Citrus mestizo calamondin care. Room calamondin citrofortunella at home

Calamondin or, as this is also called indoor variety citrus, citrofortunella is a hybrid obtained from crossing the kumquat and loved by many gourmets. Growing calamondin at home makes it possible not only to replenish the collection with an exotic culture, but also to get bright small-sized fruits.

It is thanks to them that the plant received the popular name "golden orange". small size fragrant fruits abundantly cover the crown and sometimes seem fake. Therefore, novice flower growers have a question: “Is it possible to eat calamondin?”.

Round, with a thin peel and juicy core, the fruits are edible. But wait for the sweetness of tangerine in this case is not worth it. The pulp of yellow-orange calamondins is sour or even bitter, but the peel, like that of a kumquat, is sweetish and very fragrant.

Features of care and cultivation of calamondin

When kept indoors, the plant forms compact shrub or an elegant standard tree, although in the open air the culture sometimes reaches a height of five meters. With simple care at home, citrus calamondin:

• grows well;
• bears fruit;
• it can be propagated by cuttings or seeds.

Today, lovers of indoor plants are offered plants not only with plain foliage, but also variegated forms, in which even the fruits have an unusual striped color.

In the second half of spring, citrus blooms, and then the crown is covered with very fragrant star-shaped flowers of white color. The plant requires manual pollination, after which numerous ovaries are formed on it.

Even a small specimen, with proper feeding and watering, will not drop them and may bloom when unripe fruits still remain on its branches. Calamondin signals discomfort or violations of growing conditions by the loss of foliage.

If the right measures are not taken, the plant will die. How to care for calamondin? What are the maintenance and care requirements of this culture?

Care for citrus calamondin at home

For the first time, the flower grower may encounter wilting and falling leaves a few weeks after acquiring a bright plant. The fact is that an exotic perennial is not easy to adapt, and when moving from a store to an apartment it changes:

• air temperature;
• humidity;
• composition of irrigation water;

In addition, the reasons for the unhealthy and unsuccessful care of citrus calamondin may lie in the depletion of the fruit-bearing tree from a long stay in the store or insufficient care. Therefore, it is better to transplant the plant, having previously examined and cleaned the root system of dead or rotten fragments. The crown can be covered with a bag to artificially increase the humidity of the air and create a semblance of a greenhouse.

Since exotic cultures are not indifferent to the sun, then a place for them must be found on bright side. True, it is still worth taking care of shelter from direct scorching rays.

Calamondin bought in winter is protected from possible drafts and immediately placed under to extend daylight hours. And in subsequent winters, backlighting is required.

At home, growing calamondin does not require the grower to maintain a special temperature. Plants, if all the rules for caring for citrus calamondin, easily tolerate the hot season, and the temperature is considered optimal for them:

• 18-24°C in summer;
• 12–16 °C in winter.

Plants are moisture-loving and respond well to spraying, which helps them survive the heat. In the cold season, such frequent soil moisture is not required.

Top dressing can be traditional, combined with watering, and foliar. Calamandins need additional nutrition all year round, especially with frequent and abundant fruiting.

If foliar top dressing is practiced when caring for calamondin at home, it is better to irrigate on the back of the leaves. So it will not be possible to spoil the appearance of glossy sheet plates. Such procedures are scheduled for the evening, so that Sun rays did not burn the places where the drops fell.

Propagation by seeds and growing calamondin from cuttings

Growing calamondin from seeds is a painstaking task and requires remarkable patience. The florist will be able to pluck the first fruits only after 6-7 years. You can also get new citrus specimens using cuttings.

But even here there are pitfalls. In order for the cuttings to take root, you will need:

• loose substrate for deepening the apical parts of the shoots;
• greenhouse with bottom heating;
• maintaining a temperature of about 23–25 ° C;
• long daylight hours.

Cuttings and rooting are best done from May to June, when these conditions are easiest to provide. After the formation of roots, young calamondins are seated in their own pots.

