Mandarin is a citrus fruit appreciated for its fragrance and its sweet and savory flavor. This fruit is very beneficial for health, particularly thanks to its content of antioxidants and vitamin C. To take advantage of the benefits of this citrus fruit and taste organic mandarins, you can grow a mandarin tree at home. Growing this fruit tree is easy and suitable even for those without a green thumb! Find out how to plant mandarins at home to have them unlimited and without traces of pesticides.
Mandarin should not be confused with clementine. The latter is a hybrid of mandarin. That is to say, it results from the fertilization of a mandarin flower by the pollen of a sweet orange. There is also a difference in taste. Mandarins are sweeter than clementines and contain more seeds. This fruit is also the least acidic compared to the rest of citrus fruits.
Growing a mandarin tree in a pot – Source: spm
How to plant mandarins in a pot?
To plant mandarins at home, follow these 3 steps.
Mandarins – Source: spm
- Step 1: Prepare for mandarin seed germination
First, select the seeds of an organic mandarin and wash them. Then place the seeds on damp cotton to germinate and place the cotton in a glass.
- Step 2: Prepare the pot for planting mandarin seeds
Choose a flower pot with drainage holes and place stones in the bottom. Add a layer of sand on top to ensure better airflow. For potting soil, use a mixture of peat moss, perlite and fertilizer. You can also enrich the soil with humus. Then water the soil without soaking it.
- Step 3: Plant mandarin seeds
When the seeds begin to sprout, plant them gently in the soil and cover them with a little potting soil. Then cover the surface of the pot with a transparent plastic film, to maintain heat and humidity, and to accelerate the germination of the seeds, so as to obtain young shoots as a result. Keep the pot in a warm, lighted room, but avoid direct sunlight. Water as soon as the soil dries, but don’t overwater. When the first shoots appear, remove the transparent film and place your vase at a temperature of around 20°C, with partial shade.
How to maintain mandarin tree and get good mandarins?
The mandarin tree is easy to maintain. Water your fruit tree regularly, making sure the soil stays moist between waterings. The mandarin tree needs a regular supply of water, like all citrus fruits. Also, if you notice that the leaves are pointing towards the ground, it means that your tree is depleted of water. Fertilize your tree throughout its vegetative growth period, i.e. from March to September. Choose a slow-decomposing fertilizer for this and add it to a moist substrate, so the minerals don’t burn the roots of your tree.
Potted mandarin – Source: spm
When the young plants reach 10-15 cm in height and their root system is well developed, repot them into a larger pot. Repotting every 2 or 3 years is also necessary. Place clay pebbles in the bottom of the new pot to ensure good drainage and use a substrate of sand, compost and garden soil.
So prune your tree as soon as the flowers appear. To do this, cut off thin branches and twigs to avoid cluttering your shrub. Therefore, the fruits of your mandarin tree will have more access to light.
You also protect your fruit tree from diseases and pests that ravage it. One example is scale insects, which suck sap from the tree and produce a sticky juice called honeydew. The latter attracts ants and fungi responsible for sooty mold, which is a cryptogamic disease. Other pests can attack your tree such as aphids or whiteflies.
Also, if you want to transplant your shrub into the ground, wait until it is at least 30cm tall. Thus, you will be sure that your mandarin tree is sturdy enough for growing outdoors, especially since this fruit tree fears the cold. In fact, if you have potted mandarin trees grown outdoors, it is recommended to keep them in a sheltered place in the garden. In winter, you can attach the winter veil under the edge of the pot.
Thanks to just a few seeds, you can grow mandarins at home, to perfume your home and collect unlimited organic mandarins!