Kalamondin - care at home. Care, transplant and growing problems

Small citrus plants feel great at home. They are put in ordinary flower pots and are kept on a window sill, a loggia or in a greenhouse. With proper care, the trees can not only please the owners with their appearance, but also bear fruit. One of these tropical plants, settled down in the apartments, is Kalamondin. Care at home for a small tree with delicate white flowers and fragrant fruit is not very difficult. So it's quite possible to grow your own mandarins on the balcony or in the kitchen.

What does Citrofortunella look like?

The plant is more often either by mistake, or for simplicity is called mandarin. In fact, its correct name is Kalamondin. At home, he feels great and often fructifies even in not very caring hostesses.

In its essence, a small tree of the family of rutas is a hybrid of mandarin and fortunella. The plant turned out to be surprisingly frost-hardy, completely unpretentious and perfectly fertile. However, the taste of his mini-mandarin darling is not much like the "big brother". They are very fragrant, but not sweet, but with an acid-bitter taste. So they often fall on the table in the form of jam.

Like all citrus fruits, calamondin can grow both in the form of a tree and shrubbery. On its branches are not very large bright green leaves with a glossy surface. If you touch them, a subtle fragrance appears in the air. For 3-4 years of life in the spring, citrophortunella is covered with small white flowers, which later turn into green fruits. By the autumn of the mini-mandarin tree ripens, radiating cheerfulness and filling the room with warmth and light. It is noteworthy that on the branches can be simultaneously green and ripe fruits, as well as flowers and buds.

Content temperature

Despite its frost resistance, Kalamondin feels better in conditions of moderate heat. In the summer it can be 22-25 degrees (the heat will not do him good). And in winter, so that the tree rests, it is better to reduce it to 10-15. Having spent several months at rest, the calamandin will necessarily react to a rise in temperature by active growth and flowering. In general, it is better to put it on the window sill in the summer, and in winter to take out on a balcony or a loggia, trying not to freeze. At too high a temperature, the plant reacts by discarding fruits, flowers and even leaves.

Watering

Those who do not know how to care for Kalamondin, first of all, it is necessary to deal with the regime of moistening. During the period of active growth, flowering and fruiting (that is, from spring to autumn), it should be watered quite often, preferably daily. At rest (in winter) it is done less often, once a week it will be quite enough. But this is subject to the correct temperature regime. If the plant remains in winter on the windowsill or on the floor next to the battery, then it should be watered as in the summer.

A drought tree is quite capable of surviving. It will not perish, even if you forget about it for several months. But the appearance of this will suffer. First, without watering about flowers (and even more so - fruits), you can not even dream of. Secondly, the plant can discard the leaves. But in general, it will not die.

To calamondine felt good, it is recommended to spray it. Do this in the spring until the moment of flowering and in the summer, when the fruits appear. In winter, it is necessary to moisten the leaves only in case of excessively high temperatures. In the flowering period, it is better not to do this, since the petals react rather painfully to water ingress. And do not pour the Kalamondin. Care for it should be such that the soil is not too dry, but the fungus does not appear. In the latter case, the plant may die.

Lighting

The tree, being unpretentious, is quite normal and without the sun. But only here to bloom and bear fruit in such conditions it is unlikely to become. Although the direct sun is also not very favorable for the health of the Kalamondina. If you consider the ideal lighting, then in the summer it is a window sill with an exit to the west or east, and in winter - rather, the north side or shadow.

In warm weather, citrus fruits are often taken to the street, leaving "breathing" with air and basking in a natural environment. In principle, there is nothing bad in this, but in a strong sunshine you should not leave the Kalamondin. Care at home after a street "sunburn" can be complicated by the fact that the leaves start to dry and fall off. With a lack of moisture and an overabundance of light, the fruits will also suffer.

Feeding and reproduction

Citrus Kalamondin, care for which is carried out in accordance with the recommendations, does not need fertilizers. Use top dressing is better during a period of active growth and flowering. For calamondin, natural organic fertilizers or a special mixture for citrus fruits are suitable. Sometimes they use compositions for flowering indoor plants. The intensity and frequency of feeding should depend on the age of the plant (the older, the more often) and its condition. The lack of minerals is indicated by small or pale leaves, lack of flowers.

Kalamondin is recommended to be transplanted regularly (in the spring before flowering), using light soil for young plants and heavier for old plants. Before fruiting, the procedure is repeated every year, then 2-3 times less often.

It multiplies, like all citrus plants, in two ways: cuttings formed from twigs with 2-3 buds, and bones planted in the soil. The second option is considered more labor-intensive and requires mandatory vaccination for subsequent flowering and fruiting. Kalamondin, home care for which will be correct, takes root quickly enough. Cuttings before planting are recommended to dip into a special liquid, and then cover with a trimmed plastic bottle. As soon as new leaves appear, it can be removed. Of the stone, the tree is more difficult to grow, but this method is often used.

Pests and diseases

Being an unpretentious and hardy plant, Kalamondin, care at home which is carried out regularly and correctly, is resistant to infections and parasites. Perhaps this is due to the high content of essential oils.

However, in case of inadequate watering, its leaves may become stained, twisted and fall off. The solution of the problem is reduced to timely moistening. When excessive watering, sometimes a fungus appears, which often goes away by itself, if the plant is slightly dried.

Of parasites that infect Kalamondin, the most common are the scutellum, the red spider mite and the flour worm. With the first helps to cope with soap solution. From the mite and chervetsa saves infusion of onion or garlic (you must first collect the parasite by hand).

Kalamondin is a bright, beautiful and not very capricious plant, capable of blossoming and bearing fruit in the conditions of an ordinary apartment. If you follow the basic rules and recommendations for care, it will not only please the eye, but also give a delightful fragrance and a wonderful mood. And from the fruits comes a wonderful jam.