When choosing pots for transplanting calamondin, you need to consider the size of the plant and the growing root system. Therefore, it is better to take bulk containers where the tree will be comfortable for at least one year.

When transferring an earthen clod to a new container, it is important not to damage it. And for the outflow of excess moisture, a powerful drainage layer is created at the bottom of the pot. It is calculated so that when the root system is installed on the soil layer, the root neck, when backfilled, is above the surface of the substrate.

The soil mixture for growing calamondin is made from ready-made soil for ornamental crops with the addition of humus or from the same humus, twice more sod land and sand to give looseness. After the limbers, calamondin needs watering, and the first top dressing is carried out only after a month.

Video about the features of caring for calamondin

Today, in many apartments you can find a variety of decorative trees. At home, the kumquat tree and calamondin take root perfectly. To grow such a tree at home, you need to know the basic rules for caring for it.

Conditions of detention

Caring for calamondin at home involves organizing optimal conditions for the plant.

Lighting

Citrofortunella loves well-lit places. A diffused light should fall on the tree, so in the summer on hot days it is better to shade the plant. To form a uniform crown, a pot with a tree during the day must be turned to the sun in different directions.

Temperature

For the normal growth of this variety, a moderate temperature is required - + 20–25 ° C. In winter, this figure should be lowered to + 12–15 ° C. At the same time, the hybrid does not tolerate drafts well, therefore, in winter period the pot is best kept on a glazed loggia or balcony.

Humidity

The plant grows well at low humidity (about 70%). To protect the hybrid from dry air, its leaves must be sprayed with water every day. It is important to moisten the underside of the leaf blade well. You can also place a container of water next to the pot. During the evaporation process, the moisture will increase the humidity in the room.

Irrigation Features

Citrus calamondin needs abundant watering, especially from spring to autumn (growth period). The main thing here is to avoid the situation of stagnant water in the pan, otherwise the root system will begin to rot.

The introduction of water is carried out when the soil in the pot has become dry. During the winter months, watering is done once a week. For irrigation, filtered or boiled soft water is used.

Pruning and reproduction

Pruning of shoots is carried out in February. In the summer months, very dense or excessively long stems are to be removed.

Since it was used to create this hybrid, reproduction here will be carried out in a similar way. AT this case such a procedure is a rather laborious process. Reproduction in citrus fruits of this species occurs in several ways:

• bone. It is planted in specially prepared soil. Also, fertilizing should be regularly applied to the soil to obtain a sprout, which will stimulate the bone to germinate and actively grow;
• through vaccination. It is usually carried out on orange seedlings;
• cuttings, which should have at least 2-3 buds.

To carry out the reproduction of calamondin at home with cuttings, you must adhere to the following rules:

1. The stalk is taken with a top, on which there are mature leaves and a pronounced internode.
2. The tip of the cut cutting is placed for a couple of seconds in a growth stimulator (for example, in Kornevin).
3. In the prepared ground, the prepared cutting is lowered to the level of the bottom sheet.
4. The sprout should be covered from above glass jar to support high humidity. Every day the plant needs to be aired for 20 minutes.

If everything was done correctly, then the cutting will take root in 3 weeks. Then calamondin requires the usual care at home.

Disease prevention

The best prevention of diseases of this hybrid is to follow the rules of care, especially temperature and water regimes. Also, the plant can be sprayed with special solutions.

Knowing what kind of care Calamondin requires when grown at home, you can get a beautiful decorative tree that will be a great decoration for your home.

Video "Care for calamondin at home"

From this video you will learn how to properly care for calamondin at home.

Citrofortunella or Calamondin is a recently appeared plant that has already managed to gain popularity all over the world. This type of plant is a hybrid that belongs to the rue family.

