I planted a tangerine seed and how to care for it. How to grow a tangerine tree from a seed at home

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.

Next, it is necessary for the seeds to hatch or swell. To do this, the bones need to be wrapped in gauze and lightly moistened with water for several days. The optimal soil for planting would be special soil for citrus fruits purchased at a flower shop, 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. For the tangerine to sprout, it needs quite for a long time, the first noticeable shoots appear only after two to three weeks, and sometimes even a whole month.

Mandarins generally grow very slowly, and sometimes even stop growing. But if you don't lose hope and enthusiasm and continue to provide him necessary care, it will grow into a beautiful tree that pleases your eyes.

Certainly, tangerine is an unpretentious tree(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 him - an abundance of sunlight. The light-loving tangerine requires intense lighting 12 hours a day all year round.

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 water. clean water to compensate for dry air, you can even place a small tangerine near indoor fountain so that it humidifies the air additionally.

As the tangerine tree grows, it needs to be transplanted into 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 root system plants.

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

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 requires grafting in order to receive fruit from it. It is possible that the tangerine will bear fruit without grafting, but this will not happen very soon. In addition, the fruits will be small and sour. With the help of grafting, you can accelerate the onset of fruiting and achieve higher quality tangerine fruits. The best time to graft a tangerine is April or the very beginning of May. At this time, the plant experiences the most active sap flow. But nothing bad will happen if you decide to plant a tangerine in August. This is no less favorable time for grafting this plant.

How to properly graft a tangerine? It is best to graft a tangerine tree onto seedlings of other citrus plants. Moreover, the grafting process itself must occur quickly, carefully and in clean conditions. To begin, prepare everything you need: a scion with wood that has matured enough, a scion from a cultivated fruit-bearing tree citrus plant, garden pitch, elastic tape and a special budding knife.

At a height of approximately 7 cm from the ground, thoroughly wipe the plant, remove all dust and dirt from it. Then, using a clean budding knife (which should be very sharp), make a cut in the bark in the shape of the letter T. Try not to touch the wood, otherwise all the work will be in vain. The top of the cut should be about 1 cm and the bottom 2.5 cm.

Next, we press down the bark with the tip of a knife and insert an “eye” into the hole, while holding it by the petiole leaf. Then we cover this leaf with bark, pressing lightly with a budding knife. Lubricate the cut made with garden varnish and carefully wrap the area with adhesive tape. Only the petiole with a leaf on it should remain on the surface.

When your plant is already grafted, place it in a small greenhouse, which is quite possible to make yourself from a large plastic bag or special film for greenhouses. But you shouldn’t leave the plant in the greenhouse all the time. Periodically open the film to ventilate the tree. When two to three weeks have passed after you have grafted the tangerine tree, you can judge by its appearance how successful the grafting was. If the petiole has dried to the shield and turned black, you have done something wrong and the grafting should be repeated. And if the petiole turns yellow and can be easily separated from the tree trunk, your grafting was successful.

Once the scion has budded and is well established, you can remove the adhesive tape. She is no longer needed. After about three weeks, a young shoot will begin to sprout from the swollen bud. At this time you will need to trim the rootstock trunk at a height of about 5 mm above the base. The cut should be oblique. The cut itself should be treated with garden varnish.

Surely you have seen some of your friends have citrus trees with fragrant flowers and fruits. And we want to grow the same thing on our windowsill, but we doubt: will it work? If with lemons everything is more or less simple - many successfully grow them at home, then with 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 a seed: how realistic is it to grow it?

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

IN natural conditions Fruit-bearing mandarin is obtained by grafting. You can do this too. But first you need to grow a tree. Many people have an indoor tangerine tree, but it rather serves a decorative function and does not bear fruit. IN best case scenario Small, inedible fruits sometimes appear on it.

We will tell you how to properly grow and plant tangerines in order to enjoy its fruits right at home.

With proper care, tangerine trees grown from seed will bring a rich harvest

First, make more space for the future tree. It is desirable that it be on the south side, rich in light and warmth. Any poisonous plants- bad neighbors for citrus fruits, so it is better to place them on different windowsills, and ideally, in different rooms.

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

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

From seeds to a tree: planting correctly

First, we need to prepare the seeds. If you have already grown seedlings yourself, then you know that they need to be soaked for a while so that they swell.

