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

1. To plant a tangerine, you will need seeds, or rather seeds, which you can “obtain” by purchasing several ripe tangerines in the store. For the success of the event, it is better to have more seeds (at least 5-10), since not all will be able to germinate.

3. Optimal soil for planting will be purchased at a flower shop special land for citrus fruits, but in principle any light mixture is suitable for tangerines. For example, if you mix turf and leaf soil, completely rotted manure humus and compost in equal parts, your tangerine will probably like it. A peat-based mixture is not worth making or buying. Don't forget about the need for drainage.
It takes quite a long time for tangerines to sprout; the first noticeable shoots appear only after two to three weeks, and sometimes even a whole month.

4. Tangerine generally grows very slowly, and sometimes even stops growing. But if you do not lose hope and enthusiasm and provide it with the necessary care, it will grow into a beautiful tree that pleases your eyes.

5. Of course, the tangerine is an unpretentious tree to maintain (not only among citrus fruits, but also among all other plants), but it still requires compliance with certain rules of care. The most important condition for it is an abundance of sunlight. The light-loving tangerine requires intense lighting 12 hours a day all year round.

6. Mandarin is also very sensitive to humidity. In summer, it needs to be watered abundantly, but just not overwatered, and in winter, watering should be reduced, but make sure that the soil does not dry out. In addition, tangerine leaves should be sprayed daily with filtered or boiled clean water to compensate for dry air; you can even place a small indoor fountain near the tangerine so that it additionally humidifies the air.

7. As you grow tangerine tree needs to be replanted in a larger pot. It is best to do this in late winter - early spring. You need to take a pot with a diameter 3-5 cm larger than the previous one. The tangerine tree is replanted using the transshipment method, preserving the old earthen ball as much as possible, so as not to damage the root system of the plant.

8. A few weeks after transplanting, the tree should begin its period active growth. Such periods will be repeated several times during the spring-summer season. During this period, you need to feed the tangerine with minerals and organic fertilizers. You can use dried tea leaves as fertilizer, which you need to dig into the soil.

9. Tangerines grown at home grow only up to 1.5 m and are miniature trees that fit perfectly into any interior, even without fruit. And when a tree is strewn with fragrant flowers and then colorful fruits, it becomes a universal center of attraction, giving beauty and causing sighs of admiration.

The tangerine tree, like all its close relatives - citrus fruits, is an evergreen plant. This means that all year round it will delight you with amazingly green foliage, and also, if you’re lucky, with the sunny color of ripe fruits. It grows remarkably well even at home, you just need to create at least minimal comfort for it, which, in turn, is ensured by proper care.

In the botanical classification, tangerines belong to the so-called rue family. This also includes, by the way, lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and kumquats. It’s easy to guess what all these fruits have in common: bright yellow-red colors, juicy pulp, pleasant and strong aroma. The tangerine tree is perhaps the easiest to adapt to the home microclimate, and is often grown for winter gardens.

How to “tame” a tangerine tree?

In natural conditions, tangerines are evergreen shrubs, reaching a height of no more than 2-3 meters. It would be a stretch to call them trees. A tangerine tree grown at home is unlikely to exceed 1.5 m. On average, it grows only to 1-1.2 m. It is easy to notice its striking resemblance to lemon bushes. The only difference is in the shape of the crown: in tangerine trees it is more “disheveled”.

The tangerine blooms very beautifully: small snow-white flowers appear on the branches of the tree, collected in small inflorescences-tassels. Each inflorescence contains 5-6 flowers. They emit a refined and subtle aroma, reminiscent of an expensive perfume. The flowers of the tangerine tree are capable of self-pollination, and this is a big plus in favor of its “domestication”.

When the flowering period ends, it is time for fruit formation. They have a traditional flattened shape, much less often - pear-shaped. There are few seeds in them, and sometimes none at all. The peel of the fruit is soft, fleshy, and easily peeled off.

Tangerines ripen faster than all other citrus fruits, which means that they are best suited for cultivation at home. Moreover, the choice must be made in favor early ripening varieties, and from them select dwarf crops as the most productive.

These are dwarfs in the full sense of the word: in natural conditions they grow only 0.8-1 m, and in a greenhouse or in a room - only up to 0.4-0.5 m. Miniature and thin leaves of tangerine trees from the Vasya family have light green in color, and the flowers stay on the branches for a very long time - sometimes up to 11-12 months. And this, however, does not prevent the trees from bearing fruit in the first or second year of life. What can they look like in dwarf tangerines? Of course, small and light - the weight of one fruit does not exceed 60-70 g. Even after final ripening, they remain hanging on the branches for a long time, giving the tree a beautiful appearance.

