How to properly care for citrus houseplants

In the culture of plant growing, citrus fruits remain the most popular among fruitful plants. In these plants everything is attractive: both tough, wax-covered leaves, and fragrant spring bloom, and no less fragrant fruiting in autumn and winter. In home growing among citrus fruits, the most common are Lemon, Pomeranets, Clementine, Citron. The latter, by the way, is known for its original fruits, which are used in confectionery production, but are not eaten raw.

Oranges or lemons growing in pots is quite real if you know about all the intricacies of caring for these subtropical plants. Moreover, for correct content you can even get fruits regularly.

Besides natural species today you can buy a variety of cultivars and hybrids. Among them, for example, compact (Citrus Limon Mejer), famous for its sweetish taste of fruits that appear throughout the year. Interesting and (Fortunella japonica), which looks like a small tree, whose fruits can be eaten directly with the peel.

Citrus fruits can be grown from seeds if desired. But this method is suitable for the most patient growers, besides, there is a risk of not waiting for flowering and, accordingly, fruiting. ON THE PICTURE: Citron (Citrus medica)

Features of citrus care

Citrus fruits came to us from South-East Asia with subtropical and tropical climates. High air humidity, an abundance of heat without seasonal temperature fluctuations, daylight hours, equal to night - are characteristic of the citrus plant range. This determines the main features of care.

Finding a suitable location

First of all, you need to take care of the location of the plant. Put the pot on the windowsill in winter period - not the best solution. Cold air from the window, as well as the increased temperature from radiators, negatively affect the exotic. The most suitable place for citrus fruits is a warm enough place with intense light and high humidity. In spring, summer and early fall, it is best to place the plant in a southwest or southeast window with softer, diffused light.

Soil selection

The main requirements for the soil for growing citrus fruits are good air and moisture permeability. The soil should be slightly acidic. There are special soil mixtures on the market, but they are good only for the first time. Literally a year later, their nutrient composition is already depleted, and the soil should be changed.

Compliance with watering rules

It is necessary to provide the plants with regular, moderate watering. In summer, citrus fruits should be watered with a frequency of about once every 2 days, and in winter, the frequency of watering is reduced to 5-7 days. Upper layer the soil must have time to dry out.

Maintaining humidity

As tropical plants, citrus fruits require high humidity - not less than 45-50%. Therefore, in winter, you should use a humidifier or maintain an optimal humidity level using a pallet with wet expanded clay.

Influence of temperature

The ideal temperature for citrus fruits in summer is + 22-24 ° С. In the autumn-winter season, before the dormant period - + 16–20 ° С. The best temperature for setting citrus buds is about + 16 ° С, and for vegetation and fruit ripening - + 22-24 ° С.

Unlike most other fruit trees, citrus plants do not require frequent pruning. But the periodic shortening of the branches will help form the crown and give growth to new shoots. However, it all depends on the species. Orange trees, for example, stretch upwards and therefore require regular pruning. Since the mandarin's crown is very thick, thinning is necessary from time to time. Even more frequent pruning is required for Lemon, with its weak branching. And Kumquat and Kalamodin do not need pruning at all due to their slow growth.
ON THE PICTURE: Lemon Panderosa

A little about the dormant period

In autumn and winter, with a lack of sunlight, increased dry air, the growth of citrus fruits stops, a period of rest begins. At this time, you need to pay special attention to plants.

with a significant decrease in temperature to 5-10 ° С and darkening (period of complete rest)
with a slight decrease in temperature and additional lighting (period of relative rest).

Period of complete rest lasts about 3 months. At the same time, there is no need for watering, since the humidity of the cold air is sufficient. You can place the plant in the basement, on the staircase, in the garage with periodic monitoring.

Period of relative rest passes under intense lighting with additional lamps and reduced watering. The air temperature should be slightly reduced, around + 12-15 ° C, so the plant is placed in a cool, moderately heated place. In the conditions of "home wintering" with insufficient air humidity, spraying must be done. In the spring, watering is increased and little by little they begin to add top dressing.
ON THE PICTURE: Lemon dormant

Vaccinations

Grafting allows you to transfer some varietal characteristics of one plant to another, accelerate fruiting and improve the quality of the fruit. Cuttings of fruiting plants are used as scions.

All types of citrus fruits can be grafted. Do not forget to remove the rootstock shoots in time, which can stop the growth of the grafted cuttings..

For indoor citrus fruits budding (grafting with a kidney taken from a cutting cultivated plant) and copulation (grafting with a graft with the same thickness of the scion and rootstock). At the same time, some varieties of citrus fruits require a strictly defined rootstock. So, Lemon Panderoza is well suited for inoculating Kumquat, and Pompelmus for grapefruit. Sweet orange is used for grafting oranges and lemons.

ON THE PICTURE: Tarocco orange grafted by copulation

Buy citrus fruits with an already formed crown. Growing from seed will take too long and the tree may not bear fruit.
Be careful when choosing a location. The best option for citrus fruits, there will be a warm, well-lit place with high levels of humidity.
The dormant period is very important for the normal growth and fruiting of citrus fruits.
Not all citrus fruits need pruning. It depends on the development of the crown and its density.
Grafting citrus fruits can increase fruiting.

Citrus plants can deliver great pleasure at home. The citrus tree in the room, thanks to its bright exotic appearance and delicate aroma, creates a very pleasant atmosphere, and proper care of it will help to get fruit.

Citrus trees at home are more painful than other plants to react to a change of place, so you cannot be mistaken with it. Coming to us from the tropics, they need constant heat, sufficiently high humidity and a day of light for at least 12 hours. As a rule, indoor citrus plants are settled on the lightest windowsill, but on the south side you will have to protect them from too aggressive summer sun in the middle of the day. And from mid-autumn to mid-spring, you will need to turn on a special lamp to lengthen the daylight hours.