Take a small piece of gauze, moisten it with water and wrap tangerine seeds in it for several days. Do not add too much water, otherwise the seeds may rot. It is better for the gauze to be slightly damp, and you will moisten it as necessary. By the way, experts recommend using not just water for these purposes, but a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This way you will disinfect the tangerine seeds.
If you don’t want to hassle with gauze, buy hydrogel in a specialized store. It retains moisture well, which is why it is used by both amateur and professional gardeners. The hydrogel will serve you instead of gauze: place tangerine seeds inside the mass so as not to dry out, and leave for several days until the seeds hatch.
Hydrogel for seed germination
You don't have to prepare the bones ahead of time. Many gardeners grow tangerines by simply placing the seed in the ground, without germinating it first. After this, the soil needs to 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 those of the sprouted seed, but the sprout will be just as strong.
Tangerine seeds

Selecting soil and preparing a place for planting

Our tangerine needs good, high-quality soil in which the tree will grow in the same way as it would grow in natural conditions. Therefore, peat is absolutely not suitable: it has no nutritional properties, it dries quickly and often sours. Unfortunately, peat is contained in almost all ready-made soil mixtures sold in stores. Therefore, it is better to prepare the soil yourself. You will need:

1 part sand;
1 part rotted cow manure;
Part 1 leaf soil;
3 parts of turf land;
some clay.

If you live in the city, you can buy neutral nutritious 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 yourself soil mixture: ordinary soil, a little ash, organic fertilizer and superphosphate.

Choose suitable soil for your mandarin

Prepare a pot for the future plant. A 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 are strengthening, keep the pot in a warm place where the temperature is not lower than +20 degrees, and monitor the humidity.

Plant care after planting

Once the first shoots appear, start feeding them every 2 weeks with organic and mineral fertilizers. First, you need to water the sprout, and then add a fertilizer to the moist soil. In specialized stores you can find fertilizers designed specifically for caring for citrus trees, in particular tangerines.

Tangerine sprouts grown from seed

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

When the tree reaches the age of 8 years, replanting can be done every 2 years.

Keep the tangerine pot on the south side of the room, in good light. Air temperature in winter period should not fall below +15 degrees. Spray the plant every week, as tangerine requires high humidity. It would be a good idea to keep a bowl of water near the tree at all times.

In summer, especially if it is very hot, tangerines need frequent, abundant watering up to several times a day. In winter, you need to water it as the soil dries out 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 grown from a seed bears fruit in about 5 years, but it will be wild with tasteless fruits. Grafting a tangerine will speed up fruiting and give you the opportunity to get full-fledged tasty fruits. The plant needs to be grafted in April, early May or August, when sap flow is especially active. In other months it is unlikely to achieve success.

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

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

rootstock, that is, a plant that you grew from a seed, with a trunk thickness of about 6 mm;
scion - a fresh eye or cutting taken from a fruiting tangerine from a branch up to 2 years old;
budding garden knife;
elastic tape;
garden var.

On the trunk of the rootstock at a height of 10 cm, make a cut in the shape 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 it into the cut.

Tangerine budding scheme

Carefully wrap the tape around the area where the “operation” was performed.

After grafting, place the plant under a jar or plastic bag. This way 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. This is why you will need several copies of tangerine seedlings so that at least a couple of them are grafted successfully.

As soon as you see that the grafted bud has sprouted, begin to accustom the sprout to the air outside the jar. Gradually increase the ventilation time and eventually remove the winding. After another month, when the new shoot has strengthened and is growing well, carefully cut off the trunk of the rootstock diagonally 3 mm above the base of the shoot. Cover the cut area with garden varnish.

Place a stick in the pot on which to fix the tree so that it grows vertically. After this, do not forget to water, feed and spray your tangerine.

How to grow tangerines at home (video)

How to protect a plant from diseases and pests

Among the pests dangerous to homemade tangerine, most often we encounter:

aphids;
flies;
red mites.

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

It is better not to use chemicals: 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 washing it completely. For example, place a pot of citrus fruit in the sink or bathtub and give it a good spray from the shower. Apply the prepared solutions. Regular spraying will not help in this case.

Carefully care for your tangerine to avoid pests and diseases.

An excellent environment for the appearance and reproduction of flies is moist soil. Therefore, do not overwater the tangerine and loosen the soil more often to top layer dried up.

Overmoistening of the soil can also lead to blackleg disease and the death of the home tangerine.

As you can see, it is not at all difficult to grow a real tangerine at home from an ordinary seed. All you need is desire, attention and love for flowers.

