Dfrom crossing kumquat and beloved by many gourmet mandarins. Growing calamondin at home makes it possible not only to replenish the collection with an exotic culture, but also to get bright small fruits. It is thanks to them that the plant received the popular name “golden orange”.Small sized fragrant fruits copiously cover the crown and sometimes seem unreal. Therefore, a novice florist has a question: “Is it possible to eat calamondin?”.
Rounded, with fine zest and juicy pith, the fruits are edible. But waiting for the sweetness of mandarin in this case is not worth it. The flesh of the yellow-orange calamondins is sour or even bitter, but the peel, like that of kumquat, is sweetish and very aromatic.
Features of the care and cultivation of the calamondin
With indoor maintenance, the plant forms a compact shrub or an elegant stem tree, although in the open air the culture sometimes reaches five meters in height. With simple care at home, citrus Calamondin:
- grows well;
- is bearing fruit;
- can be propagated by cutting or seed.
Today, indoor plant lovers are offered plants not only with monotonous foliage, but also variegated forms, in which even the fruits have an unusual striped color.
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In the second half of spring, citrus blooms, and then the crown is covered with very fragrant, star-shaped flowers of white color. The plant requires manual pollination, after which numerous ovaries form on it.
Even a small copy with proper feeding and watering will not discard them and may bloom when immature fruits are still on its branches. On discomfort or violations of growing conditions, calamondin signals loss of foliage.
If you do not take the right measures, the plant will die. How to care for calamondin? What are the requirements for maintenance and care of this culture?
Home care for citrus calamondin at home
For the first time, a grower may encounter several weeks after purchasing a bright plant. The fact is that the exotic perennial is not easy to adapt, and when moving from the store to the apartment changes:
- air temperature;
- humidity;
- irrigation water composition;
- lighting.
In addition, the reasons for the unhealthy and unsuccessful care of citrus calamondin can be found in the depletion of a fruiting tree from a long stay in the store or insufficient care. Therefore, it is better to transplant the plant, after examining and cleaning the root system of dead or rotten fragments. The crown can be covered with a package in order to artificially increase the humidity of the air and create a semblance of a greenhouse.
As exotic cultures are not indifferent to the sun, then the place for them should be found on the light side. True, the shelter from direct scorching rays still need to take care.
The Kalamondin purchased in winter is protected from possible drafts and immediately placed under fitolamps to extend the daylight. And in subsequent winters, highlighting is required.
At home, growing calamondin does not require a special temperature from the grower. Plants, if all the rules of care for citrus Calamondin are observed, easily tolerate the hot season, and the optimum temperature for them is considered:
- 18–24 ° C in summer;
- 12–16 ° C in winter.
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The plants are moisture-loving and respond well to spraying, which helps them to survive the heat. In the cold season, such frequent soil moistening is not required.
Top dressing can be traditional, combined with watering, and foliar. Kalamandins need additional nutrition all year round, especially with frequent and abundant fruiting.
If foliar fertilizing is practiced at home in caring for the Calamondin, irrigation is best done on the back side of the leaves so as not to spoil the appearance of the glossy leaf plates. Conducting such procedures is prescribed for the evening, so that sun rays burn the places where the drops fall.
Propagation by seeds and cultivation of calamondin from cuttings
Growing calamondin from seeds is painstaking and requires considerable patience, since the first fruits of a grower can be picked only after 6-7 years. Get new copies of citrus and can be using grafting.
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But here too there are some pitfalls. To rooted cuttings, you will need:
- loose substrate for penetration of the apical parts of the shoots;
- greenhouse with bottom heating;
- maintaining a temperature of about 23–25 ° C;
- long light day.
It is best to conduct cutting and rooting from May to June, when it is easiest to ensure these conditions. After the formation of the roots young calamondins are seated in their own pots.
When choosing pots for transplanting calamondin, you need to consider the size of the plant and the growing root system. Therefore, it is better to take bulk containers where the tree will be comfortable for at least one year.
During the transfer of earthen clod to a new container, it is important not to damage it. And for the outflow of excess moisture at the bottom of the pot create a powerful drainage layer. Calculate it so that when installing the measles system on the soil layer, the root collar when filling is above the surface of the substrate.
Soil mix for cultivation of calamondin is made from ready-made soil for ornamental crops with the addition of humus or from the same humus, twice the amount of turfy ground and sand to give looseness. After the front end, calamondin needs to be watered, and the first feeding is carried out only a month later.
Video about the care of Calamondin