Some interesting facts about tangerine trees

Wild species of tangerines are now found almost nowhere, except perhaps in India, which is rightfully assigned the status of their “historical homeland.” Indian gardeners began cultivating tangerine trees in ancient times - several thousand years before the beginning of the new era. And the wonderful sunny fruits came to Europe relatively late - only in the middle of the 19th century, when local traders brought them to Spain and Portugal.

Where did the name “tangerines” come from? There are three versions on this matter:

the Spaniards could have formed the word mandarino from the verb “se mondar”, which means “easily peeled” and directly indicates that the skin of these fruits is easily separated from the pulp;

in China, these citruses used to be considered something of a delicacy and were very expensive, which is why they were available only to rich people called tangerines;

The island of Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean, was once called Mandarin. This is probably where such trees were first discovered.

Modern India is not among the world's major suppliers of tangerines. Japan and China are leading here. The main “tangerine republics” of Europe are Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Tangerines are also grown in the Caucasus, and Abkhazia is famous for its special successes here. By the way, Abkhazian tangerines are distant “relatives” of Japanese ones.

You can only pick tangerines by hand - this is what all well-known producers do. The fruits are separated from the branches using scissors, and all manipulations are performed with the utmost care. If you accidentally damage the skin of the fruit with the tip, it will quickly deteriorate, and even damage all the other tangerines that will be stored next to it.

It is also impossible to pick tangerines from branches with bare hands - they will be unsuitable for long-term storage.

Beneficial properties of “home-grown” tangerines

Actually, in all their characteristics, tangerines grown at home are not much different from ordinary ones. Taste properties And chemical composition they have the same one.

The fruits of tangerine trees can be considered as an element of dietary nutrition. Rich in potassium compounds, they are extremely beneficial for the functioning of the heart and have a beneficial effect on the condition of the cardiovascular system as a whole. Almost 90% of tangerines consist of water, but they also contain proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vegetable fiber, organic acids, a complex of mono- and disaccharides (glucose, fructose, sucrose) and many vitamins. Tangerines even have some rejuvenating properties, since they contain beta-carotene, a substance that neutralizes the effects of free radicals and protects the body from premature aging.

Tangerine peel is rich essential oils who have wide range healing properties: promote the breakdown of fats, stimulate metabolic processes, help relieve stress and achieve mental comfort. IN folk medicine There are recipes for tinctures of tangerine peel that have an expectorant effect for respiratory diseases.

The pulp of fresh tangerines is as healthy as natural tangerine juice. Both stimulate the digestive tract and help get rid of intestinal disorders and attacks of nausea.

Growing your own tangerine tree on a windowsill or balcony is worth it for those who suffer from fungal skin diseases: the juice of fresh fruits, just picked from a branch, will have a truly magical effect on the affected areas of the body - you just need to lubricate these places with it.

"Life plan" for a tangerine tree

The development of any tangerine tree is subject to special laws. During the year, it enters phases of active growth twice. The first such period usually occurs in March-April, the second - at the end of summer - beginning of autumn. The first growth is given more importance, although at this time the formation good harvest Usually there is no need to talk.

The young tree must be allowed to grow stronger and gain strength. To do this, during the first 3-4 years of its life, it is necessary to stop flowering and prevent the formation of fruits. When the tangerine tree is exactly four years old, you can plan a small harvest. But don’t try to get a lot of fruits at once - three, four, maximum five pieces will be enough for the first time. The fact is that even at this age the branches of the tree are still too thin and vulnerable - they may not withstand heavy loads. And you shouldn’t leave too many ovaries on them. The plant may die from exhaustion.

How to determine the number of fruits that your mature tree can bear? Count the number of leaves on the branches. For every 15 leaves, you can leave one ovary - it will become the basis of the future tangerine.

There are no varieties of tangerines intended exclusively for greenhouse or home cultivation: even dwarf varieties grow well in open ground.

These are suitable for planting at home:

Unshiu, aka seedless tangerine. Evergreen with a spherical crown. In nature it grows to a height of 2-2.5 m, in a room it can reach from 1 to 1.5 m. The branches are drooping, the bark is smooth, the leaves are dark green in color and oval in shape. The flowers are white, grouped in inflorescences of 5 pieces. The fruits are small, round, slightly flattened on top and bottom.

Clementine, a hybrid of a regular tangerine and a king orange. It is famous for its incredibly juicy and rich taste. Outwardly, it is not much different from Unshiu. Its peculiarity is that when home growing it begins to bear fruit only in the third year of life. The fruits are small, even miniature, but the yield is always extremely high. The tree is unpretentious to environmental conditions and easily tolerates a lack of light and low temperatures.