For the comfortable growth of citrus plants, the air temperature should be between +18 and +28 degrees. They will begin to bloom at a temperature of + 18 degrees, and the fruits will ripen when it rises to 24 degrees. The air should not be colder than +12 degrees under any circumstances, and sudden changes in temperature can lead to leaf fall. It is desirable that the daily temperature fluctuations are no more than 5 degrees.

Caring for citrus trees at home means creating conditions as close as possible to your family, and in the tropics, as you know, not only is it warm, but also humid. A comfortable humidity level for actively growing trees should be 60–70 percent. The period of winter dormancy assumes a decrease in the humidity level to 55-60 percent, and the air temperature - to +12 - +16 degrees. At the same time, daylight hours cannot be reduced.

Citrus care is carried out all year round, but for the full development of plants, obtaining fruits, it is necessary to organize a period of relative dormancy, when all processes are much slower. Wintering begins in November and lasts until mid-February, when the sun becomes more active after winter, the amount of heat and light increases. Caring for tropical citrus indoor plants in winter is characterized by the lack of fertilizing and more rare watering. The air temperature should drop much more than the humidity level; this can be difficult to organize in apartments with central heating. Some people simply take trees out to insulated verandas or loggias, while others try to isolate the plant area from heating devices using a film stretched along the window sill or an additional window frame installed.

The humidity level is maintained using a home humidifier or just frequent spraying; a container of water is placed next to the pots for constant evaporation. Watering citrus plants in your home is very important. The main secrets to caring for citrus fruits at home are to keep the earth from drying out. Citrus fruits need to be watered often in summer and rarely in winter, but this should not be done unevenly. The soil should always be moist, just in summer, high air temperatures and active growth of plants increase moisture consumption, and in winter, coolness and slowed down life processes reduce the need for water. So in winter you can water once every 2-3 weeks, and in summer - every day, but the optimal frequency depends on many factors, it is advisable to check the condition of the soil and not let it dry out.

For the summer period, trees are often taken out to fresh airwhat they usually like. Here it is important to monitor the temperature so that acclimatization is easy, and it is better to bury the pot in the ground, this will protect it from overheating, otherwise the roots may heat up more than the crown, which is unacceptable.

Pruning and shaping the crown

Young plants need crown formation, therefore, before the start of the period of intensive growth (mid-February), their shoots are cut off. If citrus grew from a seed at home, then in the first year of life it usually reached a height of 25–30 cm. Pinching the upper kidney slows down growth upward, activates the lateral buds. Then you need to form skeletal branches, for which several side shoots are selected, and the rest are cut off. Skeletal branches are gradually strengthened, they are shortened to force them to branch, to form as many small fruit branches as possible.

When the basic shape of the crown has already been established, the annual pruning is reduced to harvesting broken branches or branches affected by diseases that grow in the middle of the shoots, fattening branches. In spring and even summer, branches are usually shortened to stimulate the formation of fruits or simply maintain the shape of the crown. This is the general scheme of crown formation, but all cultures grow in their own way, which means that they need an individual approach.

The lemon does not like to branch, no pinching or shortening of the branches will make it form many small shoots, you will have to tinker to form a compact round tree from it. Usually it looks angular, its crown consists of several large shoots, it is well penetrated by air and light.

Orange is characterized by its striving for the ceiling, it grows up all the time, therefore orange trees the trunk and main branches have to be shortened annually. Mandarin constantly forms many new branches, you have to cut them out to prevent thickening of the crown. The least hassle with the crown is when growing kumquat and calamondin. They are not as common among amateurs. exotic plants, although they always have a very attractive appearance, and their care is somewhat easier.

Pruning should always be carried out with sharp, clean tools to avoid the danger of infection, to injure the shoots as little as possible. Cut off the branches above the bud located outside the crown to new escape was directed not inside the tree, but away from the center of its crown.

Lemon transplant rules

Home care includes regular transplants, young plants are transplanted annually, and adults after 3-4 years. This is due to root growth and lack of nutrition from a small pot. Young plants intensively grow roots, if they are not transplanted on time, the roots will not only braid with an earthen ball, but will try to pierce the drainage layer and get out. With proper planting, at least 1 cm of soil should remain between the roots and the walls of the pot. Therefore, fast-growing young lemons (as well as all other citrus fruits) are transplanted more often, and already practically grown adult trees are transplanted less often.

For each subsequent transplant, they take dishes that are several centimeters larger in width and height than the one from which the roots are taken. The peculiarity of citrus crops is the complete absence of root hairs, their role (absorption of moisture and nutrients) is performed by a symbiote - a fungus, which forms mycorrhiza. She suffers from a sharp change in temperature, lack of moisture or air, and cramped conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the soil more often, but it is necessary to transplant very carefully so that the mycorrhiza is not damaged, as this will lead to its death, which means that the whole plant will also die.

The only way to transplant a lemon is to carefully transfer the entire earthy clod into a new container. First, you need to water it abundantly, then knock on the pot from all sides, turn it over, remove the roots along with all the soil, carefully clean off the drainage layer if it is attached too tightly, and then place the entire earthen ball with roots in a new dish with organized bottom with a drainage layer sprinkled with new soil. Then carefully fill up all the voids on the sides with new nutrient soil.

The roots are washed, freeing them from the ground, only in case of their diseases, this procedure is very dangerous, since the vulnerable mycorrhiza should be exposed. By the way, it is better to use clay pots for growing citrus fruits, since clay allows air to pass through and regulates humidity - it absorbs excess water with waterlogging of the earth, and then gradually gives it away when the soil dries.

