Calamondin oranges are easy to care for. As a Mediterranean ornament, they decorate rooms and winter gardens and enhance terraces and gardens. The popular citrus trunks can be left outdoors from May to October. The dwarf orange has its main bloom in the spring weeks. If the plant overwinters brightly and warmly, flowering is postponed until summer and even autumn. White flowers create a great contrast to the glossy green leaves. Citrus mitis Calamondin orange bears abundant fruit, which are also highly decorative.
Rearing
Citrus mitis Calamondin orange can be grown from the seeds of a ripe fruit. The plants that grow in this way grow vigorously and produce leaves and flowers. There are only problems with the fruit. Most dwarf oranges that are grown from seeds do not produce any fruit or only produce late and sparse fruit sets. In addition, home-grown plants tend to go wild. Then they get thorns. Despite these limitations, the development from a mature core to a complete plant is an exciting process and is therefore worth a try.
Growing from seeds step by step
- Removing seeds from ripe fruit
- clean and dry well
- Put two centimeters deep in the seed tray with sowing soil
- Moisten the seed substrate
- Cover the bowl with transparent foil
- The resulting microclimate is evenly moist and promotes germination
- The cultivation tray must be warm, but not too sunny
- Germination starts after about seven weeks
- repot when the plant is about eight centimeters tall
- alternative: plant already has three to four leaves
- loose and slightly acidic soil is suitable
- mix potting soil with clay granules
- bright location is optimal
- Keep substrate moderately moist
Propagation from cuttings
If you want Citrus mitis Calamondin orange to develop optimally and bear fruit later, propagating the plant from cuttings is a safe method. This approach is usually successful because the Calamondin orange forms good roots.
Growing from cuttings step by step
- Place approximately 15 centimeter long cuttings in pot with potting soil
- A moist mixture of equal proportions of peat and sand is ideal
- Place the planter in a bright, warm and shady place
- Keep substrate moderately moist
- repot the cutting after sprouting
- A container with acidic compost soil is well suited
- recommended pH value from 5 to 6.5
Tip:
Growing a dwarf orange works best in a warm and humid microclimate. To create this climate, the cutting should initially be covered with a transparent plastic bag.
Location
Citrus plants love the light. A bright location in a room or in the winter garden is therefore ideal for the Calamondin orange to thrive. It can be left outdoors on a terrace or balcony if the temperatures are above plus ten degrees Celsius at night. Once the Ice Saints are over, the dwarf orange can go outside. There it prefers a sunny spot that is protected from the wind and unmolested by drafts. Before the citrus trunk is allowed into the sun, it needs a period of getting used to it. Otherwise its sensitive leaves will be damaged. After a few days, in which the plant is only allowed to stand in the sun for a few hours, the dwarf orange has adapted. Then she can enjoy the sun's rays all summer long.
Recommendation for the summer
- Outdoor space preferred
- Light efficiency is great here
- Core time runs from May to October
- can be extended to April and November if there is no frost
- upper parts of the plant can be sunny
- this does not apply to the roots
- that's why no blazing sun on black plant pots
- heats up the earth, the roots lose activity
- Citrus mitis wilts with inactive roots
- Water loss from the leaves is not compensated
Wintering
If the temperatures fall below plus ten degrees Celsius at night in autumn, Citrus mitis Calamondin orange is brought into the house. The citrus trunk can overwinter here without any problems. It should not be exposed to dry heating air immediately; a transition period of a few days is appropriate. The Calamondin orange does not need to be kept warm in winter. It prefers temperatures between five and ten degrees Celsius. The plant goes dormant in the winter months. It does not need fertilizer and can be watered sparingly. However, the roots of the plant must not dry out completely, even if the upper area of the root ball can be dry to the touch.
Recommendation for the winter
- the warmer the location, the more light is necessary
- In cool winter quarters, light from uncurtained window panes is sufficient
- best facing south
- Temperature minimum briefly up to 0 °C
- Temperatures above 25 degrees restrict root activity
- partial shedding of leaves in dark places normal
- new shoots will follow from April
Tip:
The Calamondin orange should be left cool at night in winter so that the peel of the ripe fruits can turn orange. If it is too warm at night, the interior of the dwarf orange will ripen while the peel will remain green.
Substrate
For Citrus mitis Calamondin orange to thrive, the soil around its roots must be permeable and, ideally, slightly acidic. The dwarf orange needs a stable substrate for its good development. The older and larger specimens of the Calamondin orange in particular remain in the same container for years.
A special citrus soil that has been loosened and made permeable by many stony additives is good for the dwarf orange. These could be admixtures of coarse sand, gravel or grit. Larger amounts of limestone quarry or pieces of lava are also ideal as additions to the soil. However, pure peat or humus soil is not recommended as a substrate.
Repotting
Citrus mitis Calamondin orange does not necessarily need to be repotted every year. The decision as to whether the dwarf orange should be placed in a larger pot depends on the degree of root penetration of the pots. Only when the earth is completely permeated by a fine network of roots and the plant has fewer flowers does it need a new container. The new habitat should be no more than two to five centimeters larger in diameter than the old container. However, if there is still plenty of loose soil around the roots, it is worth waiting a little longer before repotting.