How to grow a tangerine tree from a seed?

When you eat tangerines and find seeds in the pulp, the idea of ​​planting a seed in the ground and growing a real tree comes as if by itself. Only some take on its implementation, while others begin to doubt its success.

Seeds from any fruit are suitable for planting - the same ones that are bought in stores. Unfortunately, not every bone is capable of giving life. healthy plant, and you can’t immediately determine this. Therefore, for planting, it is logical to select 7-10 tangerine seeds at once. Their germination at home may not be so simple.

Where to begin? It is necessary to create a humid microclimate for the seeds by moistening a piece of gauze or cotton cloth with water and placing grains between its layers. The fabric will dry out as the water evaporates and must be moistened regularly. The tangerine seeds will swell and sprout after a few days. The germination process can take from 3-4 days to 2 weeks.

As soon as the tangerine seeds show signs of life, they can be placed in a box with soil or flower pot. Ideally, you need to stock up on special soil for citrus fruits in advance - it is sold in flower shops. But it is not forbidden to prepare a soil mixture for the future tangerine tree with your own hands. For its base, leaf and turf soil are usually taken in equal parts, and compost and manure humus can be used as additives. But there absolutely should not be peat here - it is destructive for citrus plants.

Do not expect that the planted tangerine seeds will sprout immediately. Neither on the second, nor on the third, nor even on the fifth or sixth day after landing, you will not see them. The optimal time for the appearance of the first green sprouts is 2.5-3 weeks. Sometimes they hatch at all only after a month. Still, the birth of a new life is not an easy process, and you need to be patient. Yes and on initial stage During its development, the tangerine tree cannot grow quickly. Provide it with the necessary care (see information below in the text of the article), proper watering, maintain a temperature in the room that is comfortable for the plant, and everything will work out as it should. First, young green sprouts will hatch, then they will gradually gain strength and one day turn into mature fruit-bearing trees.

Tangerine tree from the store: you bought it, and then what?

If you want to have a luxurious tangerine tree at home, but have absolutely no desire to bother with germinating seeds, you can go to the flower shops in your city. Buy or order citrus in a pot there it is quite possible. But it is curious that tangerine trees are most often found on sale in the cold season - in autumn or winter. IN warm season finding them in the assortment is simply unrealistic - such is the specificity.

When you bring a tangerine tree home, do not try to immediately create a “tropical” climate for it - it does not need heat. Homemade varieties of dwarf tangerines can withstand even subzero temperatures, up to 10 degrees below zero.

But sunlight is a very important factor for the full development of indoor mandarin. This plant is very light-loving - ideally it needs intense lighting for half a day (12 hours).

The watering regime and the level of humidity in the room are two more parameters that are relevant for the development of a tangerine tree at home. Citrus fruits are generally moisture-loving, but an excess of moisture is destructive for them, as for many other plants. In summer, they try to provide the tangerine tree with abundant watering (but not overwater it); in winter, the soil in the pot is moistened occasionally, but care is taken that it does not dry out. If the air in the room is dry, then the foliage is sprayed every day with a spray bottle. boiled water.

It may happen that the pot in which the tangerine tree was purchased will turn out to be too small for it after some time. Sooner or later there will be a need to “move” the plant into a larger container. The optimal time to transplant a tangerine is the last weeks of winter or the beginning of spring.

To replant a tangerine tree, you don’t need to immediately buy the largest pot you come across in the store. The diameter of the new container should be only 3-5 cm larger than the previous one. The plant is removed from the old pot along with a lump of earth, which is held by its roots. Such a transplant is called “transshipment”: the bush, as it were, “rolls over” from its old pot along with the soil, and its root system is not subject to mechanical damage. The tangerine tree is placed in a new container along with the old soil lump and fresh soil mixture is added.

After transplantation, the tangerine tree will need several weeks to adapt to the new pot and only then will it be able to enter the active growth phase. As a rule, such phases occur in spring and summer and are repeated annually. During these periods, the tree’s need for nutrients, therefore, it is periodically necessary to fertilize it with organic and mineral fertilizers. Drinking (that is, already used for its intended purpose) tea leaves can be a good homemade fertilizer for it. It is measured out in small portions (1-1.5 tablespoons), placed in a pot with a plant and mixed with the top soil layer.

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Many of us, and almost all of us, as children tried to grow our own in a pot. homemade lemon or an orange, a tangerine or even a banana. But for the most part it all ended with the banal death of a pet in a pot - improper care, watering and light mode did their job. But today, citrus gardens in pots on your own windowsills, which at the same time still bear fruit, are a reality and not a myth.

