Calamondine Care at Home

Citrofortunella, or Calamondin, is a small citrus tree native to Asia. In our area, it is grown in greenhouses, greenhouses or apartments. The plant blooms and bears fruit indoors. Caring for calamondine at home is simple: the view is not demanding.

Calamondine Care at Home

General information and grades

Indoor plant calamondine native to Asia. It belongs to the Rutov family, the genus Citrus. It is a hybrid. The ancestors of calamnodine are mandarin and kumquat (fortunella). Sometimes it is called citrus floridan or citrofortunella. In nature, the tree grows more than 5 m, at home - up to 1-1.5 m. The root system is developed, branched, the roots are covered with a rough brown bark.

The tree begins to branch from the very root neck, spikes grow on the branches. Almost from the very base of the trunk, the bush is covered with leaves. They are glossy, dark green in color, sitting on short dense petioles. Their shape is oval or ovoid, a leaf plate bends along the middle vein, its length is 4-7 cm. There are varieties with variegated leaves. The crown is dome-shaped, well amenable to formation.

The flower resembles a white star with five petals with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm. In the center there is a pestle with a loose tip, around it there are 15-20 stamens. When flowering begins, they emit a pleasant citrus scent.

Citrofortunella is a self-pollinating species, therefore fruiting occurs regardless of whether manual pollination is performed or not. Flowering begins in the spring and lasts a whole year. Flowers and fruits on the same tree can be seen at the same time.

Calamondine has tangerine-like fruits. They are slightly flattened at the poles, but are elongated or pear-shaped. The peel is first green, then turns orange, easily detaches from the pulp, sweet in taste. The fruits are edible, but sour and bitter. Diameter - 4-5 cm, weight - 10-30 g. Jams are made from fruits, added to tea and other dishes.

Calamondin varieties

To date, many varieties of citrofortunella have been bred. Almost any calamondin blooms and bears fruit at home.

Here are the most popular varieties:

• Margarita Nagami. Small frost resistant variety. Flowering begins in the summer, the crop ripens at the end of winter. The fruits are small, with lemon acidity, the peel to taste resembles an orange or an orange.
• Margarita Big. The fruits are large, pear-shaped, sweet and sour.
• Obovata Fukushi. Harvest variety with large fruits (up to 5 cm in diameter). The peel is thin, sour flesh, with a pleasant aroma, inside there are seeds. The crown is round and symmetrical, branches without thorns.
• Maeve. Sweet bitterness citrofortunella. Fruits are oval or round, orange and medium in size. There are no bones inside. Branches without thorns, the crown is easily formed. The variety is suitable for eating fresh fruits.
• Variegate or variegated variety Centeniel. Got a name due to the specific coloring of leaves and green fruits. Tangerines resemble tiny watermelons when they ripen. The fruits are juicy, with a thin peel.
• Kukle. Hybrid with clementine, it is distinguished by a dense crown and abundant flowering. The fruits are small, pear-shaped. The taste is sour, the peel is edible and sweet.
• Tiger. The leaves of this variety have a thin golden stroke along the edge. The fruits resemble ordinary tangerines in shape, the taste is sweet and sour.
• Peters. This variety has beautiful flowering, but tasteless fruits, because it is often planted as an ornamental plant.

When choosing a variety, the quality of the fruits and the appearance of the adult tree are checked. If you buy a plant for harvest, you will prefer sweet Maeve citrofortunella. The decorative look is better with the variegate variety. The easiest way to find Margarita in stores. Calamondin tree of this variety is unpretentious in care.

Calamondin Care Rules

Top dressing will accelerate fruiting

Caring for calamondine at home is not difficult. The main thing is to properly water the plant, provide it with a normal temperature, good lighting. Productivity increases when the plant is fed on time.

Lighting

To grow calamondin, you need to find a place for it with good lighting. It is recommended to put the pot on the southeast, east or south windowsill. In the summer, at noon, the plant is shaded or removed from the sunlit place to avoid leaf burns. In winter, citrofortunella does not have enough light, because they use a phytolamp as an additional illumination. For proper crown formation, the tree is rotated clockwise 10 ° -15 ° once a week.

Temperature

Citrofortunella is one of the most cold-resistant citrus fruits, but this does not mean that the bush should be exposed to frost. The optimum temperature during flowering and fruiting is 18 ° C-27 ° C. To increase productivity, in winter the tree is put in a cool place with a temperature of about 10 ° C-12 ° C. In the summer, the tub is kept on the balcony or outdoor terrace. They make sure that at night there is no sharp cooling and the bush does not freeze.

Watering and irrigation

Watering calamondin is advised as the soil dries in the pot. Below put a pan and drain water from it 15 minutes after watering. If the tree grows in a cache-pot, a small basin is attached from below. Then the water is drained as necessary. In winter, watering is reduced to 2-3 times a week to provide the plant with peace.

