a plant will cost much less than buying citrus from a flower shop. Many hobby gardeners share twigs to breed different varieties of cultivated mandarin.

Sometimes mandarin is sold with a twig that can be grafted or rooted

There are cases when mandarins are sold with sprigs. For the sake of experiment, you can try to graft it or root it.... There is no need to be afraid of difficulties, there will be no problems with the plant. The effort spent will be rewarded with a fragrant harvest.

Optimal growing conditions

An unpretentious plant requires some conditions for placement and cultivation. By observing these requirements, you can achieve fruiting throughout the year. If the tree is properly looked after, it will constantly bloom and bear fruit. Often on the windows you can find tangerines with fruits of different ripeness. Conditions to be provided:

• stable temperature regime not less +14 degrees;
• best place in the house unshaded windows from the south side;
• plant needs sufficient air humidity, you can achieve it by spraying;
• in dry season it is necessary ensure regular watering (it is recommended to put a container with water next to it);
• in autumn and winter, the frequency of watering is reduced, soil loosening is added;
• in the spring they feed universal fertilizers.

In the first year of fruiting tangerine, part of the flowers are pinched

In an adult plant, a crown is formed, extra branches are removed. With abundant flowering in the first year of fruiting, it is better to pinch some of the inflorescences... This is done in order not to overload the young tree. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the tangerine so that there are no diseases on the leaves and drying out.

A lack of moisture can destroy the plant, and an excess can cause rotting of the roots.

How to choose a seed for planting?

The stone is taken from a ripe, bright orange fruit. Yellows and greens are not suitable. To get 2-3 sprouts, you need to collect at least 10 strong seeds.... Planting is best done immediately, you do not need to wait for the bones to dry out and wrinkle. It is preferable to buy tangerines during the natural fruiting season, in autumn or winter.

In the rest of the year, it is more likely to get poor-quality seedlings of hybrids. The quality of the seeds can be checked with water... Heavy seeds will sink, hollow ones will float on top. Thanks to the selection of high-quality seed, the seedlings will be strong and resilient. Weak seeds can die over time.

Landing conditions

The conditions may seem complicated, but these are just the subtleties that need to be observed. In the future, everything will be much easier, the main thing is to do everything right. Prepared bones, before they fall into the ground, must undergo some preparation..

1. Seeds must be disinfected from the effects of fungi, hydrogen peroxide solution. The ratio of peroxide and water is 1:10. It is enough to dip the seeds in the solution and remove.
2. Next, take a saucer or any other container, cover it with a soft cloth. Wrap the seeds in it... Moisten the cloth well. Keep it moist every day. It is not necessary to pour it heavily with water, the seeds will rot from an excess of moisture.
3. If the germination process seems tedious, you can immediately sow seeds into wet soil... In case the seeds do not sprout, this option will not work.

Planting depth of mandarin seeds 1–2 cm

4. In a few days the seeds will hatch... At this point, you will need to prepare the ground for their disembarkation. It is better to give preference to light, non-acidic soil. You can buy the land structure ready-made or prepare it yourself. For 1 part of sand, take 2 parts of earth and humus. Land taken in a forest belt is well suited.
5. Pick up a small pot... Place the bones there. Planting depth 1-2 cm. Weak shoots can always be removed. Strong - transplant.
6. Some practice growing seedlings in disposable cups... This method has the right to life, but it is better to take peat or flower pots. Moisture evaporates worse in a glass.
7. Water as the soil requires, it should always be wet.
8. Loosen the soiluntil the plant takes root well, not necessary.
9. In order for tangerine seedlings to grow quickly, it is necessary provide additional lighting... This is especially true in the winter period, when natural light will not be enough.

By the number of shoots, one can judge how high-quality the seeds were. When planting 10 seeds, normal germination of 3-5 seedlings... Some of the seedlings may die as they mature. Natural selection will produce strong shoots.