Many who have seen a tangerine tree in a flowerpot with friends or relatives dream of growing the same miracle for themselves, with fragrant flowers and fruits. Many people stop because they think that they don’t have enough patience, strength and skill to cope with this task. In reality, everything is much simpler and growing a tangerine from a seed at home is quite realistic and within the power of many of us. Mandarin is not as whimsical as other exotic citrus fruits and is hardy enough for our climatic conditions. In addition to the fact that a tangerine tree can be grown from a seed, it is quite possible to nurture it from a seedling purchased in a store - as a result, such a plant will bear fruit earlier than one grown from seeds, and the fruits will be larger. But more on that later, let's look at everything in order.

At the very beginning, we will look at how to grow a tangerine from a seed at home on your windowsill, what is needed for this, what kind of soil and how to care for the seedlings.

Homemade citrus fruits - decorative tangerine

After several years have passed, only then will you be able to admire the beautiful tree, with shiny leaves and fragrant flowers, when the aroma itself will spread throughout the house, bringing unique comfort and coziness to it.
The tangerine tree itself belongs to the Rutaceae family, has a spherical crown, the leaves are evergreen and are replaced every four years - the flowers are small, white with a characteristic strong aroma. The plant itself reproduces either by seeds or vegetatively, and at home, tangerines grown from seeds are most often found. For the most part this is decorative tree, which blooms beautifully and smells pleasant, decorates the interior and nothing more - its fruits are small and tasteless.
In farm gardens, most mandarins are grown and then grafted so that such plants not only decorate, but also produce tasty, juicy fruits that end up on our table. If you want such a fruit-bearing tree, then you will have to graft it, but this will be discussed below.

How to grow a tree from a seed

Soaking tangerine seeds

Those who have encountered the cultivation of a particular plant from a seed know very well that it must swell before being planted in the ground. If not, then we bring to your attention this fact and why it is worth taking several seeds from the fruit and soaking them in wet gauze folded in several layers. They should be kept in this form for a couple of days, and the fabric itself should be too wet, but not too dry - just control the humidity and moisten the gauze as necessary.
Regarding the number of seeds, you should stock up on 13-15 pieces - remember that not all of them will be able to germinate, some seedlings will simply die, and those that survive to grafting simply will not survive the grafting procedure itself.
As an option for gauze, many professional gardeners and breeders advise using hydrogel, which you can buy in a specialized store. It is this that allows you to regulate humidity and will not dry out, nor will it flood the seed itself - it is its own analogue drip irrigation, holding water perfectly. If the hydrogel is produced with the inclusion of minerals and fertilizers, this will be an additional feed for the plant itself and a kind of pest control.

Direct planting in the ground

When the seed itself hatches, it should be transplanted into a pot. In this regard, some people make it simpler - they simply plant tangerine seeds in the ground, without waiting for them to swell in gauze or hydrogel. In this case, there is nothing terrible and, in principle, everything was done correctly, but in this case the sprout itself will simply sprout a little later than the one that was previously soaked.

Speaking about what the composition of the soil for a tangerine should be, there are some peculiarities and main points. To plant tangerines, you should not use pure peat - it quite often turns sour and dries quickly, but does not have much nutritional composition. As an option, it is optimal to prepare an earthen mixture for tangerines yourself - anyone can do this and there is nothing difficult about it, but you will be one hundred percent sure of the quality of the earth.
To make an earthen mixture for a tangerine, you should take 3 parts of turf soil, 1 part - deciduous soil, rotted to the state of dust cow dung– 1 part, coarse river sand – 1 part and a little clay soil. Of course, for those who live in the city with its asphalt and glass, it is almost impossible to get all this and therefore in the store it is worth choosing an earth mixture with neutral Hq, for example, intended for roses, or the same vermicompost in its pure form, mixing it with river sand. Alternatively, you can take a regular bag of soil, mix it with a small addition of ash, superphosphate additives and organic fertilizers.
You should put a handful of expanded clay or large pebbles on the bottom of the prepared flowerpot - here they will serve as drainage and be filled with prepared soil. Next, you should plant the swollen seed itself or the already sprouted sprout of a tangerine tree in the flowerpot.

Daily care for tangerine

After the first sprouts have appeared, you are not asleep - every 2 weeks it is worth feeding the sprouts with mineral fertilizers and organic matter in combination. In the store you can purchase ready-made liquid fertilizers for citrus fruits, which are applied after the plant itself is watered.

At its core, tangerines, like any other citrus fruit, are very demanding of the sun - because of this, they should immediately be placed on the sunny side, preferably south-facing windows. In the winter months, the temperature in the room itself should not be lower than plus 12 - this way you will ensure that the plant itself will bear fruit. At the same time, throughout the year it is worth keeping the tangerine in temperature conditions within the temperature range, except winter, not lower than plus 18.

