Indoor citrus fruits: types and care. How to care for citrus fruits Care for citrus fruits at home leaves
Nice to have on windowsills evergreens that can please the eye even in winter. It is even more pleasant to watch them bloom and even receive edible fruit. Why not get citrus fruits in this case?
Citrus fruits are one of the few subtropical trees that do well in the home. In the article we will consider different kinds these exotic plants, we will 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 be advised to a beginner, and which ones need a little more attention?
- Why do purchased citrus fruits die so often?
- What can you do to gain confidence in your abilities?
- 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?
Shop purchase
It would seem, what could be easier than going to a flower shop and buying a lemon or a tangerine? But in fact, this path is fraught with many difficulties.
Those plants that are sold in stores get there from abroad, most often from Holland. They grew up there from birth. ideal conditions. Optimal temperatures, high humidity were maintained, additional lighting was provided 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 by the time of sale.
After hitting the windowsill, such citrus fruits immediately face stressful conditions. Here, the illumination is ten times lower, the air is very dry compared to the greenhouse, and growth stimulants cease their action after a while.
In conditions of a severe shortage of resources, all the forces of a tree are spent on maintaining the fruits with which it is so abundantly strewn. As a result, in the vast majority of cases, the new occupant of the apartment dies.
In Europe, this is easier. There, similar 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, cover the entire crown with a bag;
- use resuscitation drugs and growth stimulants (epin, amulet, etc.) immediately after purchase and again - if 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 soil;
- if the windows face north, northeast or northwest, arrange additional lighting.
Of these measures best effect give the first three points. As for the soil, either loose, fertile, light earth with summer cottages, or purchased with a pH of 5-7.
But that is not all! Imported citrus fruits are grafted onto trifoliate or her close relatives. Trifoliata is a deciduous citrus that requires a cold winter. This means that in winter your plant's roots need temperatures around 7-12 degrees Celsius to store energy for further growth.
With year-round storage of a plant at room temperature, there is a big risk that every year it will run out of steam, drop leaves in winter, stop growing or even degrade. In the end, it may simply die in a few years. Therefore, before going to the flower shop, ask yourself if you can provide your future pet with winter coolness.
But even that's 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 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 like trees, originally grown on the windowsill.
Buying from citrus growers
This option is preferable because such trees are originally adapted to domestic conditions, therefore, most likely, once on a new window sill, they will not experience stress. In addition, amateurs propagate citrus fruits by cuttings or grafting on lemons, oranges, grapefruits, pomelo, and rarely on trifoliate.
- You will be interested:
Those that do not grow on trifoliate roots are less demanding on 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 trifoliate, and own-rooted citrus fruits and grafted on lemons, oranges, etc. can put up with such a winter.
Disadvantages of buying from an amateur citrus grower: the possibility of deception with a variety or species, the risk of introducing pests along with a purchased plant (especially).
Self-cultivation
It should be remembered that a tree grown from a seed, even when providing as close to natural environment Growing conditions may only flower after a few decades if it is not grafted. Therefore, it is recommended to grow wild animals only for decorative purposes. They have only one advantage over other options: they are perfectly adapted to home conditions.
Cuttings of citrus
by the most simple option for beginner citrus growers who want to get varietal seedling, is the rooting of the cutting. But! It is important to know which species take root well and which do not form roots.
- Suitable to this method of reproduction lemons, limes, grapefruits, pomelo.
- Very rarely rooted tangerines, clementines, kumquats, Australian microcitruses, trifoliata.
- Intermediate position oranges are occupied, which can give roots, but this requires diligence and a certain amount of luck.
The cutting process is as follows. A fresh growth 7-18 cm long is cut off from an adult plant. No more than 3-4 leaves are left on it, and if leaf blades large, they are shortened by half. If the upper part of the stem is too thin and sluggish, then it is also removed.
The cutting is placed in wet sand, preferably coarse-grained, covered plastic bag or circumcised plastic bottle to create moisture inside, and stored at room temperature. You can even build such a mini-greenhouse from a bottle cut into two parts. About once a week it is advisable to air it by removing the top for a few seconds.
Roots will appear in 3-5 weeks. A rooted branch is transplanted into a pot with loose fertile soil, covered with a bag with a small hole for ventilation. Within 1-2 weeks, the hole gradually increases, and when it becomes quite large, the shelter is completely removed. This is necessary for the gradual accustoming of the young tree to dry room air, since with a sharp removal of the package, the leaves are likely to wither.