How to care for a young seedling

Care consists in regular watering and spraying the leaves. To prevent the leaves from hurting, do not spray them with tap water. Let it sit for at least one night. It is good to have a special watering can, in which there will be settled water... To prevent the roots from rotting, you can add a little potassium permanganate to the water.

Sprouted Mandarin Seeds

As a prophylaxis against aphids and midges, onion peels should be placed around the plant. EIf the pests are bred, the seedling is washed with water infused with garlic, laundry soap or salt... Midges can live on the soil surface. It will need to be loosened.

Indoor plant grafting

In order for a citrus tree to bear fruit, it is necessary to inoculate the cuttings from varietal mandarin. Slices are made with a disinfected sharp instrument. At the time of vaccination, the young tree should be as thick as a pencil. There are many ways of vaccination, we choose the most convenient option:

• T-shaped scion using a shallow incision under the bark;
• acute angle inoculation, the cut is attached to the cut on the tree;
• V-shaped cut the game is done in the center, a twig is inserted inside.

Tangerine grafting into cleavage

You need to vaccinate quickly and accurately. Tightly bandage the vaccination site and cover it with garden varnish... To ensure comfortable conditions for the plant after the scion, you can cover it with a transparent bag or glass jar. You can use growth stimulants.

A rooted and grafted tree, being on the south side with sufficient watering and fertilization, will delight with an abundance of tangerines. With advice on growing, you can safely start planting... As experience shows, it turns out that everyone can grow a tangerine from a bone.

There are different types of citrus trees that can be grown at home. Mandarin is one of the most unpretentious, even a novice amateur can handle it. Consider how to properly grow a tangerine at home: what should be the planting and care of seedlings; how to graft a plant to get tasty fruits; what care an adult tree needs.

Soil selection

Proper care of indoor tangerine involves, first of all, the choice of a suitable soil. For citrus fruits, a special soil is sold (pH should be neutral: 6.5–7), but if you wish, you can prepare the substrate yourself. For a tangerine tree, a mixture of leafy and turfy soil (2 parts each) and clean river sand (1 part) is a good choice. Some people recommend adding some wood ash as well. Mandarins do not like acidified soils, which means that peat should not be added.

What capacity is right

For the first time, mandarin seeds can be planted in plastic cups with a volume of 200 ml, only in the bottoms you need to make holes for drainage. You can use one common container. In the future, you will need regular transplants. For them, you need to select pots only slightly larger than the previous ones: if we plant a plant in an overly large pot, the root system will not be able to cover the entire earth and the water will start to stagnate. This can lead to root rot.

Selection and preparation of seeds

To successfully grow a tangerine tree, you need to pick up large seeds with bulging sides. Thin and as if dried out will not germinate, or they will be weak. It is advisable that several seeds be planted, even if you want to grow only one indoor tangerine: some of the seedlings may die, besides, it is better to have the choice to grow the strongest and strongest sprout. The sooner the seeds are planted, the more likely you will be able to grow a tangerine tree from them, so you do not need to dry them.

It is recommended to soak tangerine seeds for five days before planting. We carry out the correct soaking as follows: put 2-3 layers of gauze on a saucer, spread the seeds on them and cover with gauze again. Then we moisturize. There should not be a lot of water, it should be completely absorbed into the gauze. You can use cotton pads or thin cotton. Care should be taken to keep the material moist for five days. The saucer itself must be placed in a lighted place, avoiding direct sunlight.

Necessary conditions and care for seedlings

Finally, when the mandarin seeds are swollen enough, sowing can begin. We place drainage at the bottom of the cups or common container: small pebbles or nutshells will do. The seeds should be planted to a depth of 1–1.5 cm. If a white shoot has already appeared on the mandarin seed, this is the root, and it should be directed downward. The soil should be watered immediately after planting. Personally, after I planted the seeds, I covered the container on top with polyethylene. This creates a mini-greenhouse effect and improves germination, although not required.