Also, the plant itself is very demanding of indoor humidity - constantly spray the tangerine, place a humidifier next to the tree, or just a jar of water. It is worth watering the tangerine quite often - the plant does not like drought and dry soil. summer months daily, but in winter period reduce this procedure to 2-3 times a week, depending on how the earthen lump in the flowerpot dries out. At the same time, the water itself should be soft - of course, you should not water it with boiled water, but it is still recommended to let it sit for 24 hours before watering.

Plant nutrition

If we talk about caring for tangerines, then in the summer months, from April to October, in addition to those described above, they include feeding once a week, although it is not recommended to feed the plant in winter. Feeding can be either a ready-made liquid complete solution from the store or diluted manure with water in a ratio of 1 to 10. The plant itself is replanted every year during the first years, but after the tree turns 7 years old, replanting is carried out every two years.

Plant protection from pests

How to grow a fruit-bearing tangerine tree at home

If you think that by planting a seed in the ground and getting it to sprout and bloom, you will get sweet fruits on your windowsill - you are very and deeply mistaken. From a seed you will only get a decorative tree that will delight you with fragrant flowers, green foliage and tiny, very inedible fruits. In order to really get edible fruit tangerine, the plant itself should be grafted - in this case, it is worth taking a scion from the mother, fruit-bearing, varietal tree and grafting it onto your wild trunk.

The process of tangerine grafting at home

For many, the process of grafting from a mother scion, which bears large and fragrant fruits, onto your own grown tangerine bush may seem like something complicated and unrealistic, beyond your ability as a novice amateur agronomist. But there is nothing complicated in the procedure itself, and in this case, just a little practice and you will definitely succeed.
What material and tools will you need to carry out your own grafting at home on your own grown tangerine fruiting branch? To carry out the procedure itself, you should stock up on the following tools and materials:

• The rootstock itself is your original, home-grown tangerine tree. In this case, it is worth remembering that the trunk of your original plant must be at least 6 mm, equal in thickness a simple pencil– the scion simply will not take root on a thinner trunk.
• The scion is a freshly cut cutting or a peephole taken from an already fruit-bearing tangerine tree. Moreover, the branch itself from which it is taken must be older than 2 years.
• prepared garden varnish, as well as an elastic tape used to secure the graft and grafting knives for cutting.

Before starting work, you should get it from your friends or buy a fresh cutting from a varietal tangerine that has already bear fruit before. There is no need to graft it right away, if you don’t have time - here you can put it at the bottom of the refrigerator for some hour so that the greens do not dry out, although in this case it is recommended to store it on the lower shelves for no more than a couple of days. All tools for the rootstock must be clean - do not be lazy and disinfect them, which will provide you with a positive result and will not destroy your tree during the grafting process.
The graft itself is made on young plant, the thickness of the trunk is more than 6 mm and here it is worth remembering that there are many ways and techniques. In practice, many practicing amateur gardeners make a T-shaped incision, but its depth should not be large, and this is where your bud or mother scion is inserted, placing it under the bark. At the scion itself - the mother cutting - it is worth making a cut at an acute angle so that it fits into the cut made on the rootstock.
Everything should be done clearly and quickly, with sharp instruments, and after the surgical manipulations, the cut itself should be treated with garden varnish - this way you seal the cut and prevent the death of the plant. After this, when the varnish has hardened, the treated area should be wrapped with tape or tape.
In order for everything to go as well as possible, cover your grafted tree with film, build a greenhouse of your own and periodically ventilate it for a month, watering the plants. This will speed up the process of fusion between the scion and the rootstock, and after the grafted branch begins to grow from your tree, you can remove the bandage itself or the tape wrapped around the scion.

Tangerine tree from the store - what after?

If you have absolutely no desire to bother with seeds, their germination and sprouts, you can buy a ready-made tree in a pot. At the same time, it is worth noting the specificity of its sales - most often a ready-made grafted tangerine tree or decorative option, unvaccinated can most often be found in the store during the winter months. But in the summer months it can be difficult to find it in retail outlets, even if they bring it to you on a personal order.
After you have brought a plant from the store to your home, you should not immediately create a greenhouse, tropical climate around it - tangerine does not need a too hot climate and high temperatures. Those plant varieties that are sold in stores are usually dwarf varieties tangerines are already acclimatized to our climate and do not require special care. It is worth noting the fact that some can withstand temperatures down to minus 10 and therefore there is no need to waste your nerves and efforts creating hot Africa at home.