There is nothing complicated in growing a tangerine from a seedling purchased in a store, because we are talking about a grafted fruit-bearing tree. And if there is no opportunity to spend money on seedlings, then the only way out is growing tangerine from the seed at home. What will it take? Just a few seeds extracted from ordinary fruits.

Within a few years after planting, you will be proud of a slender tree with shiny and very beautiful leaves. The characteristic aroma of citrus will be felt throughout the house, making your home seem even more comfortable.

The tangerine tree itself is a member of the Rutaceae family. The shape of the plant is spherical, the leaves are evergreen (change every four years), and the flowers are white. The tree can reproduce both vegetatively and by seeds.

Note! Many homes have an indoor tangerine that has been grown from seed, but this is usually ornamental plant. It does not bear fruit or has small and inedible fruits, but only improves the interior of the room.

If we talk about farms, then in order to obtain tasty fruits, citrus crops are grown through grafting. You can also perform a similar operation if you want to enjoy juicy tangerines. But if you just want to try growing a citrus tree with your own hands, you can definitely do it! To get started, spend preliminary preparation: empty the window sill of the window that “looks” to the south, move poisonous plants to another place (such crops are not the best neighbors for tangerines). Then follow the instructions below.

Stage one. Seed preparation

Any person who has once been involved in growing seedlings knows very well that the seeds must swell before planting. For this purpose, take several prepared seeds (you can buy them, but choose seeds without defects and rot) and soak them in gauze for a couple of days (as shown in the image below). Make sure that there is not too much water - the gauze should be only slightly damp, and then simply add a little more liquid as you go.

If you plan to grow just one tree, you will still need to soak about 12-15 seeds. The fact is that not all of them will germinate; some will die from diseases; in addition, many will become “victims” of the first plant grafting.

Instead of gauze, you can use hydrogel - you can buy it at your nearest specialty store. Experienced gardeners and professional landscape designers actively use it, because hydrogel is an excellent protection from heat.

Note! Figuratively speaking, hydrogel is a kind of analogue drip irrigation, but you will not add it to the soil, but use it instead of gauze (the substance retains moisture well).

Try to keep the seeds inside the hydrogel all the time - this way they will not dry out.

Stage two. Planting in the soil

Seeds that have already “hatched” must be planted in a seedling box or an ordinary pot. It is worth noting that some do not wait for the seeds to swell, but immediately begin planting them in the ground. Here the sprouts form later, but in appearance they look no worse than those that grow from soaked seeds.

To begin, select a suitable soil.

Ideally, you need to take a special soil mixture for citrus crops, sold in flower shops. Although what kind of soil will be used during cultivation does not play a special role. What distinguishes homemade tangerine is, first of all, its unpretentiousness, so you can use almost any mixture - for example, from turf and leaf soil. It can also be neutral nutritious soil (“Rose”, “Veriohumus”, etc.). The main thing is not to use peat, because it quickly sours and dries out, and it contains very few nutrients.

You can also make your own soil mixture for growing home citrus crops - to do this, mix the following ingredients in the indicated proportions:

one part sand;
three parts of turf;
one part of humus;
one part leaf soil;
some clay.

Fill the bottom of the prepared container drainage, which you can use:

small stones;
fine-grained expanded clay;
brick fight.

Fill the prepared soil mixture on top of the drainage and place the tangerine seeds in it. The first leaves should appear within three weeks after planting.

Stage three. Further care

At first, the tangerine requires virtually no care, but later, when the first shoots form, you will have to start feeding the plants. You can do this using any fertilizer - not only organic, but also inorganic. They are sold, again, in any flower shop. Although it is better to give preference to special formulations designed to feed citrus plants.

As for other aspects of care, they are presented in table form.

Table. Features of mandarin care

Procedure	Brief description, instructions
	Replant every year, preferably in spring time. Try not to damage the integrity of the soil near the roots. When the tree reaches eight years of age, you can switch to replanting every two years.
	It is quite obvious that tangerine is a sun-loving plant, so it should be grown on a windowsill located on the south side of the house (the largest number of plants fall there). sun rays). In winter, make sure that the air temperature in the house is at least 14 degrees.
	The plant described in this article needs high humidity, so water it thoroughly every day using water at room temperature. In addition, spray the plant weekly with a spray bottle. Additionally, you can place some open container with water next to the tangerine.
	These include, first of all, citrus whiteflies and spider mites. To protect against them, use special preparations (for example, Actellik), washing the leaves with them.