Citrofortunella (calamondin) - a recently appeared hybrid that has gained popularity all over the world

Calamondin is a tree that appeared thanks to the work of scientists who were not afraid to cross citrus mandarin and the oriental fruit kumquat (fortunella). As a result, very bright and miniature fruits were obtained, which cannot but arouse the interest of buyers and connoisseurs of the exotic. Such a plant will look spectacular in every home.

Is it really possible not only to admire the fruits of citrofortunella, but also to eat them, or is this plant just a bright element of decor?

Citrofortunella fruits

Can you eat calamondin? Definitely small and appetizing "calamondin" will be edible. If your plant does not yet have fruits, you have every chance to grow your own organic fruits.

Calamondin citrus fruits can be considered safe if you grow them yourself, properly care for them, do not add unknown fertilizers and do not spray the fruits with chemical liquids for the best. appearance and attractiveness.

It is highly undesirable and even dangerous to try the fruits of a plant bought in a store.

Here are some tips for getting safe-to-eat fruits:

• the plant must be fertilized exclusively with environmentally friendly additives, which are worth buying only in specialized stores;
• fruits from the store are not recommended for food;
• do not apply any spraying of fruits, this may adversely affect the quality of future fruits.

To enjoy the new and interesting taste of this exotic miracle, it is enough to show a little patience. At proper care calamondin will give you fruits, taste characteristics which cannot be compared with anything.

Harvest the right way

Rules for a successful harvest:

1. The fruits should be collected greenish-orange, in no case should overripe be allowed.
2. Cut the fruit only with scissors or secateurs.
3. Carefully remove the fruit, being careful not to damage the thin and delicate skin.

Freshly cut fruits can be stored very well in cold store at temperatures from +8 to +10 degrees.

Storage and chemical properties

The citrofortunella plant tolerates all types of temperatures quite well (from quite hot and even to sub-zero temperatures). Berries are considered ripe orange color, blotches of green are acceptable. Amazing and chemical composition: proteins (0.88%), fats (2.45%), and, of course, carbohydrates (3.29%). There are also components such as ash substances, calcium, phosphorus and iron.

Researchers have also found that calamondin contains a large number of vitamin C. One hundred grams of squeezed juice contains 31.6 mg of the vitamin, and up to 173.8 mg in the peel. The composition of the juice also found the presence of ascorbic acid in the equivalent of 5.6%, while in the pulp no more than 2.9%.

The use of calamondin fruits

There are a lot of ways to cook dishes using Calamondin. This bright fruit can be used as an exceptionally sweet raw material for the preparation of a variety of jams, marmalades, candied fruits, preserves, marshmallows, etc.

Calamondin will be nice to set off the taste of meat dishes. Chefs around the world are experimenting with meat, proving that in the process of cooking meat, they use not only the usual vegetables, but also fruits, citrus fruits and even chocolate.

The fruits of citrofortunella are actively used in cooking.

There is various recipes preparation of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks with the addition of the juice of our aforementioned wonderful fruit. And culinary experts add dried calamondin to some spicy seasonings.

This citrus got its place not only in cooking, but also in cosmetology and medicine. A very rich and nutritious oil is obtained from its fruits. If you use fresh juice for rubbing into the scalp, then after a while you will notice that the hair has become more elastic and looks healthy.

Calamondin or an extract from its fruit can be used as a component of skin care products, especially for adolescents.

Citrofortunella - affordable exotic

Progress does not stand still, and breeders continue to delight with new and interesting views plants that are not only beautiful, but also very useful.

The selection will surprise us more than once with bright, interesting and non-standard solutions. Indeed, without experiments, there would be no current and future discoveries that will bring many new, interesting, a little outlandish plants. It's so interesting and exciting to find and try something completely new.

Soon you won't have to go to any country to buy an unusual vegetable or fruit. Thanks to the work and enterprise of scientists, the cultivation of exotic fruit-bearing trees will be available to everyone.

Having citrofortunella at home is not only beautiful, but also useful.

The tree will become a worthy element in your interior and will amaze you and your loved ones with its taste. And an undoubted bonus for your family will be that calamondin is rich in vitamins and those elements that are so necessary for the human body.