At the same time, the main condition for caring for plants purchased in a store is light - important point For normal development plants. The tangerine itself loves a lot of light and in this regard it is worth providing it with daylight within 12 hours - natural is not enough, it is enough to take it into service artificial lighting lamps
The watering regime for plants purchased in stores, plus humidity, is the same as for those grown from seeds at home. As a rule, all of them, both decorative and fruit-bearing, love moisture, but its excess can be no less destructive, just like the drought of an earthen clod in a flowerpot. Try to spray the plant in the summer, water it daily with soft, settled water, and in the winter months reduce watering to 2-3 times a week.

It is also worth taking into account that you should not immediately transplant the plant from a store pot to a more spacious one - let it acclimatize a little within your walls. But when the tangerine is cramped, only then transplant it. In this regard, it is worth remembering that it is worth replanting using the transshipment method, when the earthen lump itself with the rhizomes entwined around it should be carefully removed from the pot and, without breaking it, transferred to a large vessel with prepared soil. Optimal time for such a procedure there are the last months of winter or the beginning of spring.

It is enough to remember that you should not replant the grown plant itself into the largest flowerpot or tub - choose a container for it whose diameter is 5 cm larger than the previous container. After you transfer the earthen lump with rhizomes from the old flowerpot to the new one, the free space between the walls should be filled with nutritious earth mixture and tamp down a little. The adaptation period after transplantation will take a couple of weeks, and only after that the plant itself will begin to grow actively - do not forget to water and feed it at this time, ensuring complete care and development.

I thought for a long time about what to please today, until my eyes fell on. Traditional fruit on New Year– tangerine. One day I had to buy these delicious citrus fruits with a lot of seeds. After the holiday, they were lying everywhere - to the point that some smart guy from among the many guests managed to pour some into the pot with Chinese rose. Can you imagine my surprise when a month later I saw a suspicious sprout with green shiny leaves? Although the plans did not include growing tangerines from seeds, it was a pity to throw away the plant. I had to turn to reference books and get my head around personal experience. Now I can safely share information on caring for a wonderful ornamental tree.

I already said that my seed sprouted on its own, but if you want to speed up this event, use damp gauze. Put a few seeds, just in case, in a warm place and don’t forget to moisten regularly.

You can buy soil in the store, they sell it ready for citrus fruits, but it’s better to make it yourself. Do not take pure peat under any circumstances - the plant will not be comfortable in it and may rot and die.

To prepare the soil you will need:

• 3 cups of turf soil;
• 1 cup of soil from under deciduous trees;
• 1 cup of rotted manure;
• 1 glass of sand;
• half a glass of clay;
• a handful of wood ash

This is enough for a small pot, then, when you have to transplant it into a larger container, simply increase the proportions. The prepared soil needs to be well moistened, make small holes with your finger and plant the sprouted seeds.

How to properly care

Have you waited for a beautiful day when the first leaves appeared from the ground? Don't think that care will consist of just watering! Already from the first week the plant needs feeding. Since both organic and mineral fertilizers, he didn’t dare to use chemicals himself, but went the simple route - he bought ready mixture fertilizers for citrus fruits, fortunately there are a lot of them on sale now.

You need to feed the plant twice a month, preparing the nutrient mixture strictly according to the instructions.

It's better to do this:

• moisten the soil;
• water the surface of the soil with fertilizer;
• Spray the leaves with fertilizer from a spray bottle.

After such procedures, the tangerine grew by leaps and bounds, producing new leaves. I want to warn you that you need to spray the tree with clean water constantly, doing it in the evening or in the morning.

Place the potted plant on the brightest windowsill. Mandarin loves bright sunlight and feels great even on the hottest days. Make sure the soil dries out - sometimes you had to water the plant twice a day.

I specially prepared a photo - this is what the plant should look like a year after planting. Surprised by its size? I was also a little shocked at the speed of growth.

Mandarin Defense

For some reason, the thought did not even arise that pests might encroach on mine. But when one day I discovered that the plant had begun to wither, I thought that I was watering it incorrectly or not feeding it enough. I paid more attention, but the leaves continued to wither and fall off.

Upon careful examination, I unexpectedly discovered an almost imperceptible cobweb on almost every leaf, and the last straw was miniature, swarming light bugs.

If such a misfortune befalls you, you can get rid of it with the help of “Atellik”. Two treatments with a break of a week were enough for me to make the harmful insects disappear. Another unpleasant pest of tangerines is the scale insect, which is quite difficult to get rid of. When there are only a few of them, you can periodically wash them off the plant using ordinary laundry soap.

When large quantity will have to resort to support chemicals. I took Aktara, watered the soil and sprayed the plant generously.