Separately, it is worth talking about the rules for applying fertilizer, which are common for both young seedlings and citrus fruits. Apply fertilizer immediately after watering, paying attention special attention this process from April to the end of summer. Any experienced gardener will say that if you carefully care for citrus fruits during this period, the fruits will grow sweeter.

Video - Features of growing homemade tangerine

Features of growing fruiting mandarin

If you grow a tangerine from a seed, it begins to bear fruit six to seven years after planting. As noted earlier, the first fruits (also called wild fruits) will not have the characteristic taste of citrus crops. Is there any way to speed up fruiting?

It is possible, but to obtain juicy and tasty fruits it is necessary to graft a tangerine tree. The best time for vaccination is considered to be the period from April to August, that is, the time of sap flow. If everything is done quickly and cleanly, then you are guaranteed to get a positive result.

First, prepare everything you need - during the vaccination process you will need:

rootstock (a tree you grew with a trunk at least 0.6 centimeters thick - about as thick as a pencil);
scion (an eye or cutting cut from a branch of a fruiting plant - it is important that its age does not exceed two years);
special knife for budding;
garden var;
elastic band.

The further algorithm of actions should look like this.

Step one. On the scion trunk, at about 10 cm in height, make a T-shaped cut.

Step two. Insert the previously prepared graft into the cut.

Step three. Carefully wrap the elastic band around the grafting site.

Step four. Then cover the plant with a PET bag or glass jar - this is necessary in order to provide the required microclimate.

Step five. After the bud sprouts, begin to “accustom” it to fresh air. To do this, remove the bag/can from it every day, gradually extending the ventilation period.

Split grafting technique

Step six. After about a month, when the shoot has become stronger, remove the elastic wrap and cut the rootstock layer obliquely, approximately three centimeters from the scion. Be sure to cover the cut with garden varnish.

Step seven. Place a stick in the pot - this way the plant will “learn” to grow vertically. Actually, that's all.

With the help of these simple instructions, you can grow a fruit-bearing tangerine tree at home, which will not only complement the decor in your apartment/house, but also give it a characteristic pleasant aroma. It is possible that you will fail the first time, but you will gain valuable experience that will definitely be useful for subsequent attempts!

Video - How to graft citrus plants

Most of those who are interested in floriculture tried to grow lemons in childhood. And often they even got tender sprouts. But not everyone can grow even a small tree. Often its leaves turn yellow and fall off. How to care for a tangerine so that it grows and even bears fruit at home?

Together with oranges, grapefruits and their hybrids, tangerines are classified as citrus fruits. They are distinguished by their soft, aromatic peel and segmented fruit structure. This is an evergreen plant.

Varieties have now been bred for growing in an apartment or greenhouse.

They form a low, dense, spherical bush. Tangerine leaves are elliptical, dense, leathery. Each of them lives for 4 years and then falls off. The flowers are white and fragrant.

The fruits are known for their taste and appearance. They are smaller than orange ones, contain less acids and more water. Color varies from orange to reddish. You can get them in our conditions only if you follow the rules of care. But even without fruits, the tangerine tree looks beautiful and will serve as a decoration for your home.

Tangerines are grown from seeds or grafting. But you can enjoy homemade tangerines only 7 years after planting the seeds. The first fruits will be completely tasteless and unflavoured.

To get a harvest in the third year, you need to buy a grafted plant or graft yourself. Growing tangerines at home can be a fun process for the whole family. They start by sowing the seeds.

Features of growing tangerine from seeds:

Tangerines, like other citrus fruits, do not like acidic soil. It should not contain peat, which is included in most types of earthen mixtures. It dries quickly, and with increased watering it often turns sour. Therefore, choosing soil for a tangerine in a store is not easy. You can take soil with neutral acidity. To prepare it yourself, mix: 2 parts leaf soil, 2 parts humus, 2 or 3 parts turf soil and 1 part sand.
The resulting mixture should be loose and allow air to pass through well. If there are no components, add to regular garden soil a glass of ash, a handful of superphosphate and a kilogram. A small amount of clay will help the mixture retain moisture.
The seeds are collected from ripe and undamaged fruits. They take about a dozen of them to choose the strongest plant. It is advisable to germinate the seeds before planting. To do this, they are placed in damp gauze and kept for several days. Make sure that they do not dry out, but they should not be filled with water.
In order not to constantly monitor, you can put the seeds in a special hydrogel purchased at a flower shop. It retains moisture and creates comfortable conditions for seeds. It’s even easier to plant seeds that haven’t germinated. In this case, they will germinate a little later.
The dishes are being prepared. These can be separate cups, flower pots or a common box. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom. It can be made from coarse sand, fine expanded clay, crushed stone or charcoal.
Sow the seeds at a depth of 3 cm. Water and cover with a jar or polyethylene. Install in a warm place. There should be no poisonous plants nearby (for example, oleander).