Calamondin is exotic fruit, obtained by crossing mandarin with fortunella, therefore it has another name - citrofortunella.

Sometimes it is called indoor tangerine, golden orange. Calamondin belongs to the rue family, is widespread and popular in Southeast Asia.

General information

Citrus calamondin is an evergreen small tree about 1 m high with bright yellow-orange edible fruits. In the usual habitat, the height of the tree can reach 5 meters. Many amateur flower growers would like to see this in their greenhouse. beautiful plant.

Calamondin care does not take much time and high costs. This plant propagates by seeds and cuttings. Since calamondin is considered a houseplant, it tolerates winter well in ordinary apartment, greenhouse. Being at home, it bears fruit for a long time. AT summer period calamandine feels great on the balcony.

The beginning of the flowering period of citrofortunella falls, as a rule, at the end of spring and continues throughout the summer, the flowers are in the form of elegant white stars with a pleasant aroma. The flowering process can be observed even in the presence of fruits.

To ensure guaranteed fruiting of the golden tangerine, pollination of flowers is best done manually using a soft brush. Fruits can be formed even on small plants, tree height 25cm.

The fruits have a bitter-sour taste and aromatic smell, they contain a lot of seeds, the peel tastes sweet.

Calamondin home care

Most often, imported calamondins grown in special conditions using special technologies.

The roots may contain capsules with special hormones. If, after acquiring a citrus in a store, its leaves begin to fall off, you must immediately start transplanting it. Examine the roots, remove rotting roots, transplant into new pot.

No need to be upset if calamondin sheds leaves, the plant can still be saved. You just need to remove individual branches, cut off all the fruits, as they take strength from the plant.

Spray daily nutrient solution, apply prophylactic agents to protect indoor plants from diseases and pests. Soon, citrus calamondin will again delight with young shoots.

Any indoor plant requires constant attention. Regular care of calamondin provides not only certain types of feeding, watering, transplanting and reproduction, but also maintaining a certain temperature, humidity, and light.

The plant is hard to adapt to new living conditions. Microclimate flower shop usually different from home. Therefore, sometimes after buying calamondin and moving it to a house, apartment, leaf fall is observed.

To eliminate this unfavorable factor and increase the humidity to 95-100%, it is necessary to put a plastic bag on the plant, fixing it on the trunk. The bag is opened daily for ventilation.

The room in which citrofortunella is located should be warm and bright enough; in winter, you can additionally use a lamp. In summer, it is necessary to protect the plant from direct sunlight.

To avoid falling flowers during flowering and fruiting, calamondin cannot be actively moved, rotated, rearranged. To form a symmetrical crown, the tree must be rotated very carefully and literally 1 mm per day.

Despite the fact that Citrofortunella is a heat-loving plant (optimum temperature is +18 +20°C), wintering must be cold in order for the plant to bear fruit.

In winter, the air temperature in the room should be maintained from +12 to +15°C, although it can withstand a significant drop in temperature down to +4 degrees. In hot weather, watering should be plentiful and moderate in the cool period.

Calamondin fertilizer

To feed calamondin, you can use any complex fertilizer with trace elements for citrus fruits. Since the plant bears fruit constantly, therefore, top dressing must be applied throughout the year.

The most effective is liquid outside the root top dressing. In order not to spoil the surface of the leaves, it is better to spray the nutrient solution under them.

Calamondin diseases and pests

Calamondin, like any vegetation, needs protection from pests. Its main pests are scale insects and false scale insects, spider mite, whitefly, aphid. When they are found, the plant must be treated using a preparation designed to destroy this type of pest.

The treatment is repeated several times (2-3 times) with the interval specified in the instructions for the drug. Then covering the citrus calamondin polyethylene film, package, put it on the windowsill away from direct sunlight.

It must be remembered that both when treating a plant for diseases and pests, and when spraying it with a nutrient solution, it has to be moved from one place to another.