How to protect a tree from diseases and pests

If you create comfortable conditions for the plants, take proper care of them, then they will grow healthy and strong, they will be able to resist the attacks of pests and not respond to pathogens. But it is necessary to be aware of the possible risks.

Fungal diseases rarely bother indoor citrus fruits, they are more common in large greenhouses. It can be powdery mildew, anthracnose, leaf spot, gum flow, they should be dealt with using fungicides. A sooty mushroom can be found at home, which in itself does not cause harm, but indicates a pest attack that secrete sweet nectar. It is enough to drive away the aphids, wipe the leaves with a cotton swab dipped in soapy water, and rinse with water.

Viruses such as mosaics, alas, cannot be treated.

A change in the color of the leaves often indicates not a disease, but a lack of certain elements. Leaves turn yellow with a lack of iron, magnesium, sulfur, nitrogen or with an excess of calcium, violations of the light regime. Brown spots can appear with sunburn or a large dose of fertilizers, irrigation irregularities.

Aphids, spider mite, scabbard, false shield, mealybug - these are the pests that can get a citrus tree even in an apartment. It is advisable to inspect your plants more often in order to know exactly about their condition, you need to control reverse sides leaves, it is there that the first traces of pest damage often appear.

So the appearance of sweet secretions, the accumulation of very small dots (green or black, brown) on the tops of young shoots indicates an aphid attack. A mealy bloom on the underside of the leaves, yellowish dots on the upper side, and then a cobweb - this means that a spider mite has appeared on the plant. If white lumps appear on the branches, in the axils of the leaves, these are traces of a mealybug. If your plant is attacked by a scabbard or false shield, then sweet secretions and small growths resembling droplets of wax will appear on the trunk, branches, leaves.

With small amounts of insects (if noticed in time), they can be washed off with a stream of water or collected with a damp cotton swab. A regular shower can get rid of them. If such a measure is not enough, you can treat the plant several times with a soap-ash solution or, in the most extreme case, with special products bought in a store.

Video "Growing citrus at home"

In this video, you will learn how to grow a citrus plant at home.

It's nice to have evergreens on the windowsills that can please the eye even in winter. It is even more pleasant to watch them bloom and even get edible fruits. Why not get some citrus fruits then?

Citrus fruits are one of the few subtropical trees that get along well at home.In the article, we will consider the various types of these exotic plants, give instructions to beginners and advice to those who are already confident in their abilities and want to try something new:

How to get citrus fruits: where is it better to buy a tree and how to propagate it yourself?
What varieties and types can you recommend for a beginner, and which ones need a little more attention?
Why do purchased citrus fruits so often die?
What to do after gaining self-confidence?
How to keep the growth of a tree so that after 10 years it does not break through the ceiling?
What are the subtleties in their cultivation and reproduction?

Shopping in a store

It would seem, what could be easier than going to a flower shop and buying a lemon or tangerine? But in fact, this path is fraught with many difficulties.

Those plants that are sold in stores come there from abroad, most often from Holland. There they grew up from birth in ideal conditions. Supported optimal temperatures, high humidity, supplementary lighting was made from all sides, and growth stimulants were constantly introduced into the soil. As a result, up to several dozen fruits can hang on a dwarf tree at the time of sale.

After getting on the windowsill, such citrus fruits immediately face stressful conditions. Here, the illumination is ten times lower, the air is very dry in comparison with the greenhouse, and growth stimulants cease their effect after a while.

In conditions of severe resource shortage, all the strength of the tree is spent on maintaining the fruits with which it is so abundantly strewn. As a result, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the new occupant of the apartment dies.

In Europe, this is easier. There, these trees are purchased as temporary decorations, like cut flowers in Russia.

What can be done to save purchased imported citrus?

cut off all the fruits so that the plant has the strength to recover;
when leaves fall off, cover the entire crown with a bag;
use drugs-resuscitators and growth stimulants (epin, amulet, etc.) immediately after purchase and again - when the condition worsens;
if the tree is not in a state of active growth, carefully remove it from the pot, shake off at least part of the soil and plant it back, adding high-quality garden or purchased land;
if the windows face north, northeast or northwest, arrange additional lighting.

Of the above measures, the first three points give the best effect. As for the soil, either loose, fertile, light earth from summer cottages, or purchased with a pH of 5-7.

But that is not all! Imported citrus fruits grafted onto tripolyate or her close relatives. Tripoliata is a deciduous citrus that requires cold wintering. This means that in winter, the roots of your plant need temperatures of the order of 7-12 degrees Celsius to store energy for further growth.

With a year-round storage of a plant at room temperature, there is a great risk that it will fizzle out every year, shed its leaves in winter, stop growing or completely degrade. In the end, it may simply die in a few years. Therefore, before going to a flower shop, ask yourself: can you provide your future pet with winter coolness.

But even that is not all! Coming out of such a sufferer, you will be surprised to find that fresh growth is characterized by much more large leaves and long internodes (distances between the kidneys).

What's the matter? This is explained by the fact that in conditions of powerful illumination, citrus fruits grow small leaves, and since there is no need to reach for the light - short stems with small internodes. Since there is much less light at home, soon dwarf and very decorative citrus loses its presentation and becomes tree-likethat originally grew on the windowsill.

Purchase from citrus growers

This option is preferable because such trees are initially adapted to home conditions, therefore, most likely, when they get to the new windowsill, they will not experience stress. In addition, amateurs propagate citrus fruits by cuttings or grafting on lemons, oranges, grapefruits, pomelo, and rarely on trifoliate.

