You can get acquainted with botany by the example of growing a decorative mandarin at home. Even a bone from a store-bought fruit is suitable for this. You just need to create optimal conditions and follow the rules of care.
Is it possible to grow a decorative tangerine from a stone?
Growing from the stone is one of the ways to propagate the ornamental tangerine tree. From the moment the seed is planted in the soil until the flowers appear, and then the fruits, more than one year can pass. In some cases, flowering may never occur, and you need to be prepared for this.
Even if small tangerines appear on the tree, their seeds may be slightly different from those that were used. The differences are not only in appearance, but also in the inability to give offspring.
Often the owners of such houseplants wonder if they can eat decorative mandarin or not. In this case, the answer will be yes, but not everyone will be satisfied with the taste of the fruit, since its pulp will be more acidic.
Seed Selection
Forplanting in the substrate, it is recommended to choose the seeds of hybrid varieties of mandarin. They can be purchased at any store in the country. Such planting material is characterized by rapid germination, easier grafting, and the resulting fruits will be edible. Yes, and a real mandarin simply does not have seeds, because in order to preserve the variety, it propagates vegetatively (by cuttings or grafting).
Seeds not suitable for planting:
- thin;
- too dry;
- deformed;
- with black tips.
Preparing soil and pot
For growing ornamental tangerines in pots, a peat-free substrate is suitable, since this plant does not tolerate acidic soil. For planting, you can purchase soil in a specialized store, giving preference to the one on the packaging of which indicates a pH of 6.5 to 7, which guarantees the acquisition of neutral soil. If desired, the substrate can be prepared independently. There are several ways:
- Mix 2 parts each of rotted humus and forest soil (one that was dug near deciduous trees is suitable for decorative mandarin), 1 part of sifted river sand.
- Mix non-acidic soil with sand in a ratio of 5:1.
There are no special rules in choosing a pot for a homemade tangerine. Direct planting of the seed can be done in plastic cups with a volume of 200 ml, low bowls or smallflower pots. Regardless of the choice, you need to lay out a drainage layer on the bottom of the container and make holes.
Rules for planting seeds in the substrate
The main rule that should be followed when planting all citrus fruits, including homemade ornamental tangerine, is that the earlier the seed from the fruit gets into the soil, the greater the likelihood of its germination. That is why the bones immediately after eating a tangerine should not be dried, but placed in prepared soil. It is preliminary recommended to make a recess of 4 cm, in which the planting material will need to be placed.
If this is not possible, then the bone can be soaked for up to three days. This will speed up the germination process. But you can’t fill the bone with water, you need to wet a rag in which to wrap the seed. Put the rag itself on a flat plate. Soaked seeds should be placed in a warm place, but away from direct sunlight. During the whole time, you need to make sure that the rag does not dry out.
Some growers put the plate with the seed in a plastic bag, but do not tie it. This manipulation creates a kind of greenhouse effect, which also contributes to faster seed germination.
There is no clear data on how long the seed will germinate. On average, it can take from 15 to 30 days. This period is relevant only if optimal conditions are created, in particular, moist soil and air temperature within + 20 ° … + 25 ° С are required.
Create mini-greenhousesafter planting, pea-dotted seeds are not necessary, since in the future it will be difficult to accustom such a homemade decorative tangerine to normal room conditions.
How to transplant a mandarin seedling?
If the seed was originally planted in a small container, then a seedling transplant will be required in the future. This can be done only after the appearance of four leaves. It is recommended to choose the strongest and largest, as frail and deformed seedlings may not take root in a new place.
Some seeds are capable of producing two sprouts at once. In this case, you can:
- seat them in different pots, each of them must have an autonomous root system;
- pin the weaker sprout, and transplant the strong one.
You can also transplant at a later time, namely, when there is no longer enough space in the container for the root system of the decorative mandarin, you need to place the root together with a clod of earth in another pot.
The future pot should not be much larger than the previous one, otherwise there is a risk of waterlogging the soil, which can lead to root rot.
-3 years. The diameter of the pot can only be increased by 4-6 cm at a time.
Microclimate for mandarin on the windowsill, watering rules andtop dressing
For the full development of decorative indoor mandarin, suitable conditions are needed. They depend on the age of the tree and the purpose of cultivation. For example, if the plant is not older than 5 years or it is not fruit-bearing, but a green decorative representative, then you need:
- Ensure the air temperature is not higher than +25 °С.
- Water it regularly to keep the soil constantly moist but not waterlogged.
- Spray constantly.
- Provide access to a sufficient amount of daylight, while in summer you need to slightly shade the decorative mandarin and protect it from direct sunlight, and in winter additional lighting may be needed to increase daylight hours up to 12 hours (with a lack of lighting, the tree may lose foliage).
- In the warm season, the pot with the plant can be periodically taken outside to accustom it to street conditions, while the tangerine must be protected from the wind.
- Give the plant a kind of warm shower once a month (but this procedure is not needed in winter).
In winter, care for a decorative mandarin should be a little different:
- air temperature is +10°…+12°С, since at this time a dormant period sets in, and in spring this parameter can be gradually increased to +16°…+18° to form buds;
- watering frequency should be reduced.
Any changes in the microclimate should occur gradually.
Feeding is also important in the process of growing mandarin in a pot. Its frequency is once every 2 weeks. For citrus fruits, it is recommended to use organic fertilizers. If it is impossible to use them, the use of chemicals is allowed, but only as an exception and alternately with organic matter.