Therefore, based on personal experience, flower growers recommend making a small landmark (mark) on the flowerpot in order to remember the constant position of the pot on the windowsill. After the necessary procedures, the plant returns to its usual place, and the flowerpot is set to the light according to the marked mark.

Calamondin transplant

Transplanting citrofortunella is best in a pot large sizes, because, despite the small tree, calamondin has a large and branched root system.

The following mixture is used as a planting soil (2 parts of sod land + 1 part of rotted manure + 1 part of sand). During the month, the plant is not fertilized, because this planting mixture contains a sufficient amount nutrients.

Calamondin propagation by cuttings

The breeding process is long and complex. It will take many years to grow calamondin from seeds and get the first fruits.

Planting material from cuttings takes root in a loose substrate in greenhouse conditions with mandatory lower heating. Optimum temperature for the appearance of roots + 23 + 25 ᵒС, therefore, it is preferable to carry out cuttings of a plant in early summer, when the air is warmed up to the required temperature and sufficient daylight hours. Even despite the observance of these conditions, not all cuttings take root. At this stage, the use of phytohormones is recommended.

K alamondin, or citrofortunella, is a beautiful evergreen plant obtained as a result of the natural hybridization of mandarin and kinkan. Its botanical name is ×Citrofortunella microcarpa, the old ones still found are Citrus madurensis and Citrus Mitis. Calamondin has many local names, as the plant is popular and loved in many countries as a fruit or as an ornamental. The best known to us are “Chinese mandarin” and “golden orange”.
At home, calamondin is grown on light windowsills, in winter gardens and greenhouses, sometimes in standard form or in the form of a bonsai. In subtropical climates, calamondin is used in landscape design and planted outdoors in gardens and parks, grown in large containers on terraces and patios. Less commonly, it is a culture of citrus fruit growing. The height of the tree can reach several meters.

SPREAD

The birthplace of calamondin is China, from where the plant came to nearby regions. I found citrus practical use, it was used mainly for juice production. And now in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Calamondin is the first fruit crop. In the rest of the world, the plant is popular more as an ornamental. He has new forms, including variegated with striped fruits and dwarf. For some peoples, citrofortunella has become an attribute of Christmas and the New Year. The tradition of giving calamondin to New Year and Christmas or decorating their homes these days takes root with us. After all, a beautiful plant is very similar to a tangerine, which we historically associate with the New Year holiday.

CALAMONDIN. DESCRIPTION

The calamondin tree is 3 to 7 meters high, has an upright trunk, branching close to the base, and a dense crown. Dark green dense glossy oval leaves, 4-7 cm long, yellow-green below. They are arranged alternately on small petioles. The root is pivotal, powerful. The flowers are solitary or grow 2-3 more often in the axils of the leaves, very fragrant, self-pollinated, up to 2.5 cm in diameter. They have 5 petals white color. Attractive to bees.
The fruits are orange-red, round or slightly flattened, up to 4.5 cm in diameter. The skin is thin, glossy, fragrant, contains many glands with essential oil. It cleans well and is the sweetest in the fruit. The pulp, on the contrary, is sour, juicy, enclosed in 6-8 slices and contains up to 5 seeds, sometimes there are no seeds. Calamondin is abundantly strewn with fruits, the average yield of a tree in the Philippines is 30 kg, at the age of ten, up to 50 kg.

Alas, in our climate, no matter what the care is, at home, calomondin will not grow to such a size, so dwarf citrofortunella often grow on window sills. There are also differences in life expectancy. In a pot, it is limited to at best four years, in greenhouses a little longer, in open ground centenarians records are 20 years or more.

CALAMONDIN: HOME CARE

Calamondin variegata▲ Calamondin flowers

At home, calamondin can grow up to 60-150 cm. And although it is less demanding than mandarin, it also needs heat, light and moisture to develop.