When sprouts appear on the surface of the soil, the dishes are transferred to light, but not under direct rays. The temperature in the room should be about 20°C. Periodically water the soil in the pots and maintain high air humidity. Watering is carried out with water that has previously settled for at least 3 days.

When the plants reach a height of 10 cm, they are transplanted into 4 liter pots. The soil is prepared in the same way as when planting seeds. Transplantation is carried out using the transshipment method, having previously moistened the soil in the pot. In this case, the root system is practically not damaged.

For several days after transplantation, keep the tangerine in a shaded place. Then set it in a sunny position, but protect the leaves from exposure to scorching rays. Subsequent transplants are carried out once a year according to the same principle. Best time for this - the end of February or the beginning of March.

When the tree reaches the age of 8 years, it is replanted after a year.

How to properly care for a tangerine tree:

For successful growth, the tangerine tree needs a constant temperature regime. Minimum temperature 14°C.
The main problem when growing a tangerine tree is dry indoor air due to heating devices. Therefore, every day the plant needs to be sprayed with heated water from a spray bottle. You can install a humidifier near the tree. A mini fountain located near the tangerine will decorate the interior and increase humidity. Pallets with expanded clay filled with water will increase air humidity.
For successful growth of a tangerine tree, daylight hours must be at least 12 hours. If it is not enough, it is illuminated with fluorescent lamps or a specially designed Reflex lamp.
Watering in spring and summer needs to be done regularly and often. In autumn and winter, the quantity and volume of watering is reduced. Water only when the soil dries out.
They begin to feed the tangerine tree 2 weeks after the sprouts appear from the ground. Use specially designed for feeding citrus fertilizer, which is bought in flower shops. It could be: "", "Sudarushka". They are added at a rate of 2 g per liter of water. You can use concentrate horse manure"Flumb." It is diluted in a ratio of 1:60. Fertilizer can only be applied to damp soil. Watering dry soil can burn the roots. In autumn and winter, fertilizers are not applied.

Tangerine grafting: timing and rules

tangerine tree beautiful with its leaves. But many people want to get the fruits from it. To do this, the plant must be grafted from an adult fruit-bearing tree. Best timing for this: April, May and August. Then the period of sap flow passes.

Features of plant grafting:

A plant whose trunk diameter has reached 6 mm is grafted. It can be not only tangerine, but also orange or grapefruit. They purchase a scion, part of a one- or two-year-old branch of a fruit-bearing tree, or a fresh eye. It can be purchased at some flower shops.
A special budding knife is prepared. It will help make an even and precise cut. Prepare an elastic tape, for example, a narrow medical plaster, etc. All instruments are sterilized and vaccination is carried out clean.
At a height of 10 cm from the ground, a cut is made in the shape of the letter T with a knife. The leaves are removed from the cutting, the bud is cut off along with a small shield of bark. Insert into the cut so that the cut part fits tightly to the cambium.
Tape it to the trunk. Places where it does not fit tightly are covered with garden varnish. The top of the bush is covered with a jar or film.

In a month the rootstock will begin to sprout. They begin to open the jar, ventilating the plant. Gradually increase the time it spends without shelter. After 3 weeks, when it becomes clear that the bud has taken root, the trunk of the grafted tree is cut off slightly above the grafting site. Cover the cut area with garden varnish. If the bud has dried out, do not cut off the top; repeat the operation again. Install a support that will help the grafted tree grow vertically.

Tangerines are often affected by pests common to most indoor plants:

False scale insects are brown oval insects covered with a durable shell. They secrete a sticky substance that closes the pores of the plant.
Spider mite- small spiders entwining a plant with a thin web. Pest secretions prevent him from breathing.
The citrus whitefly is a butterfly up to 3 mm long, whose wings are covered with a white waxy coating.
Aphids are small black or green insects that gather in groups on young shoots and leaves. Extract the sticky coating and drink the juices of the plant.