Reproduction by grafting
Vaccination is a more complicated way, which, nevertheless, often succeeds for beginners. Those who have ever grafted other trees and shrubs will not experience any difficulties.
In addition, poorly rooted cuttings of tangerines and other citrus fruits listed above are successfully grafted onto young plants grown from seeds. Essentially, this the only way reproduction of such species in amateurs.
It should only be remembered that good rootstocks are lemon, orange, grapefruit, pomelo, trifoliata, and tangerines and their relatives usually reject vaccinations, even tangerine cuttings and buds.
Beginning citrus growers in the presence of a game with a fairly thick stem it is recommended to start with budding or bud-in-butt vaccinations, because, firstly, in inexperienced citrus growers, the percentage of successful growths is higher 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 grafting, it is often necessary to remove the entire crown of the "savage", leaving only one stump, and in case of an unfavorable outcome, there is a risk of losing the tree.
This is interesting! More experienced flower growers can take an adult wild plant and graft several varieties or even species into its crown at once. Such an instance is called garden tree. Citrus looks especially amazing, on which lemons, tangerines, and, possibly, other species grow.
Types and varieties of indoor citrus
A novice 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 types, then for beginners a little preferably lemons, tangerines, trifoliata for one reason: their growth is easier to contain. Oranges, grapefruits and pomeloes have great growth potential, so after a couple of decades you can get a tree that is too bulky. And the previously named citruses are relatively short.
However, the size of any crop, including grapefruit and pomelo, can be very well contained due to a cramped pot. Really, the roots of your pets should always be a little crowded.
Important! Never transplant homemade citrus fruits into pots that are significantly larger than the previous ones.
Following this principle, even vigorous 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, the most unpretentious is Pavlovsky.. It grows well even on the northeast and northwest windows, is able to put up with relatively dry apartment air, and is tolerant of rare top dressing. In fact, in terms of tolerance to home conditions, it is similar to wild lemon.
- Read:
Almost as patient is variety Panderose only it needs more light. But Panderose suffers from a special syndrome that only she has: she gives out too many flowers and stubbornly refuses to build up a green mass. Accordingly, extra buds have to be constantly cut off, and if the tree is still quite small, then you need to remove them all! If there is time for this, then feel free to take it, because in other respects it is undemanding.
Slightly less common Lisbon varieties And Meyer, which, with insufficient care, grow slowly. However, for flower growers, even with little experience, their cultivation will not be any problem. All you need to do is put the pots on bright window sills, feed them from time to time and, if necessary, spray them.
There are other varieties, but most of them are derived from the above.
Varieties of tangerines and other citrus fruits
Of the tangerines, the most popular is variety Unshiu, and this is no accident, since compared to others it is relatively tolerant of low light, like Pavlovsky lemon.
Also close relatives of tangerines are kumquats And calamondins. Fans of not just citrus fruits, but exotics, can be advised to get them.
Speaking of exotics, we can mention. It differs in an extremely unusual type of fruit, resembling a fleshy hand. But there is no edible pulp inside. However, the fruit is so exotic that an inexperienced Internet user, seeing a photo of it, will decide that it is a photomontage.
Citron "Buddha's Hand"
Growing citrus indoor plants at home is an interesting activity, but far from easy. Therefore, those who believe that it will be enough to plant a bone in the ground, and that’s all, you can no longer buy lemons for tea, are greatly mistaken. Without special knowledge, the first harvest of citrus fruits, if they are given, is not earlier than in twenty years.
But if you know some of the nuances and grow it correctly, observing all the rules, then you can enjoy the fruits much faster. But even here it is important not to make a mistake in choosing a variety. For growing on a windowsill, only those citrus houseplants that have been grafted on seedlings of orange, lemon, grapefruit or kumquat are suitable. Those crops that were grown from cuttings cut from fruit-bearing trees also proved themselves well.
Difficulties in Growing Homemade Citrus Plants
It would seem that it’s easier: you need to go to a flower shop and buy a pot in which some kind of citrus grows or is already bearing fruit - “golden orange”, Meyer lemon, which is not very difficult to care for at home, or tangerine. The tree just needs to be brought home, placed on the windowsill in right place and start watering. But this is not at all the case, since growing a lemon or tangerine at home is really difficult, moreover, this process is somewhat different from caring for ordinary specimens.