Lighting

Calamondin likes bright light, but not midday sun. With an excess of light, the leaves turn pale or discolor, with a lack, they increase in size, partially fall off. Particularly sensitive to light variegated varieties.
At home, calamondin is assigned window sills oriented to the south - east. Glasses are wiped more often so that light penetrates better. In the autumn-winter period, they are additionally highlighted. The total daylight hours should be 12 hours. But this does not guarantee success either. The best option care - to provide Calamondin with a dormant period (see below).
In summer, it is better to take citrofortunella to the terrace or balcony, accustoming it to the sun gradually. In the garden, it is advisable for her to take a semi-shady place, and shade the pot so as not to burn the roots with overheating walls of the vessel. Install the plant in a place protected from the wind.
In autumn, after returning to the room, the tree is under serious stress and can shed its leaves, this must be taken into account and moved in advance so that there is no sharp contrast in the conditions of detention.
In a subtropical climate, the plant is in practically unchanged light and temperature ranges throughout the year. At home, it needs the same stability. AT temperate climate For this, the grower needs to try.

Temperature

Calamondin is considered the most persistent citrus, but this does not make home care. easy conditions. Withstanding minus temperatures of 6 °, for growth and life, the minimum for the Golden Orange should be +12 °. For active vegetation, temperature indicators should be between +18 ° and +27 °.

rest period

rest period - milestone home care. Calamondin without it weakens and dies. Winter holidays The plant needs it because:
it is difficult to provide a full-fledged daylight hours from November to the end of February, even resorting to additional illumination, and the plant cannot fully vegetate, grow, bloom, form fruits;
most indoor calamondins are obtained by grafting on a three-leafed poncirus, which during this period tends to stop sap flow and drop leaves. Therefore, I will graft-citrofortunelle at this time nutrients are not supplied from the ground. The advantage of such a vaccination is the increased resistance of calamondin, including to cold.
The necessary care at home during the rest period is as follows. Calamondin is kept in a well-lit room (up to 12 hours a day) at a temperature of +4 to +12°C. Watering is reduced, usually to 1-2 times a month. If left at normal room temperature, Citrofortunella will not go dormant and will wither due to lack of light, humidity and temperature mismatch. The same one who creates a plant in autumn-winter period optimal conditions life expects continuous flowering and fruiting, because five months or more pass from the formation of the ovary to ripening, and calamondin can simultaneously bloom and bear fruit.

Humidity and watering at home

Calamondin is very demanding on soil and air moisture and does not tolerate drying of the soil and dry, especially hot, air. For this reason, it is not advisable to place it near a hot battery, or it is necessary to isolate the citrus from it with a screen. Insufficient watering or poor drainage can cause leaves to curl and fall off, while excessive moisture and overcooling of the substrate often lead to root rot and plant death. Therefore, citrofortunella is watered under the root after the earthen lump dries up (upper 2-3 cm of soil), preventing it from drying out (the roots must be in a moist substrate). With careful care, the need for watering is determined by the weight of the pot. Excess water that has escaped into the pan must be drained fifteen minutes after watering. Watering is considered the best method of immersing the pot in water. They do the same if calamondin grows in a plastic pot, which is located in a beautiful planter. For watering, the pot is removed, immersed almost completely in water, for example, in a basin, and kept until the soil is completely moistened through the holes in its bottom. After they get it. When excess water drains, the pot is returned to the pots.
The hotter the temperature environment, the more often calamondin is watered. The temperature of air, soil and water for irrigation should be as equal as possible. For watering and spraying use only soft, settled water.
In the heat of summer, the tree is regularly sprayed with a spray bottle, wetting the leaves well from the underside. The required air humidity is about 70%. In winter, spraying is carried out only if the air in the room is very dry. Excessive moisture can damage the plant, as it is a favorable environment for the growth of mold - a fungal disease. With its symptoms, the leaves are thoroughly washed and treated with a fungicide, and the conditions of detention are normalized.