Diseases

Improper care or poor soil can cause the tangerine to attack. Most often it is a fungus or a virus. There is no way to determine on your own what happened to the tree, unless, of course, you have a special laboratory.

I have no chemical education, nor any special equipment, so I did this: first, I carefully examined the plant, removed suspicious leaves and flowers. Then he armed himself with a sharp knife, wiped with alcohol, and cut out black or plaque-covered areas on the trunk.

It's better to disinfect activated carbon. A few tablets, crushed into powder, are enough.

You don’t want to mess with a diseased plant, better time Spray with Bordeaux mixture every month for prevention. The packaging indicates how to prepare it correctly. It would be a good idea to purchase Fitosporin, which is also an excellent means of prevention.

Just in case, I will briefly describe the diseases of the tangerine:

• warts (wart-like growths caused by excess moisture);
• citrus canker (bright spots on leaves, cannot be treated);
• late blight (oily spots on the trunk, urgent replanting and removal of damaged areas is required);
• root rot (root rotting, it is necessary to cut off damaged roots, replant in fresh soil, do not water for a while).

Fruiting

Are you already eager to grow a beautiful tree at home? Be prepared to have only ornamental plant– a tangerine grown from a seed will not bear fruit. Yes, it can bloom and even produce fruits, small and tasteless.

In order to get fragrant sweet tangerines from a tree, you need to graft it. My friends found a fruit-bearing varietal tangerine at home, so I didn’t have to think long to get a full-fledged plant.

I’ll tell you how to properly graft a tangerine so as not to harm it. Prepare what you need in advance:

• two-year-old cuttings from a fruit-bearing plant;
• garden pitch (boil 1 tsp rosin, 2 tsp paraffin and 0.7 tsp vegetable oil);
• scotch;
• sharp knife

Ready for surgery? Then let's begin. Using a sharp knife, carefully make a T-shaped cut on your tangerine. You need to do it on the trunk, ten centimeters from the ground. Also prepare the cuttings that we will graft - remove all the leaves. Carefully cut off the piece with the bud and insert it into the cut.

Now the garden pitch will be used - carefully cover the grafting site and secure it with tape on top. You can use an elastic band. Better plant place under film until the cutting is fully grafted.

After a month, you can remove the film and tape. After making sure that the new branch has put out leaves, the top of your tangerine is cut off diagonally at a height of several centimeters above the grafted shoot.

Tip - stick a support into the ground and tie the plant up, stimulating it to grow upward. The tree must be formed immediately after grafting, otherwise the tangerine will grow crooked and ugly.

I tried to tell everything in an accessible and understandable way, but if you still have questions, then look at the useful and interesting video. It will help you understand all the intricacies of vaccination.

Are you convinced that growing a wonderful tree from a seed is not so difficult? I will be grateful to you if you can help your friends decorate their house with fruit-bearing tangerines using social networks. See you again!

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Recently, growing exotic plants on the windowsill fruit plants has become a kind of fashion trend"both among professional flower growers and among lovers of this fascinating activity. Citrus fruits occupy far from the last place in flower collections, and most often the most favorite tropical pet is the tangerine. This popularity can be explained simply: many people associate the fruits of the tangerine tree with winter holidays, the aroma of a Christmas tree and New Year's miracles, therefore, for many, a cute pet on the window is the mood of the most beloved and long-awaited holiday.

Mandarin is very easy to care for, and growing it at home from an ordinary seed is not at all difficult. To that exciting process You can also involve younger family members. When you first try planting, it is recommended to pay attention to some features of tangerine agricultural technology.

Selection and preparation of planting material

For growing a home tangerine tree Seeds from regular store-bought fruit will do, the main thing is that it is well ripened. Since loss of seedlings is possible at any stage of the process, several seeds should be taken at once for planting. Seeds extracted from the pulp immediately before sowing can be placed directly into the soil. If the seeds have had time to sit and dry out, they will need pre-soaking. To do this, tangerine seeds are wrapped in several layers of damp gauze and placed on a saucer for 10–12 hours, after which they are planted in the ground. Hydrogel can be used as a modern alternative to gauze. When using it, the seeds are placed in the middle layers of granules, where the optimal level of humidity is maintained.

The soaking procedure can be extended until the seeds germinate, and with the appearance of the first roots, transferred to the prepared substrate. In this case, the saucer with the soaked seeds should be covered with glass or film, which will speed up the appearance of sprouts. It is necessary to periodically add water to the greenhouse, preventing the seed from drying out.