All these insects are almost invisible to the eye. They are carried over from other houseplants. They feed on their juices and multiply quickly. As a result, the leaves lose their attractive appearance and then fall off. After this, the entire tree dies.

More information can be found in the video:

To prevent this, the plant is constantly inspected. You can even use a magnifying glass. If pests are found, they must be destroyed immediately. Spider mites are afraid of water, so the bush is washed in the shower, after covering the soil with plastic film.

Many pests are afraid of infusions of tobacco, garlic, and onion peels.

If there are a lot of pests and they cannot be destroyed folk remedies, you need to use biological drugs:

Fitoverm
Aktellik

They are not harmful to humans as much as chemicals, but you need to use them according to the instructions. It is better not to spray the working substance, but to wash the leaves and stems with it. The lower part of the leaves is especially actively washed, where pests mainly gather. Treatment is carried out 3 times at intervals of a week.

If there are small midges, this may indicate severe waterlogging. Their larvae can live in the ground and damage the root system. To destroy them, the soil is loosened and treated with the drug “Grom 2”. Growing a tangerine tree at home is not difficult. With constant care and attention, you can enjoy delicious, aromatic fruits several years after planting.

You can grow a tangerine from a seed yourself at home, but this process is not quick. If you have patience and follow simple conditions If you keep the plant in the room, the tree will delight you with fruits and flowers all year round.

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Conditions for growing tangerine from seed

To grow a tangerine from a seed, you need to comply with several conditions necessary for the comfortable growth of seedlings.

The conditions for its detention are as follows:

Temperature. Mandarin is a heat-loving plant, so the pot with it is placed on the windowsill on the south side of the house. Optimal temperature air - from +14 degrees.
Environment. There should be no poisonous plants nearby that can harm the health of the citrus.
Humidity. Containers with water are placed nearby, the evaporation of which will provide air humidity.

Choosing a seed for planting

Selection rules:

Hybrid tangerine varieties are best suited because they contain the largest number of seeds;
a plus is the rapid germination, early flowering, in most cases the plants produce edible fruits and are easier to graft;
you should choose from 5-10 pieces of seeds to get a couple of seedlings, and if you plan to graft the plant in the future, then from 10 or more pieces;
In order not to make a mistake with the seeds, they inspect each seed.

Tangerine seeds should be:

with convex sides;
without a gray or black coating;
non-hollow, dense.

Water will help you select seeds suitable for sowing. Seeds are placed in a filled container. Those suitable for sowing will drown, and empty ones will remain on the surface.

Preparing the soil and pot

The soil for tangerines should not contain peat, because it does not retain moisture and oxidizes, which are detrimental factors for the seedling.

A neutral substrate for growing tangerines can be purchased at the store or prepared yourself.

For this you will need:

leaf soil - two parts;
humus - two parts;
sand - one part.

Small expanded clay or pebbles are placed at the bottom of the pot, which will provide a drainage effect. A mixture of soil is poured over the drainage. This foundation allows the roots to receive enough air and moisture.

Sowing seeds

You can grow tangerines from seeds by first soaking the seeds in gauze to swell.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

A piece of gauze folded in several layers is placed in a small container.
Then fill it with a small amount of water to create a moist environment, and place it in a bright, warm place.
As it dries, add water. The process usually takes two to three days.

Hydrogel can be an excellent alternative to gauze. It not only retains moisture well, but also has nutrients necessary for plants. The main thing is to make sure that the seeds do not lie on the surface, but are among the mass of balls.

Landing is carried out as follows:

The swollen seeds are placed in the soil to a depth of about 2-3 cm and sprinkled on top.
The soil surface is sprayed with a spray bottle.
The pot is covered cling film to create a microclimate and is placed on the windowsill. The first shoots appear after 3 weeks.

Soaking seeds, planting and first shoots of tangerine

You can plant the seeds without pre-soaking them, but seedlings will appear much later.

Caring for tangerines at home

Growing a tangerine at home is not difficult, the main thing is to care for it properly, so cultivating citrus requires:

timely transplantation;
compliance temperature regime and sufficient lighting;
maintaining soil and air moisture;
timely fertilization during rapid growth and refusal of complementary feeding during the plant's dormant period - in winter.

Transplanting seedlings

When the seeds germinate in the pot, they should be moved to a bright place, protected from direct sunlight.

