Calamondin, citrofortunella
Calamondin (citrofortunella - its other name) belongs to the family Rutaceae, the birthplace of Southeast Asia and is a citrus hybrid by crossing with kumquat mandarin (another name - or Kinkan fortunella). Often referred to as potted tangerine, sometimes golden orange.
This beautiful evergreen with beautiful yellow-orange, edible fruit tree - a dream for many gardeners. Caring for them is simple, reproduces by seeds and cuttings. Calamondin excellent winters in ordinary apartments with dry air, thrives in greenhouses, fruits long as this houseplant is specifically adapted to fruit at home. Summer can live on the balcony.
Calamondin tree is usually low, about one meter, although in his homeland grows up to 5 meters.
Citrofortunella bloom usually begins in late spring or summer flowers like lemon - white stars with a strong flavor.
To ensure guaranteed fruiting indoor mandarin flowers better pollinate by hand with a soft brush. Fruits are formed even on small plants, height of only 25 cm. Bitter, sour fruits, fragrant, they can crystallize contain many seeds. Skin - sweet. Flowering may be resumed in the presence of fruit per tree.
Plant care
Adaptation. Calamondin most often receive as a gift. When moving from store to house changing temperature, light and humidity. A tsitrofortunella hard transfers adaptation. Leaves begin to fall. If you`ve noticed a few leaves falling of the day, then immediately put on Calamondin plastic bag and tie it in the trunk, to raise the humidity to 95-100%. At least once a day pack open for ventilation. Must be a lot of light, eliminate drafts. In winter, you can highlight lamp.
Calamondin often sell imported grown by special technology. In the roots of plants can be special capsules with hormones. If only just acquired citrus leaves are falling, it is better to transplant it. Carefully examine its roots. Clean podgnivschie roots and repot in a new pot.
Even if the leaves fell off completely, kalamodin be saved. Cut all the fruit, they take power plants can be cut some branches, sections were treated with charcoal. Spray once a day for the correction of any solution to malnutrition, disease prevention and treatment houseplants. A couple of weeks will give you a Calamondin new shoots.
Lighting. Although tsitrofortunella and loves bright light and heat, summer tree is better protected from direct sunlight.
Attention!!! Rotated and repositioned during the flowering and fruiting can not - flowers fall. To crown formed symmetrical need to rotate, but it can be tricky - move the 1 mm per day.
Temperature. Love heat, prefers a temperature of about 18-20 °C. But the plant to bear fruit, we need a cold winter. Calamondin endure the frost is not necessary, although this citrus can withstand even lowering the temperature to 4 °C. Calamondin winter for normal temperature 12-15 °C.
Watering must be abundant in the heat, cold, moderate at time of spraying crown.
Fertilizer. Fertilizing complex fertilizers for citrus. Need to make all year round as tsitrofortunella prolonosit constantly. The good result foliar application. But not to spoil the leaves best nutrient solution under sprinkling them. At the time of spraying nutrient solution or treatment plant pests have to move to another place. Experienced growers are advised to make a mark on the pot to memorize the position of the flowerpot. Transfer the evening, make all the necessary procedures and leave the plant there until the morning, and early in the morning to rearrange its original location with the same side to the light to make a mark.
Soil. Suitable mixture composed of sod land and rotted manure with the addition of sand in the ratio 2:1:1.
Transplant. The pot should be large. Calamondin Bush may be small, but the root system has a very large and extensive. When transplants should not be much to destroy the earth com. Good drainage is required. Root collar in the new pot should be at the same level as it was in the old pot. After transplantation of the plant at least a month fertilize nothing in the soil at this time and so enough nutrients.
Reproduction. Calamondin difficult to propagate. Cuttings rooted with difficulty, many disappear if planted the seed, the fruit will be many years later. Cuttings root in loose substrate under hotbed mandatory bottom heating. Roots begin to appear at 23-25 °C, so the best of grafted plant in the first half of summer, when sufficiently warmed air to the required temperature and longer daylight hours. Recommend the use of plant hormones.
Pests. Calamondin is susceptible to infection by coccidia (scale insects and Coccidae), spider mites, whitefly, aphids. If the detected pests must handle drugs acting on these destructive pests treatment is repeated 2-3 times in the range specified in the instruction. Cover with a plastic bag and put it on the window sill, so that the sun did not fall.