Feeding calamondin at home

Citrofortunella grows intensively, consuming a large amount of nutrients. Therefore, home care necessarily requires regular fertilization. With their shortage, leaves and fruits fall. During the period of active growth, complex fertilizers for citrus fruits are applied once a week. It is useful to carry out foliar top dressing. In winter, plants are fed once a month.
It is necessary to strictly observe the dosages recommended by the manufacturer, since an excess of nutrients is no less harmful to plants than their deficiency. For this reason, Citrofortunella can be transplanted more often into a new pot with the addition of fresh soil. This reduces the frequency of feeding.

CALAMONDIN. CUTTING

"Golden Orange" easily tolerates pruning and, after shortening the branches, branches well. A beautiful tree is formed with a compact, dense crown and a trunk 20-25 cm high in low varieties. You can form a plant in the form of a bush.
The main pruning is carried out in early spring, at the same time as transplanting. At the same time, thickening, brown and old branches are cut out. A pruned shoot will set fruit only the next year. In summer, long branches are shortened by cutting with garden shears over the internode.

CALAMONDIN. TRANSFER

With proper care, calamodin at home gives up to 10 cm of growth in a pot and up to 30 cm in a large container. At the same time, trees no more than 25 cm high begin to bloom and bear fruit. A fast-growing plant requires frequent transplantation, usually annual. Large calamondins are transplanted every 2-4 years, and changed annually upper layer soil. root system citrofortunella is well developed, needs a voluminous pot. The minimum ratio of tree to pot height is 2:1.
The best time for transplantation is the end of winter - the beginning of spring. Do not replant a flowering or fruiting plant, this can lead to abscission of both flowers and fruits.
In open ground, calamondins grow on almost any fertile soils- loamy, calcareous, sandy. In the limited space of the container, in order to achieve the decorative qualities of calamondin, care must be taken about the soil. For planting, a substrate is prepared from leafy, soddy soil and sand, or a mixture of peat soil and sand is used in a ratio of 9: 1. The mixture should have a slightly acidic or neutral reaction (pH 5.5-6.5). A special soil for citrus fruits is suitable, adjusted if necessary.
Plants are carefully removed from the pot, the roots are carefully examined, they should be white and clean. Dark, rotten and damaged cut out. If the roots are healthy, the tree is rearranged into a new container, trying not to damage the earthen ball, and fresh soil is carefully added, leaving the root neck at the same level. It is impossible to clean the soil from the roots during transplantation, because a fungus lives in it, replacing small roots and supplying nutrients to the plant. By removing the soil, you will remove these "roots" of Calamondin and the plant will take root for a long time.
After transplantation, citrofortunella is not fed until the roots occupy a new volume of the pot.

CALAMONDIN. BREEDING

Since even proper care at home does not ensure the long life of calamondin, the plant must be propagated periodically. It is better to do this by cuttings or grafting.
Cuttings are carried out in early summer. Adult and healthy trees are used as queen cells. Immediately after flowering, cuttings about 10 cm long with 2-3 buds are cut and kept in a heteroauxin solution for 10 hours.
They are planted in a loose disinfected substrate, in moss, peat or sand and placed in a greenhouse or a special greenhouse with bottom heating. Maintain temperature around +25°C and high humidity.
Calamondin is difficult to root, so you need to be prepared for the fact that a significant part of the cuttings will die.
When young leaves appear, plants are accustomed to fresh air, lifting the shelter for a while. Remove it after the seedlings are strong enough.
Calamondin can be grafted onto any citrus fruits grown from seeds. The stalk blooms quickly. Fruiting occurs in the second year.
Calamondin, grown from seeds, develops very slowly and does not inherit the characteristics of the mother. It is very difficult to wait for its fruiting at home, so a cutting taken from a varietal plant is grafted onto it.

WHY DO LEAVES FALL AT CALAMONDIN?