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Those of them that do not grow on the roots of tripolyates are less demanding for cold wintering, but it is still recommended to arrange it for them.

A compromise option for those who do not have a glazed balcony is cool window sills without drafts. In winter, temperatures there can drop to + 14 ... +17. Of course, this is higher than the recommended ones (+ 7… +13), but better than nothing. This would not be enough for a tripoliate, and native-rooted citrus fruits and grafted onto lemons, oranges, etc. can put up with such wintering.

Disadvantages of buying from an amateur citrus grower: the possibility of deception with a variety or species, the risk of introducing pests (especially) along with a purchased plant.

Self-cultivation

It should be remembered that a tree grown from a seed, even with the provision of conditions as close as possible to the natural growing environment, can bloom only after several decades, if it is not grafted. Therefore, it is recommended to grow wild birds only for decorative purposes. They have only one advantage over other options: they are ideally adapted to home conditions.

Citrus cuttings

The easiest option for beginner citrus growers who want to get a varietal seedling is to root the cuttings. But! It is important to know which species take root well and which do not form roots.

Fit to this breeding method lemons, limes, grapefruits, pomelo.
Very rarely take root tangerines, clementines, kumquats, Australian microcitruses, tripolyata.
Intermediate position are occupied by oranges, which can give roots, but this requires diligence and a certain amount of luck.

The grafting process is as follows... A fresh growth of 7-18 cm in length is cut off from an adult plant. No more than 3-4 leaves are left on it, and if the leaf blades are large, then they are shortened by half. If the top of the stem is too thin and sluggish, then it is also removed.

The stalk is placed in wet sand, preferably coarse, covered plastic bag or cropped plastic bottle to create moisture inside, and stored at room temperature. You can even build such a mini-greenhouse from a bottle cut in two. It is advisable to air it about once a week by removing the top for a few seconds.

The roots will appear in 3-5 weeks. The rooted twig is transplanted into a pot with loose fertile soil, covered with a bag with a small hole for ventilation. Over the course of 1-2 weeks, the hole gradually enlarges, and when it becomes quite large, the shelter is completely removed. This is necessary for the gradual accustoming of a young tree to dry room air, since with a sharp removal of the package, wilting of the leaves is likely.

Reproduction by grafting

Vaccination - more difficult way, which, nevertheless, is often successful for beginners. Those who have ever planted other trees and shrubs will not experience any difficulty.

In addition, poorly rooted cuttings of mandarins and other citrus fruits listed above are successfully grafted onto young plants grown from seeds. In fact, this is the only way for such species to reproduce in hobbyists.

It should only be remembered that good rootstocks are lemon, orange, grapefruit, pomelo, tripoliata, and mandarins and its relatives usually reject vaccinations, even mandarin cuttings and buds.

For beginner citrus growers, if there is a wild game with a sufficiently thick stem it is recommended to start with inoculations with budding or kidney in the butt, since, firstly, inexperienced citrus growers have a higher percentage of successful intergrowths than in other ways, and secondly, in case of failure, the wound overgrows over time, and the stock can be used again. With many other types of vaccinations, it is often necessary to remove the entire crown of the "savage", leaving only one stump, and if the outcome is unfavorable, there is a risk of losing the tree.

It is interesting! More experienced florists can take an adult wild plant and plant several varieties or even species into its crown at once. Such an instance is called tree-garden... Citrus looks especially amazing, on which lemons, and tangerines, and, possibly, other species grow.

Types and varieties of indoor citrus

A beginner citrus grower or a housewife who is not ready to devote a lot of time to a tree growing on a windowsill should choose those varieties and species that are easier to care for. If we talk about species, then for beginners a little preferably lemons, tangerines, tripoliate for one reason: their growth is easier to contain. Oranges, grapefruits and pomelos have great vigor, so a tree that is too bulky can be obtained in a couple of decades. And the citruses mentioned earlier are relatively stunted.

However, the size of any crop, including grapefruit and pomelo, can be very well contained with a cramped pot. Really, the roots of your pets should always be a little cramped.

Important! Never transplant homemade citrus fruits into pots that are significantly larger than the previous ones.

Following this principle, even strong-growing species can be kept within 1.5-2 meters in height even after 20-30 years!

Varieties of indoor lemons

Of all the varieties of lemon, Pavlovsky is the most unpretentious... It grows well even on the northeastern and northwestern windows, is able to put up with the relatively dry air of the apartment, and tolerates rare top dressing. In fact, in terms of tolerance to home conditions, it is similar to a wild lemon.

Read:

Almost as patient is grade Panderoza, only he needs more light. But Panderoza suffers from a special syndrome that occurs only in her: it produces too many flowers and stubbornly refuses to increase the green mass. Accordingly, the extra buds have to be constantly cut off, and if the tree is still very small, then you need to remove all of them! If you have time for this, then feel free to take it, because in other respects it is undemanding.

Slightly less common lisbon varieties and Meyer, which grow slowly with insufficient care. However, for flower growers, even with little experience, growing them will not pose any problems. All you need to do is put the pots on light windowsills, feed them from time to time and spray them if necessary.

There are other varieties, but most of them are derived from the above.

Mandarin and other citrus varieties

Of the tangerines, the most popular is unshiu grade, and this is not without reason, since in comparison with others, it is relatively tolerant of low illumination, like Pavlovsky lemon.

Also close relatives of tangerines are kumquats and calamondins... Fans of not just citrus fruits, but exotic ones, can be advised to acquire just them.

Speaking of exotics, we can mention. It differs extremely unusual appearance fruit, resembling a fleshy hand. But there is no edible pulp inside. Nevertheless, the fruit is so exotic that an inexperienced Internet user, seeing his photo, will decide that it is a photomontage.