Top dressing is necessary only during the period of active development - from April to October. You can prepare the solution yourself:
- Dilute manure (bird or cow) with water in a ratio of 1:10.
- The resulting liquid should be applied directly under the root in small portions.
Decorative tangerine: care during flowering and fruiting
When flowers and fruits appear, you need to make changes in care. During this period, the plant needs:
- fertilizers with lots of phosphorus and potassium;
- more frequent watering, but it should not be excessive;
- careful spraying, during which you need to ensure that water does not fall on the flowers.
Decorative mandarin (how to care during the growth period, indicated earlier) can independently regulate the load and shed extra flowers and ovaries. But in some cases, they may need a little help, which is to remove excess flowers and fruits. Ideally, it is recommended to leave one fruit for every 15-20 leaves.
Incorrect care during this period can lead to fruit bursting, in particular, irregular watering and excess nitrogen in the soil.
How to plant a tangerine?
It is possible to ensure the fruiting of a citrus tree only byvaccinations. To do this, you need to grow a stock from a stone at home to a trunk thickness of about 6 mm, and then pick up a scion, which is a small piece of shoot that can be taken from a varietal mandarin (it can be a kidney or an eye with a leaf petiole). After preparing the material, you can proceed directly to the procedure according to the following plan:
- On the bark of a self-grown tree at a distance of 7 cm, make an incision in the form of the letter “T”. To do this, you need to use the sharpest possible knife, ideally, take a special calibration tool. The incision should not be too deep. Its length is 2.5 cm, and the size of the top jumper is about 1 cm.
- The ends of the bark should be pry off with the tip of a knife and bent back. Insert the scion into the resulting hole, then return the bark to its place and press a little.
- Treat the damaged area with garden pitch, and then wrap it with blue electrical tape so that only the grafted petiole remains on top.
- Now you need to make a mini-greenhouse for tangerines from a plastic bag.
- After three weeks, the greenhouse can be ventilated, but on condition that the scion has taken root.
- A month after the sprout appeared from the new bud, the stem of the stock should be cut obliquely. The minimum cutting height from the grafting level is 5 mm. After that, the bandage must be removed, and a new cut processed.
Pest control
Home-grown indoor tangerine is characterized by good immunity and resistance topests and diseases. But in the absence of proper care, this plant can become a home for insects that cannot tolerate ultraviolet rays and high humidity. Can start on tangerine:
- Spider mite. The size of this insect does not exceed 0.3-0.6 mm, so it is almost impossible to see it on the leaves or the trunk of a plant. A symptom of the lesion is the presence of small light dots and a thin cobweb on the back of the lower leaves. The struggle consists in washing each leaf separately. For this, only running water with laundry soap is suitable. After the “shower”, the plant must be sprayed several times with insecticides, for example, “Fitoverm”. The frequency of processing - once every 7-10 days.
- Shield. The pest has the appearance of a convex oval plate. The size is not more than 4 mm. Symptoms of the lesion are the presence of a sticky syrup-like coating on the leaves. If the scale is not destroyed in time, the plant will dry out. The treatment consists in spraying with a soapy solution with the addition of kerosene (1 liter of water, 5 g of soap, 10 g of kerosene). Repeat the procedure twice a week until complete recovery. If this treatment did not give a positive result, then insecticides can be used. They need to spray the plant once every two weeks, the number of treatments - 3-5 times. After that, it is impossible to answer in the affirmative the question of whether it is possible to eat a decorative tangerine.
- Mealy worm. It is easy to recognize it by the presence of a white fluffy coating. It usually appears as spots 3-6 mm in size. To control the pest, it must be collected manually, after whichtreat the tangerine with insecticide, soap solution or garlic tincture (2 cloves of finely chopped garlic per 0.5 l of water, leave for 4 hours, and then strain).
- Aphids. This insect is green in color with a body size of 1-3 mm. The danger from reproduction lies in the fact that the aphid colonies suck out all the juices, due to which the plant is depleted. There are several ways to fight: several washes with soapy water, spraying with garlic solution (1 head per 1 tbsp of water, leave for 48 hours) or tobacco infusion (40 g per 1 liter of water).
Possible problems when growing mandarin at home
When growing mandarin ornamental (home care comes down to maintaining the right level of humidity and air temperature), various problems can arise, because the temperate climate is atypical for them.
Most often, the grower may encounter the problem of yellowing leaves, which the tangerine tries to shed as quickly as possible. There may be several reasons:
- insufficient lighting (it is worth trying to rearrange the pot closer to the window);
- dry air (regular spraying should not be neglected);
- improper transplanting, during which the root collar was too deep or too large a pot was chosen;
- presence of drafts.
There are other problems with the leaves:
- If they begin to dry from the tips, and the lower ones are damaged first, then the soil is definitely waterlogged. You can solve the problem by transplanting into a smaller pot and changing the watering regime.
- If they turn yellowfirst the lower leaves, and then the problem rises gradually upwards, this may indicate a lack of nitrogen.
- The light yellow color of young leaves may indicate the beginning of chlorosis, that is, a lack of iron.
- Leaves falling for no apparent reason means a lack of potassium.
A beginner grower needs to remember some features of indoor tangerine. Don't worry if:
- young tree develops long thorns;
- the size of the leaves in winter is much larger than in summer and spring;
- no distinct citrus smell from the leaves.
With a strong desire to grow mandarin decorative care at home is not difficult. It is necessary to provide optimal conditions that at least remotely resemble their usual warm and humid climate. And do not forget about a sufficient amount of attention, because if it is not there, the plant will get sick.