The best time to put the Calamondin orange in a new container is early spring. However, an opportunity to repot does not only come before the new shoots in March or April. The period up to July is also suitable. In the following weeks, however, you should avoid repotting and instead wait until next spring. Otherwise the plant will not have enough time to sufficiently root through the fresh substrate. This subsequently leads to damage to the roots.
Repotting: This is how you do it
- Moisten the ball of soil in the pot. To do this, dip the pot into a bucket of water.
- Alternatively: wet the soil around the edges.
- Carefully tilt the pot and carefully loosen the roots and soil.
- Turn the roots and substrate out of the pot.
- Shake excess soil from the root ball.
- Partially fill new planter with soil.
- Put the plant in a new container and fill up the substrate.
- Do not insert the tree deeper than in the old container.
- The top edge of the bale should line up with the edge of the pot.
- Continue filling up the potting soil.
- Press the plant and water lightly.
Pouring
The Calamondin orange has a special need for moisture. It should be supplied with water regularly, even twice a day in very warm periods. However, the roots of the dwarf orange should not be constantly wet. If the substrate is too moist over time, the very fine hair roots could decompose. The root ball of the plant should not dry out completely. On the contrary. Watering too infrequently is one of the most common mistakes when caring for Citrus mitis. When watering, the amount of water given must not be too small.
The dwarf orange clearly shows errors when watering. If it is not watered enough, it will lose its leaves. Even if there is too much lime in the irrigation water, it sheds foliage and buds and as a result does not produce any fruit. The ideal watering water for the Calamondin orange is stale and low in lime. It can best come from a rain barrel. A water filter is an alternative.
Tips for optimal watering in summer
- one dose of water a day
- in the heat: twice
- a few minutes as intense as a heavy rain shower
- moisten the soil to the bottom of the pot per pass
- A planter on feet is ideal
- the abundant irrigation water drains away again here
- Waterlogging, which is harmful to the plant, is avoided
Tips for optimal watering in winter
- Slightly moist soil is optimal throughout
- Substrate must never dry out
- check every second to third day
- water if the soil is slightly dry
- Then moisten the soil to the bottom of the pot
Fertilize
The Calamondin orange, like all citrus plants, has a high need for nutrients. It therefore needs to receive fertilizer regularly. Long-term fertilizers or liquid fertilizers are suitable as nutrients for citrus plants. These contain everything these plants need in terms of elements and minerals. In addition to boron and iron, these include copper and manganese zinc. Special citrus fertilizer with a mixing ratio of nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K) of 1 to 0, 2 to 0, 7 is ideal for supplying dwarf oranges with nutrients.
High-quality citrus fertilizers with up to 20 percent nitrogen, 4 percent phosphate and 14 percent potassium are best suited. The first annual portion of nutrients is given to the plant immediately after the first shoots. The citrus trunk then receives a dose of fertilizer per week during the growth phase between April and mid-October. If the fertilizer contains a high concentration of nutrients, half a liter per pass is sufficient. For good fertilizers with a ratio of 10 percent nitrogen to 2 percent phosphate to 14 percent potassium, one liter of liquid fertilizer is required. If the nutrients are even less concentrated, the fertilizer doses must be multiplied accordingly.
Citrus mitis Calamondin orange is fertilized throughout the entire growing season, from spring to autumn. If the plant is in a heated and light-flooded winter garden, the growth period can extend into November and even December. Even then she still needs her nutrients. If dwarf oranges overwinter in rooms with less light, fertilizing should be stopped from around the end of September. Then the formation of new leaves and shoots is stopped and the plant can rest.
Cutting
The Calamondin orange should be cut frequently and consistently. Then it stays nice and compact. If Citrus mitis is not cut, it does not lose its beauty. However, it does not develop as compactly as with regular pruning. In addition, the power of the plant goes directly into the fruit when it is cut. The crown is trimmed as soon as it starts to go out of shape slightly. This can also be during the summer months.
Each shoot is cut two to three millimeters above a leaf. A cut can also be made at a distance of two millimeters above a bud that faces the outside of the crown. If major corrections are to be made to the crown right down to the old wood, late winter is a good time to do this. Then Citrus mitis has not yet sprouted again and is not damaged at the interface.
Pests and diseases
Well cared for, watered regularly and fertilized properly, Citrus mitis Calamondin orange develops natural defenses. Stressed plants, on the other hand, are susceptible to pests. In summer they are attacked by spider mites. Scale insects attack in winter. In spring, aphids can tamper with the tips of the shoots.
A mixture of one liter of water with 20 milliliters of spirit and 15 milliliters of soft soap helps against aphids, scale insects and mealybugs. After spraying, the pests dry up, but their shells remain attached and must be removed.
Only sprays designated as acaricides help against spider mites. This sprays the plant abundantly. Attention: Never dose higher than stated on the package. Otherwise the leaves will be damaged.
Damage and its causes
Yellow leaves: too shady location or too much lime in the irrigation water
falling buds and fruits: too little water
Spider infestation on the lower side of the leaf: humidity too low
Conclusion
The dwarf orange Citrus mitis enchants plant lovers with its Mediterranean appearance. The Calamondin orange is even suitable for beginners. Because she doesn't place high demands on her care. With a little love, the citrus stem thrives in pots and containers. The ideal location, good watering and correct fertilization ensure their good growth. If the plant gets enough of everything, it thanks you with lush green leaves, wonderfully fragrant flowers and decorative fruits.