Citron "Buddha's Hand"

Citrus crops originated from Southeast Asia: in the tropical zone it is warm almost all year round, only in winter there is a slight decrease in temperature, in addition, the plants are constantly in conditions of good light and high humidity. Create houses ideal conditions for indoor citrus plants it is quite difficult, but possible: if done correctly, they will become a real decoration of the windowsill and will even bear fruit several times a year. What are the features of the citrus content, and what are the most common crops?

Many indoor citrus crops are capable of blooming several times a year.

However, in winter time It is advisable to lower the temperature in the room a little: since the length of the sunny day decreases, the plant suffers from a lack of sunlight. Due to the large energy losses, it will look depleted, leaf fall is often observed. In order to avoid unnecessary energy consumption, it is necessary either to provide additional artificial illumination of the required spectrum, or to lower the temperature in the room.

Citrus indoor crops have several more cultivation features:

All of them are very fond of sunlight - it is recommended to place them on the south and east windows. If you want to plant citrus fruits, they must be well lit, you can plant them in the partial shade of other plants. Lack of light quickly depletes the plant, and it can die.
The optimum temperature of the content is +18 degrees with an air humidity of up to 70%. It is difficult to provide such conditions in a room, therefore, the plant is desirable with regular warm water. Without a seasonal drop in temperature and a dormant period, citrus fruits live no more than 3-4 years, so they need to be harvested from November to February for the winter.
Citrus fruits love water: they should be regular and abundant. However, in order to prevent root rotting, it is necessary to allow the soil to dry out between waterings, and during the dormant period, the plant is watered no more than once a week.

These are just the basic rules for growing citrus fruits, each crop has its own special requirements for the content. Let's take a closer look at the most common citrus indoor plants.

Indoor tangerines can be dwarf or common varieties: this plant has long been used for growing in a greenhouse and on a windowsill. Mandarin can be grown in the form of a bonsai - this is a special technology for forming a dwarf bush, which allows you to get a miniature tree that will bloom and bear fruit.

Mandarin is popular for its beautiful green leaves, white flowers with a pleasant smell and fragrant fruits that can hang on the branches for several months.

The fruits of indoor tangerine have only decorative value: they are not worth eating because of their too sour taste. Improving the taste of mono fruit through selective work with several plants, however, it will take a very long time to develop a new variety. Taking care of indoor tangerine is not too difficult, you need to comply with several basic requirements:

Regular, but not over-watering. The more leaves a plant has, the more actively they evaporate moisture, the required amount of water depends on this. In an apartment, a mandarin is desirable regularly, since the plant suffers from constantly dry air.
Regular feeding with mineral soluble. Mandarin especially needs a large amount of nutrients in the spring, before starting - at this time, it is carried out with a solution of fertilizers 1-2 times a week. Do not exceed the dosage: a large dose of fertilizers cannot be absorbed by the plant, and they can ruin.
... If you purchased not a room, but a regular variety. The growth of several large branches should not be allowed: their tips are regularly pinched in order to achieve the appearance of lateral processes.
On young plants, flowers and ovaries need to be controlled: the fewer fruits the plant has, the larger they will be, so excess ovaries must be removed in time. First, only one ovary is left, the next year the number of fruits can be increased.

Constant care will make the tangerine strong and beautiful: it will decorate your home with dense foliage and gorgeous orange fruits with a pleasant smell. Growing a tangerine on a windowsill does not require much hassle: compliance basic principles care already will allow you to quickly achieve good growth.

Growing oranges

At home, an orange can be grown from a seed obtained from the most common commercial fruit. In nature, this plant is a medium-sized tree up to 7 meters high, indoor orange can reach 3 meters in height. You can grow it not only with seeds, but also if one of your friends already has an adult plant at home.

When planted with seeds, an orange begins to bloom and bear fruit no earlier than after 7-10 years, growing a plant from a cuttings is much faster.

Growing conditions for homemade orange are approximately the same as for other citrus crops: the plant needs a lot of light, regular watering and, however, it is undesirable to loosen it often - this can seriously damage the roots.

In growing an orange from a seed, you must observe correct sequence actions:

This requires a mixture of peat with fertile soil, it is placed in small pots. For planting, it is advisable to take seeds from several fully ripe fruits, the seeds must have the correct shape.
They are planted in the soil at a distance of 5 cm from each other, the depth of planting seeds is about 1 cm. After about two weeks, sprouts will appear.
Of all the sprouts, only the strongest should be left. An mi-greenhouse is equipped for them: the plants are covered glass jarto ensure sufficient temperature and humidity underneath. To ensure ventilation, the can must be removed for half an hour every day.
As soon as the sprouts have a few true leaves, they are transplanted into separate pots and placed on a well-lit windowsill. A second one will be required when the height of the plant reaches 20 cm, from about this time it will already be necessary to form a crown.

As with the homemade tangerine, the fruit of the indoor orange is predominantly decorative. When propagated by seeds, due to cross-pollination, the fruit will not be the same as that of the parent plant. When growing oranges in greenhouses, breeders choose seeds from the sweetest and tastiest fruits in order to pass such qualities on to the next plant in inheritance, but this is a long and long-term work.

It is better not to transfer a home-made orange from place to place; it can react to changing conditions by dropping its leaves. For him, a spacious, well-lit window sill is immediately chosen and conditions for stable good growth are provided.

Calamondin is a dwarf citrus tree that most resembles a small mandarin with bright, small fruits. Its advantage is small size: it is easy to find a place for such a plant on the windowsill, and at the same time, you do not have to worry about regularly cutting the crown. Calamondin requires approximately the same conditions as other citrus fruits, but still there are several important nuances in its cultivation.