Those plants that are sold in flower shops today most often end up on the shelves from abroad, mainly from Holland. There they are kept in ideal conditions from the first day: maintained optimum temperature for growth, high humidity, additional lighting is supplied, and fertilizers for citrus houseplants are constantly applied to the soil. When buying on dwarf trees, by the time they are sold, there may be a dozen or more fruits.
But after hitting the windowsills, beautiful citrus houseplants immediately begin to face stressful conditions. In our homes, the illumination is much lower - several times, and the air (especially in winter) is incredibly dry compared to the greenhouse, and growth stimulants stop helping after a while.
Therefore, in conditions of a shortage of their internal resources, citrus indoor plants begin to throw all their strength into preserving the fruits with which they were so abundantly strewn in the store. And as a result, the vast majority of purchased "pets" die.
Species suitable for growing at home
Man has long known citrus crops. Their people have been actively cultivating for so long that it has become difficult to find their wild ancestors in nature. Most often in open field Citrus fruits are cultivated in countries where a tropical or subtropical climate reigns. And it is from there that their fruits are delivered to store shelves in all corners of the planet.
A novice grower who cannot pay too much attention and time to a pet growing on his windowsill needs to choose varieties of indoor citrus plants that are easier to care for. If we talk about subspecies for small apartment, then it is preferable for beginners to grow lemon, tangerine and trifoliate, since their growth is easier to restrain. In turn, oranges, grapefruits or pomelo, characterized by large sizes, after a couple of decades turn into a rather bulky tree.
As for exotic varieties, today a close relative of mandarin is quite common - citrus kumquat nagami, as well as calamondin. Speaking of amazing varieties, it is necessary to mention the Hand of the Buddha.
cuttings
by the most convenient option for those who decide to grow citrus crops on their own, of course, young plant purchased from a specialized store. But not always a purchased tree takes root in the house for many reasons. However, if, nevertheless, the culture has migrated from the store to the apartment, you need to contact the seller and get a recommendation from him for adapting citrus to the new conditions.
First, the plant must be inspected. If there are fruits on it, then they will have to be cut off. Seven to ten days, citrus should be left in a store pot, and only after that it should be transplanted into a new one.
Best of all, citrus trees grown from material obtained by cuttings take root at home. Of course, for beginners who have little idea of how to grow a tangerine, lemon, etc., it will be difficult to propagate the plant correctly, but for those who have been growing citrus at home for more than one year, this is quite easy to do.
The shoot for the cutting should be cut from a well-developed and healthy citrus tree. Length planting material should be ten to twelve centimeters. It must have at least three kidneys. It is not recommended to use both too young and fairly old shoots with dense wood.
April is considered the best time for harvesting cuttings. Rooting of planting material can be carried out in a glass of water or in soil consisting of earth and sand. IN last case the cutting should be covered, for example, with a plastic bottle. Roots will appear in about twenty days. After that, the rooted cutting can already be planted in a permanent pot.
- seeds
You can often hear that a stone planted in the ground eventually turns into a luxurious citrus tree. But, even though growing mandarin or lemon from seeds is the most accessible way for lovers to propagate this type of plant, the result is often unpredictable.
As a result, you can get a culture whose fruits will be much smaller than the parent form, or you can grow a new excellent pet. Judging by the reviews, the use of seeds pulled from fruits as planting material often leads to a lack of flowering in such seedlings.
The seedling begins to sprout in about a month and a half, and it should be transplanted at the stage of the appearance of five leaves.
After the juicy fruits of this citrus bought in the store are eaten, the remaining seeds can be used as planting material. For the highest probability of success of the event, it is better that there are more seeds, since not all will definitely germinate. Therefore, to obtain seedlings, you need to take a dozen seeds.
Planting material is placed in gauze for several days and slightly wetted. This is necessary so that the bones, having swollen, “hatch”.
Mandarin at home can be grown in special land for citrus fruits purchased at a flower shop. Although, in principle, almost any light soil is suitable for this culture. For example, in equal proportions of soddy and leafy soil mixed in equal proportions, to which compost and rotted manure humus will be added, the tangerine will be very comfortable. Do not make soil based on peat. We must not forget about the need for drainage. Before the appearance of the first shoots should take quite a long time. Sprouts become noticeable only after two or three weeks, and sometimes after a month.
Mandarin is a tree that grows rather slowly at home, and sometimes it stops growing. Therefore, do not lose hope and enthusiasm, because when providing this citrus with all necessary conditions it grows into a very beautiful tree.
