Calamondine or citrofortunella is a hybrid bred indoor plant of the root family, which also includes lemons, oranges, tangerines. Obtained by crossing tangerine and kumquat. The scientific name is citrofortunella, the household name is homemade tangerine, golden orange.
Bred in the rank of bonsai art for breeding copies of real trees in the apartment.
Description and features of calamondine
The tree reaches a height of 1 meter. The leaves are dense, dark green, glossy on top. When broken or rubbed in the hands exude a characteristic smell of citrus. The trunk is a light gray shade, moderately branched. The flowers are white with yellow stamens, with a pronounced aroma of orange (orange blossom).
Kalamondin was bred in the tropical climate of Southeast Asia. When kept in a house, citrus needs warmth and high humidity. Unpretentious, grows well and bears fruit even at home. In place of the flowers, ovaries form with a pinhead. Over time, the fruits grow and reach a size slightly smaller than that of ordinary tangerines. A sign of ripening is an orange color. Inside there are many small stones.
Flowering begins in 3-4 years of life. Fruits are formed in good light, heat and humidity.
Varieties of Calamondin
There is no wide variety of varieties, as this is a hybrid plant in itself. Modifications can relate only to the shape and color of foliage, fruits.
Most often, in addition to the usual ones, specimens with a tiger color of leaves and variegated ones are found on sale, that is, bordered by a strip of brighter than the main tone.
Adaptation of Calamondin after purchase
At home, you need to put the plant in a bright place, spray it daily, moisten the soil well, make sure that it does not dry out, otherwise leaves may fall.
Ordinary water for irrigation is not suitable, it must be defended or filtered. You can use boiled cooled.
Citrofortunella does not tolerate the bright rays of the sun. Delicate thin roots do not tolerate overheating, so you need to plant it in a light pot or wrap it with foil, which will give a reflective effect. Sometimes it’s enough to simply shade with a regular tulle curtain.
Cannot be sharply 180 ° turn the plant to the light, the position of the pot needs to be changed, but slowly, moving every day a few degrees clockwise. With this approach, the crown will develop evenly.
The optimum temperature for citrofortunella is from +25 ° C in summer, to +18 ° C in winter. A cool room in cold weather for citrus fruits is natural and contributes to their better flowering while increasing daylight hours in spring.
In the autumn-winter period, care consists of artificial lighting, the intensity and duration of which must be controlled depending on the well-being of the plant. At the same time, reduce the number of irrigations, but increase the number of sprayings.
Top dressing begins during the flowering period. Fertilizing once every 7-10 days from March to September will make caring for calamondine at home even more effective. You can use special compounds or buy ready-made humus for citrus. During dormancy, fertilizers should be applied no more than once a month.
After two weeks of adaptation, homemade mandarin needs to be transplanted, as suppliers often add hormone-containing preparations to the soil, which in a city apartment can harm the plant and even lead to death.
Transplant, pot, soil
For transplant take a slightly larger container. Determining the required volume is simple. The old pot should easily fit in a new one, between their edges should be about 1-1.5 cm.
The plant carefully, so as not to damage the thin young roots, together with a lump of earth to transfer into a new container. However, you need to carefully inspect them and remove the decayed, if any. The root outlet should be recessed at the same level.
Add new earth from the sides and top. In the future, it is extremely rare to transplant, since plants using the bonsai technique grow in a small container. One transplant every three years is enough. The rest of the time, the plant cannot be disturbed. Instead, periodically replace the soil as follows: remove the top layer and add fresh soil. Composition: turf land, river sand and humus (2: 1: 1).
At the bottom of the tank, it is necessary to arrange good drainage to a height of 3 cm. Fertilizing after transplantation is not carried out for 1-2 months. Calamondin will take all the necessary substances from the soil.
Transplanting citrofortunella is not recommended, as long as there are flowers or ripe fruits on it, you can’t even transfer the plant to another place during this period.
Calamondine pruning
A tree needs regular crown formation. Modern requirements require a stamb - a smooth trunk without knots, from the basal zone to the first branches, a height of about 25 cm.
Trimming should be started in February, carried out to branches of the 4th level. In summer, cut off uneven, overgrown shoots.
Calamondine propagation
Calamondin can be propagated with good care at home in three ways:
- cuttings;
- graft;
- seed cultivation.
The last is the simplest:
- The fruit of the hybrid contains many seeds. They are selected from the pulp and planted in prepared and processed soil growth stimulant.