Calamondin is a light-loving houseplant, but it loves not direct, but diffused sunlight.

In summer, it feels comfortable on the southern and eastern sides; in winter, it can be transferred to the windowsill on the north side of the house. If there is not enough light for calamondin, it will grow very slowly without flowering or fruiting. In the summer months, it can be taken out into the fresh air, it can be put in partial shade for a while.

The plant requires a regular abundant in the summer months, and in the winter it is sufficient to water it once a week. For wintering, it is advisable to move it to a cool room - the dormant period helps the plant to restore strength and prepare for new flowering and fruiting.

Calamondin reproduces in two main ways - and. Seed propagation is too long way, fruiting will have to wait for several years. You can propagate a plant much faster using cuttings, this work is carried out as follows:

Cuttings are young shoots, on which at least 2-3 buds must be present. They are cut from an adult plant and placed in a nutrient solution for a while.
When the cutting has its own young roots, it is transplanted into the ground. The optimal soil mixture consists of peat and flower land, they need to be mixed well in a 1: 1 ratio.
The stalk is covered with a glass jar to create heat and humidity. To change the air in a mini-greenhouse, the jar needs to be cleaned once a day for half an hour.
As soon as the cuttings have their first leaves of their own, the jar can be removed, after which the calamondin is grown as a regular indoor citrus plant.

When proper care the plant will bear fruit every year, bright fruits look beautiful among thick dark green leaves. You should not eat pods, they will turn out to be too sour or even bitter.

Growing grapefruit at home is not as difficult as it might seem. With the correct formation of the crown, the height of the plant in indoor conditions does not exceed 1.5-2 meters, it will look very beautiful thanks to the dark leaves on especially curved petioles. Indoor grapefruit varieties are capable of producing juicy and quite tasty fruits, and their weight can reach 400 grams.

Grapefruit is a light-loving plant that needs enough sunlight and free space.

It is suitable for growing not only in an apartment, but also in an office, in a greenhouse or on an insulated loggia. Grapefruit does not like cold weather, even short-term frosts can cause serious harm to it, so you can keep it outdoors only in the summer months.

Watering the plant:

Grapefruit requires regular watering in the warm season, while the water should not stagnate in the pot - equip a drainage layer of expanded clay at the bottom.
To provide normal humidity air, the plant must be constantly sprayed from a spray bottle.
In winter, the plant is removed to a room with a lower temperature and less illumination; during the dormant period, it is enough to water it only 2 times a month.

Young plants are transplanted annually; for adult grapefruits, the replacement of the soil substrate should be carried out at least once every 5-6 years. During the period of active and fruiting, the plant is fed with a complex, for example, "Rainbow".

Grapefruit is the best option for seed growing at home. Regular seeds from mature fruits germinate quickly and take root well, the plant can begin to bear fruit as early as the fourth year when created for it comfortable conditions... It is important to provide him with a sufficient amount of sunlight: if there is not enough illumination, growth slows down and a curvature of the trunk is observed. If it is not possible to put the plant on the southern or eastern windowsill, you need to purchase a special fluorescent lamp for indoor flowers. The result of care and attention will be regular fruiting and beautiful, abundant flowering.

Growing citron

Citron is a rarer citrus plant, in indoor conditions it is grown just for its sake decorative qualities... Citron has large yellow fruits that look beautiful against the background of dark green leaves. In indoor conditions, the plant reaches a height of 1.5 meters.

The most interesting decorative variety is the finger citron - it is also called "Buddha's Hand".

It is interesting for the unusual shape of the fruit - outwardly, they most of all resemble a bunch of bananas. Such a citron begins to bear fruit already in the third year after planting. This plant is among the light-loving, even during the dormant period, it should be in a well-lit room. In summer, citron needs abundant regular; with dry indoor air, it is placed in a pan with water or regularly sprayed with a spray bottle.

Citron can also be planted with seedlings: the first option is longer, the fruits will have to wait for more than 5 years. When propagating, it is possible to obtain a plant that completely copies the parental traits; you can plant a citron at home with the largest and most fragrant fruits. It is not difficult to grow citrus fruits at home, and they will quickly turn into one of the main decorations of the windowsill. While providing good conditions any citrus plant will quickly bloom and bear fruit.

More information can be found in the video.

Let's analyze the letter of the grower:
"I bought a delicious lemon, and in a month he dropped all the fruits and leaves. There is one branchy driftwood in the pot. In general, the driftwood is very decorative, I do not tea in it, I water and spray, I hung a light over it, it burns around the clock It's hot at home, 28 degrees in winter, so the driftwood reminds me of African saxauls in some way. It's a very soulful plant. It kind of tells me: "I'd rather die, but I won't grow with you!" If so, I think, now I'll teach you how to be polite! - tore the entu snag from the pot, didn't even shake off the peat from the roots, and transplanted it into a large bucket, made holes in it, poured half a pack of expanded clay on the bottom, and piled a special lemon soil around. the dastardly plant of my care did not appreciate, there were no leaves, and there are no leaves, even though I add top dressing to him every month and apply special fertilizer, "Lemon" is called. Every day I spray with water in the evening and water in the morning. I came to the conclusion that this is completely shameless creation of nature s, and that in an amicable way with him. FROM tomorrow I will begin to apply repression to this snag: I will turn off the lamp, and I will make her a suggestion: if in a month not a single leaf is disfigured, I will pull it out of the pot and throw it away. This is not a plant, but just an ungrateful bastard! "

Dear fellow gardeners, in no case make such mistakes!
I want to describe in detail the scheme for caring for citrus fruits so that you do not have problems with them. And I will tell you about this using the example of the given letter.