The first sign improper care behind calamondin at home is leaf fall. This phenomenon can be caused by several reasons, for example:
Non compliance temperature regime
Drafts and / or hypothermia of the soil
Too much or too little light
Abrupt change in conditions of detention
Nutrient deficiency
Excess or insufficient watering
Low air humidity
Fungal diseases of the roots
Pest infestation
What to do if calamondin leaves fall, and even ovaries and fruits? It is necessary to determine exactly which of the listed causes causes leaf fall and eliminate it.
If the care is correct, and calamondin sheds leaves daily, it is treated with Epin's solution and placed in a plastic bag (but not in the sun). Spray regularly to keep the humidity high. Be sure to ventilate once a day. The package is removed only after the plant has fully recovered.
Cutting off all flowers, ovaries and fruits will also help calamondin recover from stress faster and speed up the recovery process. After recovery, it will give a new growth and again be covered with leaves and flowers.
Sometimes in Calamondin, with a good vernal appearance, only some of the ovaries fall off. It's not worth worrying. The plant thus self-regulates required amount fruits that can ripen, and reduces them to the optimal number.

CALAMONDIN. PESTS

Whiteflies are dangerous for citrofortunella, aphids, ticks, mealybug, thrips, scale insects. With strong reproduction, they weaken the plant, and can cause not only leaf fall, but also the death of the plant. Prevention is rubbing the leaves and maintaining the proper level of air humidity, dryness is dangerous as well as excessive humidity.
When the scale insect is damaged, dark waxy plaques are clearly visible on the leaves and shoots. To combat this pest, plants are treated with insecticidal preparations, such as deciss or karbofos.
spider mite multiplies at low humidity and can quickly destroy even mature plant. The leaves become lethargic, turn yellow and fall off. You can fight the invasion of ticks with the help of acaricides.
If the plant needs to be moved to another place for processing, all operations are carried out in the evening. Before moving the pot, note which side it is turned towards the light. In the morning next day Citrofortunella is returned to its permanent place.

SUBTLETS OF CARE IN HOME CONDITIONS

Calamondin after purchase. Abroad, calamondins, strewn with golden orange or green fruits, are actively on sale closer to European Christmas or Chinese New Year. Like other bought potted plants after the loss of decorativeness, calamondin is thrown away as a wilted bouquet or Christmas tree. This culture can also be adopted by us, since it is sometimes difficult to ensure the further life of citrus. But if you want to keep Citrofortunella and take care of it, after the purchase, you need to help the plant survive the stress that it experiences after changing the conditions of detention. Let it come to its senses after intensive exposure to drugs and fertilizers in commercial greenhouses. In this case, immediately after purchase:
The plant is transplanted into a new larger pot with nutrient soil by careful transshipment, since the old one is usually completely filled with roots that dry quickly under such conditions.
If damaged roots are visible during transplantation, they are removed.
They put the plant separately from others in the house for a 10-day quarantine.
If pests are found, the tree is sprayed with insecticidal preparations.
When dropping leaves, they are treated with Epin, flowers and ovaries are cut off.

With proper care, calamondin blooms annually in early spring, filling the whole house with a unique aroma. For better fruit set, artificial pollination is carried out, transferring pollen with a soft brush. The fruits ripen from the end of September. Since the flowers do not bloom at the same time, the fruiting period stretches for several months. In places of natural growth, calamondin exhibits the properties of a remontant plant and bears fruit throughout the year. At home, on the contrary, with a lack of light and heat, the fruits may not ripen even in a season and remain on the tree until next year.

Plants, especially flowering ones, must not be moved or rearranged. If home care requires it, for example, spraying, watering, then a mark is made on the pot and after the procedures, focusing on it, the pot is returned to its place.

In winter, so that the soil and roots in the pot do not get supercooled on the windowsill, it is better to put a pallet or planter on a foam or laminate substrate.

The branches of indoor calamondin quickly grow and bloom, not having time to get stronger. They are very flexible and cannot support the weight of ripening fruits, so they need to be tied up.