Growing your Calamondin Orange Tree

The Calamondin orange tree, often known as a miniature orange tree, is a cross between a kumquat and mandarin orange tree. It produces sweet-smelling flowers and a fruit similar to tangerine. It is a hardy citrus tree that the US Department of Agriculture considers suitable for hardiness regions 9 and warmer. Therefore, if you don’t live in a citrus region, it is better to plant this orange tree inside your home.

Calamondin oranges are thick, small trees that can grow as high as ten feet. Its fruit is smaller than regular limes. Use scissors or clippers to get the fruit off of the tree. Avoid pulling them as it can promote deterioration.

Calamondin Orange Tree Care

To maintain a healthy, fresh-looking, and fruit-producing Calamondin orange tree , it is critical to remember the basic maintenance guidelines. Take a look at the following orange tree care ideas to ensure the growth of your tree:

1. Plant the citrus tree in a large pot having equal amounts of organic compost, vermiculite, and potting soil. Allow the  orange tree to expand and establish a well-developed root system.
2.  Give adequate amounts of water to your Calamondin orange tree. It is important to keep the soil humid, but not wet. Let the soil’s top layer dry out before you water the plant again. This orange tree benefits from being sprayed regularly with lukewarm rainwater and will help to keeps it healthy and reduce the incidence of black mold and red spider mites.
3. Set the plant at a location where it can receive direct sunlight for many hours on a daily basis. Place it outside for some hours in the spring. Take the tree inside the house as soon as the temperature drops.
4. Use a slow-release citrus formula to fertilize your small orange tree during the growing periods. You can lessen the strength of your fertilizer during the winter.
5. Check your plant for insect infestations and diseases before you bring in inside for the winter season. Treat such problems immediately to avoid long-lasting damages.
6. Prune your citrus tree to get rid of diseased or dead branches. Trim spurs or water sprouts that emerge from the roots or stem. Use plant scissors or clippers to avoid causing damage to the trunk.
7. Keep your tree’s leaves dirt free to prevent scale and mite infections.

Transferring to a Bigger Container

Citrus trees usually grow at a reasonable rate. However, development on the top of a citrus plant simply indicates that the roots are expanding as well. Transfer your tree to a bigger container after every 2 or 3 years to ensure proper root growth. In case the roots of your orange tree stop growing, move it to a new container and use high-quality citrus fertilizer. Water the soil, but don’t keep it wet. The roots will start growing soon.

The citrus plant’s energy may initially be focused on developing new roots, thus you may not observe enough growth on the top of your tree.

Avoid Stressed Trees

Since indoor plants don’t have to deal with environmental pressures, you can choose to transplant them whenever you want. Nevertheless, if you move your plant inside for the winter or outside for the summer, then it is better to avoid transplanting while it gets adjusted to its surroundings. Wait one or two weeks after relocating indoors or out prior to transplanting.

Furthermore, don’t transplant right after fungal diseases or pest problems. Make sure to transplant fresh, healthy, and unstressed Calamondin Orange trees.

Create the Ideal Soil Conditions for Your Calamondin Orange Tree

You can choose to grow miniature citrus trees in wooden, terracotta, or plastic containers. The only thing you should look for is the perfect drainage. You can pick a container with several small-sized drainage holes so that the soil doesn’t move through them.

Considering setting your citrus tree in the open air in the summer? Follow the basic rules of orange tree care and use the right planting medium.

The Calamondin orange tree is a great inclusion to your home garden that can fill the air with the sweet, tangy aroma of oranges.

Maturity

Citrus fruit will hang on the trees for some time after maturity before the fruit deteriorates due to ageing. This allows the home gardener to pick fruit fresh from the citrus tree for a long period especially if they have several varieties ripening at different times of the year. A range of varieties may mean Navel oranges, Imperial mandarins and grapefruit ripen during fall/autumn, Emperor mandarins followed by Darcy mandarins in winter, Ellendale tangors in late winter, Lanes Late Navel oranges in winter-spring and Valencia oranges from spring through to fall/autumn. Limes ripen throughout summer and lemons are available most of the year. Fruit maturity varies in different climates and also depends on the rootstock used.

Most citrus fruit skin begin as a very dark green color and as they reach maturity, turn from green to orange or yellow depending on the variety. It may still be months before the fruit reaches optimum sugar content and distinctive flavor, as sugars increase and acidity decreases. If one you pick one fruit from the tree and it tastes good to you, then usually the fruit will be ripe enough to harvest.

Harvesting

Most citrus fruit can be harvested by twisting and pulling the fruit from the tree. This should not be done with mandarins as the skin around the (stem end) will pull away from the fruit. The fruit will then be open for infection and will deteriorate rapidly. To prevent damage, clip the fruit off, cutting the stem just above the button. Lemons to be stored should also be clipped off in the same manner.

Citrus fruit to be stored, should not be picked when it is wet with rain or dew as this makes the fruit cells swell and fruit is easily bruised or damaged by rubbing. If too much moisture is present then fruit will not keep well. Always take care to handle fruit gently when harvesting.