Mandarin Care
According to agronomists, mandarin is a very unpretentious tree in maintenance, and not only among citrus fruits, but also among many other plants, however, it still requires compliance with certain rules when leaving. by the most important condition for him is the abundance of sunlight. Mandarin requires intense lighting up to twelve hours a day year-round.
Watering and transplanting
No less reverent tangerine refers to humidity. In the summer months, it should be watered abundantly without flooding, while in winter the water supply should be reduced, periodically making sure that the soil does not dry out. In addition, it is necessary to spray the leaves daily, using filtered or boiled clean water for this purpose. You can compensate for the dryness of the air by placing a small decorative indoor fountain next to the tangerine. As the tree grows, it is periodically necessary to transplant into larger pots. It is best to move in early spring. In this case, the new pot should have a diameter of three to five centimeters larger than the previous one.
Other close relatives of citrus fruits are Kumquat and Calamondin. Fans of original houseplants should definitely acquire these species.
Speaking of exotics, it is necessary to mention the Buddha Hand variety. This citrus is distinguished by the unusual appearance of its fruit: it resembles a lemon in color, and outwardly - a fleshy brush on the hand. However, there is no edible pulp inside. Nevertheless, the fruit is so exotic that it should definitely be grown at home.
Rarely seen in ordinary apartment fruiting tree of lemon, tangerine or orange. Many people think that citruses are capricious, and at home they require too complicated care. This is not entirely true. There are specially bred modern varieties of citrus plants that are adapted for growing in a city apartment. From small bushes, you can even harvest fragrant and, for real, fresh fruits.
Description
Citrus or Citrus (lat.) - a genus of trees or shrubs that preserve greenery all year round. Citrus fruits belong to the subfamily Orange, their homeland is the tropics and subtropics of Southeast Asia.
Under natural conditions, citrus fruits can reach a height of tens of meters. These are trees or shrubs with bark covered with thorns. The foliage has succulent green shade, it is smooth and shiny, contains many essential oils.
Indoor citrus plants bloom twice a year, white or pinkish flowers exuding a refreshing pleasant aroma.
Fruit homemade citrus do not have the harsh acidity of a "street" plant, they are more palatable. By the presence of vitamins and other useful substances, they are not inferior to the fruits bought in the store.
Interesting. Some indoor citrus plants can bloom and bear fruit at the same time. A bush strewn with snow-white flowers and golden or orange fruits looks very impressive.
Types of citrus fruits suitable for growing at home
Location
All indoor citrus fruits are demanding bright light. In the shade, they lose their foliage and do not bloom. It is optimal to place tubs with houseplants near the southeast windows. In early spring additional lighting may be required.
In summer, plants are useful to take out on Fresh air. Citruses are located in quiet places, sheltered from the wind, but always well lit.
The soil
Land for citrus plants should show a neutral or slightly acidic reaction, be breathable and nutritious. In the store you can buy ready-made soil "Lemon", which meets all the requirements.
For self-preparation of the substrate, mixed in equal proportions of high-moor peat, soddy oak or field clover soil, sand, well-rotted manure, with the addition wood ash. The earth must be disinfected from weed seeds and pest larvae by roasting on a fire or in the oven, steaming in a water bath.
A citrus pot is chosen wide, medium in height. It is better to take a ceramic, heavy pot so that it is stable and does not turn over. Presence of drainage holes in the bottom excess water- Necessarily.
Care
The main difficulty in caring for all citrus plants is providing them with a dormant period in winter with low air temperatures. Only orange needs warmth (13 - 16 degrees), other species contain at + 5 + 9 degrees. The lighting should still be bright, so the flower cannot be removed into a cool pantry. Watering in winter is reduced to once a decade, keeping the substrate only barely moist.
Important! Excessive moisture, combined with low temperatures, will lead to rotting of the roots of the plant.
Watering indoor citrus fruits during the active growing season requires regular, but not excessive. Stagnation of water in the pan must not be allowed. The water must be room temperature, not chlorinated and not rigid. Rain or snow moisture is well suited.
Citrons need an air humidity of 70%. This level is achieved by regular (daily in summer) spraying in evening time. Near the plants, you can put wide bowls of water, in which expanded clay is poured. Evaporating moisture will soften the dry air of the apartment.
Lemons, oranges and other members of the genus need regular feeding from February to October. Liquid solutions mineral fertilizers for citrus fruits, alternate with infusions of mullein or bird guano in a low concentration (1 to 10 and 1 to 20, respectively). The frequency of fertilization is once every 15 days.