Humidity in the room is maintained at 70%. If it falls, the bush is irrigated from a sprayer or a self-polishing humidifier is purchased. You can not put a flowerpot near the batteries: in this place the air is dry, the temperature is high and the soil dries quickly. Excessive humidity is also harmful to the tree: it becomes sensitive to fungal diseases. So that the water in the tub does not stagnate, drainage from coarse sand or expanded clay is laid at the bottom.

Top dressing

Growing citrus fruit trees in tubs has its own characteristics. No matter how big the pot is, there are still few useful substances in the soil. If you do not fertilize, the crop will be sparse and the bush will dry out. Feeding calamondin is advised at home all year round. When active vegetation begins, fertilizer is applied once a week. From the second half of summer to the end of autumn, they feed once every 2 weeks, in winter - once a month.

Use a special fertilizer for citrus fruits. It can be root or extra root. Top dressing is diluted according to the instructions and poured directly into the pot, immediately after watering. Foliar is sprayed on the leaves and trunk using a special spray gun.

Transplant and pruning

Proper cultivation of citrus trees involves transplanting and pruning. If this is not done, the bush will stop growing, the crown will not form correctly.

Transfer

The first transplant of calamondine is carried out 1-2 weeks after purchase, so that the bush adapts and does not take off the leaves. If the tree is grown from seed or cuttings, it is advised to transfer it to a new pot when the growth is about 20-25 cm. The procedure is carried out in early spring or at the end of February.

Tree transplantation has its own rules:

• The pot is taken with a large diameter of 5-10 cm.
• Pay attention to the position of the root neck in the old tub, sprinkle the trunk with soil in a new place to the same level.
• An earthen lump around the roots is not affected. Saprophytic fungi live on the roots of citrus fruits, which help to absorb nutrients from the soil. If the earth is removed, they will perish, and with them the whole tree.
• After a transplant for a month, they do not fertilize, because there are still many nutrients in the soil.

It is better to prepare the soil for the plant yourself

Soil to transplant a tree is bought at a store or made with your own hands. The soil of the following composition is suitable for citrus fruits:

• turf land - 2 parts;
• sand - 1 part;
• humus - 1 part.

The soil should not be acidic, therefore it is undesirable to add peat to it. Suitable land on which streptocarpus or limonella grows well. At the bottom of the pot put drainage from expanded clay or a mixture of sand with small gravel. Calamondine transplantation is carried out annually in the first 3-4 years, then the procedure is repeated every 2-3 years.

Pruning

Calamondine is punched out in February. In summer, shorten only long branches, make a pinch of the tops. Trimming the bush is recommended when its height is more than 25 cm. First, remove the upper skeletal branches, then move on to branches of 2-4 levels, leaving the stem intact. The crown is cut in different ways. The most beautiful form is a ball, pyramid, cone. Cut citrofortunella recommended as a bush or as a tree.

Breeding

Citrus calamondine reproduces well at home:

• from bone;
• cuttings;
• air layering.

Seed reproduction

It is easy to propagate and grow calamondine from the seed. Seeds are obtained from fruits purchased at the supermarket, or purchased at a specialty store. Before planting, seeds are germinated on a wet rag or in a hydrogel. After a week, they are planted in the ground to a depth of 3-4 cm. After a month, the first shoots appear. The tree begins to bear fruit in 3-4 years, this is the main disadvantage of this method of reproduction.

Growing from seed does not allow preserving the varietal qualities of the species; therefore, the bush is planted in the second year. Do this in several ways:

• under the bark;
• kidney (budding);
• into the cleavage.

The thickness of the rootstock trunk at this moment should be at least 6 mm. Inexperienced gardeners are advised to plant a tree in a split. Be sure to ensure that the layers of both branches coincide, otherwise the graft will not take root.

It is easy to plant a bush with budding. For this, a kidney with a piece of wood is placed under the bark.

Propagation by cuttings

Propagation of calamondin by cuttings is a popular and reliable method. Cuttings are carried out in early summer, along with additional pruning. Choose a healthy branch near the top. Cut the stalk with a length of about 10 cm, with 2-3 buds. It is soaked for 1-2 hours in the rooting stimulator. Suitable "heteroauxin", "Kornevin", "Epin."

Choose a healthy stalk for planting

Next, the stalk is transferred to a prepared substrate (citrus soil, sand, peat). Before planting, the substrate must be roasted in the oven or disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. After planting, the stalk is covered with a plastic bottle.

The temperature in the greenhouse is maintained at 25 ° C. Twice a day the bottle is removed for 15-20 minutes to ventilate the seedling. Rooting takes 3-4 weeks. After this, the stalk is transplanted into a 3-4 liter pot. After a month, make any fertilizer for calamondine.