Rules for planting in the ground

The best soil for a tangerine tree, which is very demanding on soil composition, would be special mixture for citrus fruits from a flower shop. A self-prepared substrate should consist of sand, turf and leaf soil, mixed in a ratio of 1: 3: 1, with the addition of a small amount of wood ash and rotted organic matter. It is allowed to sow seeds in a common container, but planting in separate pot will allow you to avoid the first transplant procedure, which tangerine, like all citrus fruits, endures quite painfully. Sowing work is carried out in the following sequence:

• A small drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the planting container, after which the peat mixture is filled in and moistened abundantly.
• Prepared seeds are planted to a depth of 1–2 cm.
• The container with the crops is covered with polyethylene and left in a dark place at a temperature of +23...+25 ° C until germination, maintaining constant soil moisture.
• With the emergence of seedlings (after 4–5 weeks), the crops are brought into the light and their cover is removed.

At the stage of formation of the 3rd–4th leaf, young plants grown in a common container are planted in separate containers. The further development of seedlings depends on the correct conditions of their maintenance.

Features of care

Caring for a tangerine tree is not difficult. For the comfortable well-being of the plant in its maintenance, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:

• It is advisable to have a tropical pet on the window sills of the south and southeast side. To ensure uniform illumination of the crown, the pot must be regularly turned towards the light. But! A tangerine may react to a sudden change of location or too frequent turns of the pot by suddenly dropping its leaves.
• Mandarin oranges should be watered sparingly., preventing both drying out and waterlogging of the earthen coma. For watering it is recommended to use melted or rainwater. In case of use tap water it must be left for at least 24 hours. In hot weather, the tree needs frequent watering.
• Every day the pet should spray with settled water room temperature, and every 7–10 days give him a warm shower with soapy treatment of the crown. This procedure helps prevent possible infections and pest attacks. To avoid soap getting into the soil, it is recommended to cover the soil surface with polyethylene.
• From the beginning of June to the end of August the plant useful to keep outdoors. The “summer” place for the tangerine should be sunny, protected from rain and drafts, which have an extremely negative impact on the well-being of the tree.
• In winter tangerine required special conditions contents – a cool, bright room with an air temperature from +2 to +10 °C.
• To feed the plant it is recommended to use complex fertilizers for citrus crops with a high nitrogen content. Feed every 2 weeks throughout the spring-summer period. With the onset of autumn, feeding is stopped.
• As the tangerine tree grows needs to be transplanted into a larger container. Since tangerine does not like replanting, it should not be abused. The indication for the procedure is roots “sticking out” from the drainage holes of the pot. It is recommended to replant the tree using the transshipment method without disturbing the earthen coma.v
• The small, bitter-tasting fruits of tangerines grown from seeds are unsuitable for food, so if you want to improve the taste characteristics of the future harvest, you can grafting method. As a scion, a branch is taken from a varietal fruit-bearing plant, the qualities of which will subsequently be inherited by the home tree.

Crown formation

By the time of the first flowering (after 3–5 years), the tangerine tree should have a well-formed spherical crown. They begin to shape the crown in the second year of life. To do this, the main trunk is shortened at a height of 17–22 cm, after which all single branches are removed, leaving 4–5 healthy branched shoots. A year later, repeated pruning is carried out, shortening and pinching the side branches, which contributes to better tillering and consolidation of the crown shape. Subsequently, the procedure is cosmetic and rejuvenating in nature - old, weak and incorrectly growing branches are removed. To avoid harming the plant during pruning, the following recommendations should be followed when pruning:

• The pruning procedure should be carried out before flowering begins or after it ends. The first method allows you to stimulate the growth of the tree, the second promotes the formation of new buds.
• Sick, old shoots, as well as shoots with slight branching, must be pruned.
• Branches with fruit ovaries cannot be pruned.
• When carrying out the procedure, you should use sharp garden shears or a well-sharpened knife.
• The cut areas must be treated with garden varnish, tree resin or other antiseptics.

Pruning, carried out according to all the rules, allows you to give the crown of the homemade tangerine a neat shape and promotes the formation of young shoots.

Possible problems

In the process of growing a homemade tangerine, it is necessary to monitor the health of the green pet. A few yellowed and dropped leaves are not a reason to panic, but sudden “leaf fall” is most likely a consequence of a violation of agricultural practices, which should be eliminated as soon as possible. The most common causes of leaf shedding are:

• incorrectly selected watering mode;
• unnecessarily high level soil acidity;
• a large number of old unpruned shoots;
• sudden temperature change;
• lack of light;
• high concentration of fertilizers.

With the rapid elimination of the unfavorable factors listed above, the tangerine will return to normal functioning.

With proper care, attention and care, you can grow from a small seed an elegant tropical tree that can decorate your home and fill it with a fresh citrus aroma.