** Consider the causes of citrus leaf loss:
1. If you put the plant on the window, then you do not need to periodically move it to another place; citrus fruits are "one window" plants.
2. The most common mistake is that the pot of citrus fruits does not need to be "twisted" 180 or 90 degrees too much. In this case, the leaves turn yellow and fall off - the tree dies. Every 10 days, you need to turn the pot 10 degrees (no more), and it is better - counterclockwise.
3. When entering an unfamiliar climate, i.e. when moving from a store or greenhouse to an apartment, citrus fruits can also shed their leaves.
4. If there are drafts in the apartment, citrus leaves will surely fall off.
5. If the soil is excessively moistened in winter, it turns sour and, as a result, citrus leaves turn yellow and fall off.
6. If you plant a small plant immediately in a bucket, and even more so in a tub, then in a week the leaves of the tree will turn yellow, and after another 1.5 weeks it will have a "leaf fall";
7. Many do not know this, but based on my many years of experience, I want to warn you: in no case should you put citrus fruits next to the microwave oven. Otherwise, the leaves will not just fall off - the tree will die.
8. Citrus fruits lose leaves and fruits due to improper feeding and transplanting.

If in winter the leaves of citrus fruits begin to curl, turn yellow, fall off, the shoots dry out, then the tree sheds unripe fruits. If a plant with fruits was bought in winter, then it will certainly drop the fruits (especially if the tree is imported), and then part of the leaves (or all the leaves). When buying citrus trees in winter, I recommend removing most of the fruits from them (or better all), removing the emerging flowers and trimming the sprouted shoots by 1/3.
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**Transfer

Root system citrus plants have a feature - it does not have root hairs through which the absorption of water and minerals dissolved in it usually occurs. Their role is played by a symbiotic fungus that forms root mycorrhiza. The death of mycorrhiza leads to the extinction of the plant itself. It is very sensitive to conditions, suffers from a prolonged absence of moisture, lack of air in heavy and dense soil, low and high temperatures, and especially when the roots are exposed or damaged. Sometimes you can see outwardly normal roots in a dead plant - this is precisely what is explained by the death of mycorrhiza. That is why citrus fruits do not tolerate a transplant and can hurt for a long time after it. It is worth replanting citrus fruits only with the most accurate transshipment, in no case changing the soil and without washing the roots (except for severe damage to the roots, when there is no other way out).
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** Substrates for growing citrus fruits.
There are several recipes for citrus land mixtures - they include peat, sod and leafy soil, sand, and dung humus. It is important that the mixture is slightly acidic or neutral (pH 5.5 to 7.0). If your water is hard, then it is better to take a slightly acidic soil. However, mixing all these components separately and adjusting the acidity is difficult. It's easier to take a ready-made citrus soil (usually called "Lemon"), and bring it to the desired condition. Before use, the substrate must be heat treated in a water bath (to destroy larvae, eggs and adult pests, pathogenic fungi and bacteria).

Small plants should be transplanted shortly after purchase, as the peat soil dries out easily, and the roots that are tightly braided are easily overheated and dried. Then they are transplanted every year in the spring (if necessary). Older plants in the first year can not be touched, then transplanted every 3-4 years. Large-sized trees are not transplanted, but annually replace the top layer of the soil.

If you have purchased a small plant, which is usually planted in a peat substrate, it should not be changed in any way, nor should a denser soil be added - roots will not be able to germinate into it. It is better to use a ready-made peat substrate for the first transplant, adding sand and a little sod land to it. With further transplants, the amount of sod land in the mixture can be gradually increased.

Large specimens are usually already planted in the ground with the addition of sod land, so sand and more sod or leaf land can be added to the finished mixture.
It is better not to use manure humus in mixtures, but to replace it with a hood, which is added to the irrigation water.

And do not overuse loosening the soil, which can easily damage the roots.
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**Watering
For watering citrus fruits, water just taken from the tap of the water supply is completely unsuitable (it contains a large amount of chlorine, which they do not like). It is better to water citrus fruits with settled water, to which vinegar is added (a few drops per liter of water); they respect it very much.

Citrus fruits need regular feeding. They need:
- nitrogen (provides fast growth). Thanks to nitrogen, citrus leaves acquire a rich green color;
- phosphorus (thanks to phosphorus, the seedling begins to bear fruit faster). Phosphorus is also needed for the ripening of fruits and young wood;
- potassium (normal and timely ripening of young leaves, shoots, and also fruits depends on potassium). With a lack of potassium, citrus fruits acquire an ugly shape and often fall off before ripening. In addition, potassium supplements increase resistance to various diseases.

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** Reproduction from seeds
Freshly harvested citrus seeds germinate very well, usually within a month. Seedlings are actively developing and rather unpretentious. Beautiful trees can be formed from them by pruning, which will also enrich the atmosphere of the house with useful phytoncidal substances. But for fruiting, such seedlings must be grafted with cuttings of varietal plants.
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** Crown formation

Shaping is needed to give a beautiful and compact look to the crown. The best time for her comes at the end of the winter rest period, in early February. In summer, too long and fattening shoots should also be shortened. Different kinds and citrus varieties have their own way of growing. So, the lemon is not very willing to branch, and it is quite difficult to form a compact, beautiful tree from it. The orange grows vigorously upward, requiring regular pruning. In a tangerine, the crown thickens quickly, you have to cut out part of the shoots growing inward. Kumquat grows quite compactly, requiring little or no pruning. Calamondin does not have to be cut too much.

Young plants grown from a rooted cuttings begin to form almost immediately, giving the tree beautiful view... Seedlings should begin to form at the age of one. If by this time they have reached at least 30 cm, the crown of their head is cropped. However, even the correct formation of seedlings does not lead to the long-awaited fruiting at home.
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** Top dressing.