Propagation by air layering

Reproduction by layering is also popular among gardeners. This method is even more successful than conventional cuttings. On a mature tree, choose a long and healthy branch with 3-4 buds. Around the middle, a micro section is made in a circle, and the bark is carefully removed. At a distance of 4-5 cm from the cut, all leaves are removed. This place is wrapped with a wet cloth with a rooting stimulator for 2-3 hours to make the root system develop faster.

Then they bend the branch to the ground and sprinkle 2-3 cm of soil. Watered with mineral fertilizer and wait 3-4 weeks. During this time, the branch takes root and is separated from the mother plant. The handle is transplanted into a new container. Sometimes it is covered with a plastic bottle for a week, creating a mini-greenhouse. Calamondin grown from the cutlery bears fruit in the second year. It fully retains varietal qualities and does not require vaccination.

Care problems

Improper care of calamondine at home is causing a number of problems. The plant becomes weaker, more capricious, more sensitive to damage by fungi, insects. If you identify them in time, correct mistakes, the plant is easy to save. Problems that arise if the plant is not properly looked after:

• Calamondine discards all leaves. There are several reasons for this: high temperature in the room, draft, overflow, use of cold water for irrigation. Sometimes leaf fall begins when the tree is transferred to a new place, adaptation lasts up to 2 months. To solve the problem, regulate watering, temperature and humidity in the room. If ineffective, the bush is transplanted.
• Calamondin leaves turn yellow and fall. This phenomenon is observed with a lack of magnesium in the soil. So that the bush does not drop the leaves, fertilizers are applied.
• Calamondin does not bloom. Citrofortunella ceases to bloom if the soil lacks nutrients, in poor lighting, inappropriate soil, in a cramped pot, with a frequent change of place. Flowering stops if the bush is sick or is attacked by pests.
• The fruits fall. The reason is a lack of nutrients. At a time when citrofortunella bears fruit, it is necessarily fed.
• Leaves first lowered, then curled and dried. Sign of underfilling, high temperature and dry indoor air.

Proper cultivation, compliance with all care rules prevents all of the above problems. If necessary, the bush should be transplanted, inspecting whether the roots are rotten. If the correction of errors does not bring results, most likely the tree has a more serious pathology or it was attacked by pests.

Diseases and pests of citrofortunella

Often, calamondin is destroyed by diseases and pests. It is possible to revive a plant if it is possible to identify the infection in time and take measures to eliminate it.

Disease

Most citrofortunella diseases are caused by fungi. They reproduce well in high humidity. Some people like heat, others prefer cold. The most common fungal diseases:

• Sooty fungus. Leaves, cuttings and shoots are covered with black dots. Flowering branches and fruits do not blacken.
• Anthracosis. In this fungal disease, yellow-brown small spots appear on the leaves, which gradually darken and merge. At the end, the calamondin drops its leaves. The plant begins to hurt during the flowering period, before the appearance of the ovary.
• Gummosis. The fungus begins to hit the tree from the roots. Then it spreads to the entire trunk, coarsened areas, cracks, gum smudges appear on the cortex. The leaves turn yellow and fall, brown spots are visible on the fruits, tangerines also fall.

To get rid of the fungus, the bush is treated with fungicides, vitriol, Bordeaux liquid. When resuscitation is completed, regulate watering and ensure a normal room temperature. It is advisable to disinfect and ventilate the room well. Sick parts of the plant are recommended to be cut off and burned.

Pests

Small bugs and worms often harm domestic plants, calamondine is no exception. Most often, this type of citrus affects:

• False shields. These are gray-brown insects 1.5-2.5 mm long, the larvae on top are covered with a kind of shield. They live in colonies on trunks and branches, are well camouflaged, spoil the bark, which leads to lower yields and plant death.
• Spider mite. Lives on the bottom of the leaf plate, covered with a thin web, sucks the juice from the plant. On top of the leaf small white, and eventually brown spots, are noticeable. At the end, the leaves curl and fall.
• Shield. A tiny insect parasitizes on the cortex, disguises itself with the help of a shield.
• Whitefly A small winged insect, its larvae feed on plant sap. They leave sweet mucus on the leaves - a good substrate for mushrooms.
• Aphid. Large insects, up to 3 mm in length. They feed on the juice of leaves and stems, carry viral diseases.

Fighting pests in an apartment is recommended by environmentally friendly methods. The insects that appeared on the tree and the surface of the leaves are collected manually, washed parts of the bush with a soap or alcohol solution, sprayed with tobacco infusion. In extreme cases, insecticides are used. Pollination is carried out in a mask, then the room is well ventilated.

To buy or plant citrofrtunella, you do not need experience or special knowledge. Before you start this tropical plant at home, you should carefully study the rules of care, the main diseases and pests of calamondine. Then the bush will grow healthy, delight the eye and give a rich harvest.