Important! Top dressing is carried out only on wet ground to avoid burning the roots.
Citruses respond well to watering the soil with Baikal, whose composition enriches the soil with beneficial bacteria.
Pruning a plant is not only decorative function but also affect the yield. Citrus crowns are sheared in February, before the plants wake up from sleep, and in summer, shortening the fattening shoots. At different types there are some minor trimming features:
- orange needs pinching of the main stem, as it tends to grow up;
- tangerine forms many side shoots that are cut out to thin out the crown;
- kumquat and calamondin require almost no shaping;
- lemon is difficult to shape, cut it carefully, shortening only the shoots that bear fruit.
The formation of young citrus fruits begins as early as possible, avoiding thickening of the crown. 
Pests, diseases
Plants can suffer from powdery mildew, rot, chlorosis. Most often, diseases appear on weak plants, in violation of agricultural technology. Fungicide treatment helps to cure citrus (Fitosporin, Bordeaux mixture), transplanting a bush into a fresh disinfected substrate.
reproduction
Citrus fruits grown from seeds will bear fruit only 10 or more years after planting. From them you can form beautiful ornamental trees. Experienced flower growers varietal cuttings are grafted onto seedlings, the resulting plant has the unpretentiousness of a seedling and the precocity and productivity inherent in the selected variety.
Fresh seeds germinate quickly, sown in a loose peat-sand-humus substrate, at a temperature of +25 degrees. Caring for seedlings is not difficult and differs little from caring for adult plants.
The most popular method of propagation of citrus fruits is cuttings. Green sprigs of citrus are cut from the plants in winter when they are dormant. At least 3 internodes are left on the handle, the lower cut is made oblique, the bark above it is scratched with a clean knife to stimulate root formation. The tip of the branch is dusted with root or heteroauxin. One lower one is removed, the upper leaves are cut off by half of the leaf plate.
The cutting is planted in a steamed wet substrate from a mixture of sand and peat. A greenhouse is built on top of the plantings. Rooting occurs in bright diffused light and a temperature of +25 degrees. Daily cuttings are aired and sprayed warm water. After 50 - 60 days, a good beard of roots forms on the seedlings, they can be transplanted into ordinary soil and looked after as an adult plant.
Partners
In home floriculture, it is not practiced to plant indoor citrus plants with other flowers in one container. But, when arranging a green corner of the rainforest, lemons, oranges, tangerines will fit perfectly into the composition. They harmoniously look next to ficuses, ivy, roses and jasmine.
See also video
Let's analyze the florist's letter:
“I bought a delicious lemon, and in a month it dropped all the fruits and leaves. There is one branched snag in a pot. In general, the snag turned out to be very decorative, I don’t drink my soul in it, water it and spray it, hung a light bulb over it, it burns around the clock It's hot at home, 28 degrees in winter, so the snag reminds me of African saxauls in some way. It's a very soulful plant. It kind of says to me: "I'd rather die, but I won't grow with you!". If so, I think, then now "I'll teach you politeness! - I tore the snag out of the ent's 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 it. And what do you think? This the vile plant did not appreciate my care, there were no leaves, and there are none, even though I sprinkle it with top dressing every month and apply a special fertilizer, "Lemon" is called. Every day I spray it with water in the evening and water it in the morning. I came to the conclusion that it is completely shameless a creation of nature, and that in an amicable way with it it is impossible. From tomorrow I will begin to apply repressions to this snag: I will turn off the lamp and make a suggestion to it: if in a month it does not bear a single leaf, 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 do not 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'll tell you about it on the example of the above letter.
Consider causes of citrus leaf loss:
1. If you put the plant on the window, then you do not need to periodically transfer it to another place; citrus fruits are "one stop" plants.
2. The most common mistake - the citrus pot should not be strongly "twisted" by 180 or 90 degrees. 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 better - counterclockwise.
3. When you get into an unusual 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 definitely fall off.
5. If the soil is excessively moistened in winter time- it turns sour and, as a result, citrus leaves turn yellow and fall off.
6. If planted small plant immediately into a bucket, and even more so - into a tub, then in a week the leaves of the tree will turn yellow, and after another 1.5 weeks it will have "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 citrus fruits be placed next to a microwave oven. Otherwise, the leaves will not just fall off - the tree will die.
8. Citrus fruits lose their 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 definitely shed 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 (and preferably all), removing the emerging flowers and trimming the fruiting shoots by 1/3.