- Seed is laid out one by one in small pots with a drainage layer of expanded clay. Tighten with a film or cover with cellophane.
- In the process of seed germination, moisture plays an important role, but periodically the pots are ventilated so that the soil is not covered with a green coating.
- After germination, the film is removed. The branches remaining after trimming the calamondine are used as cuttings. To do this, choose strong good shoots with healthy leaves. Before rooting, they are kept in a solution of Kornevin or Zircon, which stimulate the formation of roots.
- Planting material is instilled into the ground before the start of the first leaf. Top cover with a glass jar, a plastic bottle or a plastic bag. Every day, the seedlings ventilate for about 30 minutes.
Young shoots of citrofortunella, if provided at home, will take root well and will grow in about a month.
Vaccination requires extensive horticultural experience, it is more often used by professionals in the special conditions of the greenhouse.
Calamondine Diseases and Pests
| Title and reasons | Outward manifestation | Treatment methods |
| Anthracnose or bitter rot is a fungal disease of many fruit-bearing crops. The carriers are insects, water for irrigation, draft, increased soil moisture. Dangerous of its rapid spread. | Brown, then brown spots may appear on all aerial parts of the plant, which are signs of destruction. As a result, there is a discharge of leaves and death. | Removing damaged parts. Disinfection of the place where citrus calamondine stands. Spraying with a solution of copper sulfate (1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water) or Bordeaux liquid (1%). And also for prevention 2 times a year, before and after flowering. |
| Sooty fungus (black) is an infection that affects young or weakened seedlings. Lives in the soil, activates under favorable conditions - heat and humidity. | Small dark gray spots on leaves and fruits prevent the plant from breathing, clog pores and inhibit photosynthesis. As a result, the leaves fall, the tree dies. | Mandatory quarantine of newly acquired plants. The use of strengthening drugs - immunostimulants. Removing damage by washing with a cotton swab dipped in a solution of laundry soap and wood ash, baking soda. Heavily damaged areas are destroyed, thickened - thinned out. Ground replacement. |
| Gommosis (gum disease, brown rot) is a specific disease found in home-grown citrus fruits. It occurs due to damage to the trunk, excessive thickening, lack of drainage and waterlogging, improperly selected soil composition, irrigation with very cold water. | First of all, discharge similar to resin is noticeable - a sticky liquid of a light yellow hue on the stem and branches. The bark dies, the leaves lighten, the ovaries fall, flowering stops. | Since there are a lot of reasons for the appearance of the disease, it is initially necessary to determine why it originated. Mandatory transplantation with a complete replacement of the soil and washing the roots of the plant. Cut damaged areas with a blade or scalpel to completely healthy. Treatment of incisions with a disinfectant such as lime. Spray aerial parts with copper sulfate. |
| Insects - aphids, scale insects, whiteflies, spider mites, mealy root mealybugs. They are transported with soil, fall with drafts, start up with excessive watering and overheating of the root system. | Noticeable to the naked eye in the soil, on the roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruits. A signal may be the appearance of spots of white, yellow, twisting, deformation, sticky coating, dusting effect. | Spraying with insecticides: Fitoverm, Spark-Bio. From popular methods - washing with a solution of potassium permanganate, alcohol, furatsillina. To make it easier to apply and the liquid stayed longer on the leaves, add a drop of detergent for dishes and froth. |
Calamondin Growing Problems
Growing citrofortunella will be successful if you pay attention to small but significant details.
| Problem | Cause | Elimination |
| Leaves fall |
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Mr. Dachnik recommends: the beneficial properties of calamondine
Calamondin fruits can be eaten, they are rich in vitamins, they have a sour taste, thin skin. The zest is used in baking, the pulp is added to homemade compotes, candied fruits are made from whole tangerines peeled from the skin.
Kalamondins can grow at home even a beginner grower. To ensure guaranteed fruiting, the flowers are pollinated by hand with a cotton swab or a soft brush with a natural pile for cosmetics or for drawing.
Use dried peel of fruits, rich in essential oils, as a natural flavoring for domestic purposes, apply tinctures and decoctions for cosmetic procedures.
Finely chopped leaves in a small amount - not more than 1 are added to give the taste of South Asian cuisine to meat, fish, poultry.
Kalamondin looks beautiful in the interior, can serve as a background for a photo, is an excellent gift.