Of course, in this case, the "greenhouse" needs to be ventilated from time to time, and when sprouts appear, "accustom" them to the microclimate in the house, gradually increasing the ventilation time. For tangerines to germinate successfully at home, the correct temperature should be 20-25 ° C. Watering should be regular and the air humid.

Transplanting seedlings

Now let's look at how to plant a tangerine in a permanent place. Germination times for tangerine seedlings can vary due to different conditions in the home. Sometimes the first shoots appear on the 15th day, sometimes it may take a whole month.

When the grown tangerine seedlings gave the first four leaves, they should be dived, that is, transplanted. We plant the strongest shoots in a new container, weak plants can be immediately discarded. If one seed has given two shoots, and they are equivalent, plant them in separate containers, since each has its own roots. If one sprout is noticeably weaker, it is easier to pinch. We choose a pot of a suitable volume, fill in the drainage and a little soil.

Then carefully remove the lump of earth from the seedling container around the roots of the seedling. Such a method - transferring with the ground - minimally traumatizes the young plant. Finally, add the soil to the pot. Tangerines that have not yet begun to bear fruit are transplanted annually, choosing a pot 1 cm larger than the previous one. After the beginning of fruiting, the "living space" is increased by 4–6 cm. Large trees are not transplanted, only part of the upper soil is removed and fresh soil is filled in so that the plant has nourishment.

Formation and further care

It should be borne in mind that the fruits are tied only on the branches of the 4th branch, so the tangerine needs to be pinched. The first is done when the shoot reaches 40 cm, removing the top. This will cause the plant to shoot laterally. They also need to be pinched into 4-5 sheets until the necessary ones are formed. Another way is to slightly tilt the 1st order branches towards the ground using a wire.

In addition to the usual care, you can form a beautiful crown of indoor citrus fruits. To do this, you need to think about the shape of the houseplant in advance. Mandarin trees look good with a rounded crown, which is obtained by cutting off "knock-out" branches.

A house plant also needs sanitary pruning: old, diseased and dried branches must be removed.

If the crown is very thick, it can be thinned out. Gardeners who want a tangerine to produce tasty fruit at home should consider that, as a rule, when planting from a stone, a tree produces inedible fruit. To fix this, you need a graft from a varietal cuttings.

When the trunk of a plant grown from a bone is a pencil, at a height of 6-7 cm from the ground, a T-shaped incision 2.5x1 cm is made on the bark. Having spread the bark, insert a bud with a leaf petiole from a varietal tree and press the bark back. We process the place of inoculation with garden varnish. The bark can be secured with electrical tape. Then the plant is placed in a mini-greenhouse (you can use a bag) for about a month, gradually increasing the airing time. If the graft has taken root, the stem of the stock must be cut obliquely with a pruner, 5 mm further than the grafting site, and treated with pitch. Then we remove the electrical tape.

To properly care for tangerine trees, they need to be watered regularly as the soil dries and the crown should be sprayed. In addition to spraying, you can place containers with water next to the tree.This is especially important in hot summer months and in winter when the air is dry due to central heating.

After the beginning of flowering, watering is reduced, and for the winter the tree is placed in a cool place (10–12 ° C) - this stimulates the setting of buds. When spraying, care must be taken that water does not get on the flowers. For a homemade tangerine, you need abundant diffused lighting. The best options would be south, east and southeast windows. It is advisable to disturb the plant as little as possible with permutations. In order for the crown to develop evenly, you can turn the pot once every two weeks and no more than 10 degrees. Follow the rules and your homemade tangerine will be admired!

Video "Planting a tangerine tree"

This video will show you how to properly plant a tangerine tree.

Surely you have seen citrus trees with fragrant flowers and fruits in someone of your friends. And I want to grow the same on my windowsill, but we doubt: will it work? If everything is more or less simple with lemons - many successfully grow them at home, then about tangerines, not everyone is so sure of a positive result. But we really want the bright fruits of this tree, the symbol of the New Year, to be right at our fingertips, on the windowsill!