Before transplanting your pet, make sure it is needed right now. transfer. Roots that come out of the drainage are not a reason for a transplant. Gently push back upper layer earth. If you see that an earthen ball is wrapped around with many roots on top, do not rush in this case either. Pass the stem of the tree between your index and middle fingers, tilt the pot a little and try to pull out the earth ball by lightly tapping on the bottom. If an earthen ball heavily entwined with roots is easily pulled out, and if it is autumn in the yard, do not replant the tree until mid-February.
If spring comes, then you can transplant a citrus tree into a container slightly larger than the previous one.
If the earth ball is not strongly entwined with roots, a transplant will be needed only next spring (regardless of the current season).
Teach: citrus fruits do not like transplantation, but transshipment!
I do not recommend replanting citrus fruits in winter or autumn: the tree does not have time to adapt, and winter has already come. So it begins to wither and get sick in winter - especially if there are mistakes in care. For "resuscitation" of citrus fruits in winter, it is necessary to pour over the old soil (with a layer of 2-3 cm) the previously prepared soil from under the oak - the tree quickly "comes to life".
As a drainage, expanded clay should be poured at the bottom of the pot with a thickness of 1.5-2 cm.
Now oh soil. The most best land- from under the oak. Oak has great energy power; the soil must be taken carefully, without damaging root system tree. Use part of the soil taken from under the oak for transshipment of citrus fruits, and leave the remaining soil "in reserve" - in case the citrus foliage begins to curl, turn yellow, fall off (especially if this happens in winter). After all, it is difficult to get this soil in winter: the ground in the forest is frozen, and, in addition, knee-deep snow. This is where "in reserve" will help out.
You can also use the following soil composition for citrus fruits:
1-2 parts rotted leaf ground from under the oak;
- 1 part of rotted manure (horse);
- 1 part of sod land from meadows where clover grows;
- 1 part coarse-grained river sand;
- 0.5 parts of hardwood ash;
- 4 parts of lake silt.
In fresh, nutritious soil, citrus fruits develop a good root system.
For glaze citrus fruits are completely unsuitable for water just taken from the tap of the water supply (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 top dressing. 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, as well as fruits depends on potassium). With a lack of potassium, citrus fruits become ugly and often fall off before ripening. In addition, potassium supplements help increase resistance to various diseases.
Top dressing of citrus fruits should be carried out according to the following scheme:
Menu plan for the summer months (apply from May to October inclusive):
- 1st and 15th - manure (100 g of manure per liter of water; use a two-week infusion);
- 8th - egg shell (two-week infusion in water);
- 20th - blood from meat, poultry, fish (dilute in half with water and pour over; then pour over plain water);
- 23rd - ash; the best ash from the tops of potatoes, sunflowers or straw (1 tablespoon per liter of water for irrigation);
- 27th - pond silt (150-200 g per liter of water).
Menu plan for the winter period:
- 1, 10, 20, numbers - natural fertilizer "Ideal" for top dressing from November to May (2 caps per 1.5 liters of water);
- 5th - egg shell (two-week infusion in water);
- 15th - blood from meat, poultry, fish (dilute in half with water and pour; then pour plain water on top);
- 25th - ash (1 tbsp per liter of water for irrigation).
I advise the author of the above letter:
1. Carefully read all the recommendations and correct your mistakes.
2. Since you have planted a tree in a large bowl, do not transplant it now for three years.
3. Feed the plant according to the above scheme.
4. Be careful with the soil - do not overmoisten it.
5. For the summer, take the citrus tree to the balcony and continue to spray.
6. In the spring (somewhere in early March), sprinkle 2 generous handfuls of manure on top;
7. Turn on the backlight only at night, not for the whole day.
Fruiting lemons, tangerines and other citrus fruits abundantly bloom, which leads to a weakening of 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 twigs - fruits. On long branches, the fruits grow more slowly.
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 filled with juice. The fruit fall is so strong that the soil under the trees is completely covered with small fruits. That's why
it is recommended to regulate fruiting. Immediately after flowering, cut off a number of young ovaries. I do not recommend buying trees with fruits in the store. It is better if you buy only 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. Pick off all the fruits (do not spare them);
3. Cut the branches on which the fruits were in half;
4. Spray the plant more often;
5. The soil must always be moist.
And now - advice for everyone: do not wait on citrus tree impossible! In winter, citrus fruits most often do not bloom at home. Be patient and do everything according to the instructions. If you do everything right, your citrus pets will delight appearance and harvests. Good luck!
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