Fertilize citrus fruits only in the months of active growth, from mid-February to mid-September, and in no case should they be fed during the winter holidays. When preparing for the rest period and when leaving it, reduce the fertilizer concentration by 2 times. Carry out top dressing only on a pre-moistened earth coma. For a good assimilation of mineral fertilizers from the soil, it is important to control the acidity of the soil. For assimilation organic fertilizers be sure to support the beneficial microflora of the substrate by systematic introduction of microbiological preparations (Vostok-EM1, Baikal, Vozrozhdenie). Plants respond well to foliar feeding.

You can not feed a heavily crumbling plant - the reasons for leaf fall are often not a lack of nutrition, and feeding, done at the wrong time, will only bring harm. After buying or transplanting a plant, do not feed it for 1-2 months.

And you should always remember the rule that it is better to underfeed the plant than overfeed. Lack of nutrition is easily eliminated by timely feeding, and an excess of fertilizer leads to root burns, improper development and often ends with the death of the plant. One of the signs of an excess of fertilizers is a dry border along the edge of the leaf and the beginning of leaf fall. An excess of one element often causes a deficiency in another, it is rather difficult to diagnose this imbalance and pinpoint the cause. But in order to avoid it, you should take only special fertilizers for citrus fruits for dressing, which must include trace elements. The rates of their application are calculated for the period of maximum growth. If the plants have insufficient light or other conditions of maintenance are not met, the dose of fertilizers must be reduced.
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** Pests and diseases

The most common pests of cirrus crops are mealybugs, scale insects, and false scales. Citrus fruits are also affected by aphids and spider mites.
White lumps in the sinuses, on branches and trunks - a mealybug lesion.
Plaques that look like droplets of wax on leaves, branches and trunks, sweet discharge on the leaves - a lesion with a scutellum or false scutellum.
Irregular small yellow dots on the leaves, below the leaf there is a mealy bloom, sometimes a cobweb is a spider mite.
The accumulation of small green or black insects on young shoots, sweet secretions - aphids.
Small mobile light insects in the ground, jumping when watering - podura, or springtails. Plant when waterlogged, do not harm the plant. It is enough to reduce watering and spill with Aktara (1 g / 10 l).
Small black flies flying over the ground are mushroom mosquitoes. They also start from waterlogging. The larvae live in the ground, but do not harm healthy roots. It is enough to adjust the watering, you can spill Aktara (1 g / 10 l).
Details - in the article Pests of indoor plants and measures to combat them.

Chinese sweet orange
Citrus diseases occur due to improper care and damage by various pathogens (which is also often due to errors in the content).

Fungal diseases often affect citrus fruits on plantations or in greenhouses. Drying and blackening of branches - malseko are of a fungal nature; gum flow - gommosis, when a wound forms on the trunk, from which a liquid resembling resin oozes; leaf spot and anthractosis, when wet spots spread along the leaf and subsequently merge; powdery mildew, when a white powdery coating forms on the leaves. The fight against fungal diseases is reduced to the establishment of care, to the removal and destruction of the affected parts of the plant, to the treatment with systemic and contact fungicides.

Sometimes a black bloom forms on the leaves of citrus fruits, which can be easily removed with a damp swab - this is a sooty mushroom. It does not harm the plant, usually settles on the sugary secretions of pests. It is necessary to eliminate the cause of the sugary discharge, remove the sooty plaque with a swab soaked in soapy water, wash well under a warm shower.
Diseases caused by viruses appear as a marbled coloration and cannot be treated.

Causes of yellowing of leaves: chlorosis caused by a lack of iron, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, excess calcium; lack of nitrogen; lack or excess of light; spider mite lesion.

Reasons for the appearance brown spots on the leaves: non-compliance with the watering regime (overdrying or waterlogging of the soil); sunburn; a burn from a strong dose of fertilizer; imbalance in the batteries; fungal and bacterial diseases.

Any strong stress can be the cause of leaf fall in citrus fruits: sudden temperature fluctuations, hypothermia, overheating, overmoistening of the substrate, overdrying of the substrate, improper transplantation, too much fertilizer dosage, prolonged lack of light.

Why is leaf fall dangerous? Depending on the age, lemon leaves perform different functions; with aging, they turn into a storehouse of nutrients, ensuring the growth and development of young growths. The loss of these leaves leads to the depletion of the plant.
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** Physiological disorders associated with a lack or excess of nutrients

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** Flowering and fruits

Fruiting lemons, tangerines and other citrus fruits bloom profusely, which weakens the tree. Therefore, flowers located nearby should be thinned out, leaving larger ones - those on which the ovary is better developed. Preference should be given to fruits sitting on short branches - pods. Fruits grow more slowly on long branches.

It takes several months for the fruit to ripen. There are so many ovaries that there is an active discharge of young ovaries and fruits that have not yet been filled with juice. Fruit fall is so strong that the soil under the trees is completely covered with small fruits. therefore
it is recommended to regulate fruiting. Pick off some young ovaries immediately after flowering. I do not recommend buying trees with fruits in the store. Better if you only buy a flowering tree. But if, nevertheless, a tree with fruits comes home to you, then proceed as follows:
1. try to find out how old the tree is;
2. Tear off all the fruits (do not spare them);
3. Cut the branches on which there were fruits in half;
4. Spray the plant more often;
5. The soil must always be moist.

And now - advice for everyone: do not expect the impossible from a citrus tree! In winter, citrus fruits most often do not bloom at home. Be patient and follow the instructions. If you do everything right, your citrus pets will delight. appearance and harvests. Good luck!