Tangerine from the bone: how realistic is it to grow it?

Mandarin is quite easy to care for, but in the early stages it will require care, attention and patience from you. If you do not have the desire or opportunity to deal with it closely, it is better to buy a seedling in a flower shop - an already grafted tree, ready in a short time to bear fruit.

Under natural conditions, fruit-bearing mandarin is obtained by grafting. You can do it too. But first you need to grow a tree. Many have a tangerine indoor tree, but it rather performs a decorative function and does not bear fruit. At best, small, inedible fruits sometimes appear on it.

We will tell you how to properly grow and plant a tangerine so that you can enjoy its fruits right at home.

Tangerine trees grown from seed will produce a rich harvest with proper care.

First, free up more space for the future tree. It is desirable that this is the south side, rich in light and warmth. Any poisonous plants are bad neighbors for citrus fruits, so it is better to breed them in different windowsills, and ideally in different rooms.

Where can I get the material for planting, that is, seeds? It's very simple: in the tangerines themselves! When buying these juicy sunny fruits for your loved ones, do not throw away the seeds later, but collect them.

Please note: the more seeds you have for sowing, the better. As practice shows, not all of them will sprout: some sprouts will die from diseases or after grafting.

From seeds in a tree: planting correctly

To begin with, we need to prepare the seeds. If you have already grown seedlings on your own, then you know that they need to be soaked for a while so that they swell.

1. Take a small piece of cheesecloth, moisten it with water and wrap the tangerine seeds in it for a few days. Do not add too much water, or the bones may rot. It is better that the gauze is slightly damp, and you will moisten it if necessary. By the way, experts recommend using for these purposes not just water, but a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Thus, you will disinfect the mandarin seeds.
2. If you don't feel like the hassle of gauze, buy a hydrogel from a specialty store. It retains moisture well, so it is used by both amateur and professional flower growers. The hydrogel will serve you instead of gauze: place the mandarin seeds inside the mass so that they do not dry out, and leave for a few days until the seeds hatch.

   Hydrogel for seed germination

3. You may not need to prepare the bones in advance. Many growers grow tangerines by simply placing the seed in the ground without germinating it before. After that, the soil should be watered regularly.If you have extensive experience in growing indoor plants, then you will be able to assess the degree of soil moisture and prevent the sprout from dying. The first leaves will hatch later than the germinated seed, but the sprout will be just as strong.

   Mandarin seeds

Choosing the soil and preparing the landing site

Our mandarin needs a good, high-quality soil in which the tree will grow in the same way as it would grow in natural conditions. Therefore, peat is categorically unsuitable: it has no nutritional properties, it dries quickly and often turns sour. Unfortunately, peat is found in almost all ready-made soil mixes sold in stores. Therefore, it is better to prepare the soil yourself. You will need:

• 1 part sand;
• 1 part rotted cow dung;
• 1 piece of leafy land;
• 3 parts of sod land;
• some clay.

If you live in a city, you can buy neutral nutrient soil in the store, for example, "Biohumus" or "Rose". Due to their properties, these mixtures are well suited for growing citrus fruits. You can also make a simplified version of the soil mixture yourself: ordinary earth, a little ash, organic fertilizer and superphosphate.

Choose the right soil for your mandarin

Prepare a pot for the future plant. The grown seedling will need a container with a volume of 4 liters or more.

Be sure to put drainage on the bottom: crushed nut shells, pebbles, pebbles, shards. Fill the pot with soil. Plant sprouted or dry seeds to a depth of about 4 cm. It is better to plant several seeds at once (about a dozen).

While the seedlings harden, keep the pot in a warm place, where the temperature is not lower than +20 degrees, and monitor the humidity.

Plant care after planting

After the first shoots appear, start feeding them every 2 weeks with organic and mineral fertilizers. First, the sprout must be watered, and then a fertilizer must be added to the moist soil. In specialized stores, you can find fertilizers designed specifically for the care of citrus trees, in particular tangerines.