Features of transplantation:

Grown and strengthened plants are transplanted into pots with a volume of four liters or more.
When replanting, grab some of the soil so as not to damage the roots. This facilitates quick adaptation to a new place and better growth trees.
The planting depth must be observed, otherwise, even with appropriate care, the fruits will not appear.
The young plant is replanted annually, preferably in the spring.
When the seedlings reach the age of eight years and begin to bear fruit, they are replanted once every two years. In this case, the pot is selected 4-6 centimeters wider than the previous one.

An example of what depth the barrel neck should be at

Old plants cannot be replanted; the top layer of soil is removed and replaced with a new, fertile one.

Watering

Because tangerine is moisture-loving plant, the features of its watering are as follows:

It is recommended to water tangerines daily in small quantities;
Do not allow the soil to dry out or become waterlogged;
water should be at room temperature;
once a week the bush must be additionally sprayed;
You need to water the tree at the root.

It is necessary to ensure that water does not get on the flowering buds.

Top dressing

In order for the plant to shine with health, it must be fed as follows:

This should be done two weeks after the first shoots once every 2 weeks.
The feeding period is from the beginning of spring until late autumn.
For fertilizer, special additives for citrus fruits are used, which are sold in flower shops. You can use chicken manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20.
Feed with additives after watering, otherwise the roots can be burned and harm the plant.
In winter, feeding is stopped to provide the tangerine with a period of rest.

Grafting tangerine at home

A grown tree begins to bear fruit at 5-6 years of age. Sometimes this does not happen or the taste of the ripe fruit leaves much to be desired, and then grafting comes to the rescue. It must be carried out from mid-spring to the end of summer, when the plant is capable of quickly recovering from damage.

You can graft citrus if its trunk has reached 6 millimeters in diameter. It is worth taking varietal tangerine as a grafting plant, since it is this that will set the taste for your pet.

For the procedure you will need:

rootstock - a tangerine grown by you;
scion – cuttings of varietal tangerine;
knife for making cuts;
garden var;
ribbon;
jar, bottle or bag.

After making sure that all the components are present, you can start vaccinating.

It includes the following steps:

Rootstock formation. To do this, cut it at a height of about 10 centimeters, then make a shallow cut in the middle of the trunk.
Connecting parts. A prepared scion petiole, cut wedge-shaped, is inserted into the rootstock.
Processing. We treat the joint with garden varnish so that the plant recovers faster.
Fasteners Wrap the area with electrical tape or elastic band.
Creation of a microclimate. Cover the grafted tree with pruned plastic bottle, jar or transparent plastic bag.
Providing light. Place the plant on the sunny side, avoiding direct rays.

Mandarin grafting sequence

After a month, you need to start opening the greenhouse to ventilate and train the tangerine to room temperature. This should be done gradually over the course of a month, gradually increasing the time spent in new conditions for the bush. By observing these simple rules, you will achieve the desired result.

In the video you can see in detail the method of grafting citrus fruits at home. Filmed by the Botanichka channel. ru.

Diseases and pests

In addition to drying out or waterlogging the soil, pests can destroy the plant. If they are detected, immediate action must be taken.

During the growth and care of the plant, some unforeseen troubles may appear, such as yellowing of the leaves. Perhaps the tangerine is shedding aged foliage or signaling for help. It is worth taking a closer look at your “pet” and determining the reason for its elimination.

Possible reasons:

If your tree is many years old, but it looks healthy, then the cause of yellowing is getting rid of old, unnecessary leaves.
When the crown completely acquires more light shade, then the reason lies in the lack of light. Then it is necessary to rearrange the plant in a more sunny place or if it is impossible to supply artificial light.
Too dry air, draft or very deep planting of rhizomes can cause the leaves to drop. In this case, eliminating the cause will correct the situation.
If the leaf begins to dry out at the tip and falls off, this indicates that the soil is over-moistened or the container is too large. To eliminate the problem, you need to transplant the plant into a container of suitable size, cut off the rotten roots, prepare the soil (loosen the new soil).
When the greens begin to turn yellow from the bottom of the tree and continue to move to the top, the tangerine needs to be fertilized with a nitrogen-containing product. This behavior indicates a lack of this substance.
The yellow color of the shoots, extending onto the old leaves, indicates a lack of iron.
If none of the signs are detected, but the tree loses its leaves, then the plant lacks potassium. In this case, potassium nitrate will help.