Tangerine sprouts grown from seed

Every spring, the indoor tangerine needs a transplant. Do this carefully while maintaining the integrity of the soil around the roots.

When the tree is 8 years old, a transplant can be done every 2 years.

Keep the tangerine pot on the south side of the room, with good lighting. The air temperature in winter should not drop below +15 degrees. Spray the plant every week as tangerines need high moisture. It will be useful to constantly keep dishes with water next to the tree.

In the summer, especially if it is very hot, the tangerine needs frequent abundant watering up to several times a day. In winter, water should be watered as the soil dries 2-3 times a week with water at room temperature.

Active feeding of fruiting citrus fruits should be carried out from April to September. This will make the fruit sweeter.

Growing a fruiting tree: grafting rules

In nature, a tangerine that has grown from a seed bears fruit in about 5 years, but it will be a wild game with tasteless fruits. Tangerine grafting will speed up fruiting and give you the opportunity to get full-fledged tasty fruits. You need to graft the plant in April, early May or August, when the sap flow is especially active. In other months, it is unlikely to succeed.

A positive result directly depends on how quickly and accurately you do all the manipulations.

Before you start grafting a tangerine tree, prepare the following:

• stock, that is, a plant that you have grown from a seed, with a trunk thickness of about 6 mm;
• scion - a fresh eye or stalk taken from a fruiting mandarin from a branch up to 2 years old;
• budding garden knife;
• elastic tape;
• garden var.

On the stem of the stock at a height of 10 cm, make an incision in the form of the letter "T": horizontally 1 cm, vertically 2-4 cm.

Prepare the scion: remove thorns and leaf blades. Carefully cut the bud with a small layer of wood and insert into the cut.

Mandarin budding scheme

Carefully tape the area where the "operation" was carried out.

After grafting, place the plant under a jar or plastic bag. Thus, you will create the necessary microclimate and humidity.

Not earlier than in a month you will be able to see whether the vaccination was successful or not. That is why you will need several specimens of mandarin seedlings in order for at least a couple of them to be grafted successfully.

As soon as you see that the grafted bud has sprouted, start accustoming the sprout to the air outside the jar. Gradually increase the airing time and remove the winding over time. After another month, when the new shoot has strengthened and grows well, carefully cut the stem of the rootstock obliquely 3 mm above the base of the shoot. Cover the cut with a garden pitch.

Place a stick in the pot, on which you fix the tree for its vertical growth. After that, don't forget to water, feed, and spray your mandarin.

How to grow a tangerine at home (Video)

How to protect a plant from diseases and pests

Among the pests dangerous for home tangerine, most often we are faced with:

• aphid;
• flies;
• red ticks.

To combat them, there are special biological products, for example, the so-called green soap. You can also make your own infusion of garlic or onion peel. They are equally good at coping with insects and do not allow them to reproduce, creating an uncomfortable environment for their life on the plant.

It is better not to use chemical agents: in a closed room it will be harmful for both you and the tangerine.

As soon as you notice signs of pests or diseases on the plant, give it a bath, thoroughly rinsing it completely. For example, place a pot of citrus fruits in a sink or bathtub and roll it thoroughly out of the shower. Apply prepared solutions. Regular spraying will not help in this case.

Carefully care for your tangerine to avoid pests and diseases

An excellent environment for flies to emerge and breed is wet ground. Therefore, do not pour the tangerine and loosen the soil more often so that the top layer dries out.

Waterlogging of the soil can also lead to black leg disease and the death of a homemade tangerine.

As you can see, it is not difficult to grow a real tangerine from ordinary seeds at home. All that is required of you is desire, attention and love for flowers. Good luck and comfort to your home!

Good afternoon! My name is Svetlana. This site has become for me not only an additional source of income, but also an opportunity to share with you my knowledge of housekeeping.