Citrus Reticulata (mandarin orange)
The Citrus Reticulata, also known as Citrus Mandarino or mandarin orange tree, is a real find. This tree can be found across the world. And there’s a reason for that: it’s so stunning and gives an incredible splash of colour to your garden, terrace, or balcony, or even indoors. The tree’s spring-time profusion of white blossom has a wonderful fragrance. While the mandarins are edible, they're not eaten as often as the lemons from the Citrus Limon. They are more for decoration but they certainly do their best to steal the show.
Citrus Reticulata (Citrus Mandarino)
The mandarin orange tree is evergreen and has twisting branches. Citrus Reticulata is self-pollinating, so you don’t need to buy more than one tree for it to bear fruit. And as we already mentioned, the mandarin orange tree develops wonderfully fragrant and beautiful white blossom in spring, around late May/early June. The mandarins come after that. The plant can stand outside in the warmer months, but place your Citrus Reticulata in a sheltered but sunny spot before the colder months set in, as this plant is unable to withstand freezing temperatures.
Growing the Citrus Reticulata
The mandarin orange tree has been grown around the Mediterranean Sea for many years, in countries such as Spain, Greece, and Italy.
Why choose Citrus Mandarino?
- The mandarin orange tree is stunning to look at with its extremely colourful splash of orange and green.
- The plant has an exotic look.
- Its wonderfully fragrant blossom is another wonderful additional feature.
- And you can eat the mandarins.
When should you plant your mandarin orange tree?
We recommend planting Citrus Mandarino in a pot, so it doesn’t really matter when you plant it. The tree is unable to withstand freezing temperatures. So if you buy one just before or during winter, place it indoors immediately or, in any event, in a sheltered spot that doesn’t get any frost.
What’s the best way to plant your Citrus Mandarino?
You can plant your Citrus Reticulata in the ground, but as the tree cannot withstand freezing temperatures, it’s wiser to plant it in a pot, container, or tub. That makes it a lot easier if you need to move your mandarin orange tree to a warmer, more sheltered spot before the winter sets in.After purchasing your Citrus Mandarino, or Citrus Reticulata, it’s best to plant it in an attractive pot or container, perhaps made from terracotta. The pot should be around 20% larger than the plastic pot in which you purchased it. First place bubble wrap around the inside of the pot or container for insulation. Make some holes in the bottom of the pot, tub, or container so that excess water can drain away. This prevents rotting roots. Remove the root ball from the pot. Place a layer of hydrograins in the ornamental pot. Then fill up with special Mediterranean potting compost.
Tips
Like its relatives Citrus Limon and Citrus Sinensis, mandarin orange trees need a lot of sunlight but also like shelter. It hates wet feet.
If you move your potted plant from indoors to outdoors or from outdoors to indoors, make sure that the temperature difference is not too great. Your tree needs to get used to a colder or warmer environment gradually.
Your Citrus Mandarino can stand outside from around mid April to October/November.
In the remaining months it prefers a sheltered spot with lots of sunlight.
Positioning
You can also keep your Citrus Mandarino indoors if you want. But we still recommend making holes in the bottom of the pot, container, or tub so the excess water can drain away. Of course, it’s a good idea to place a tray underneath the pot indoors.
Advice and Care
Water
The plant cannot cope with having wet feet. That’s why you should only water your Citrus Reticulata if the top of the potting compost feels dry. You can give your plant plenty of water at least two or three times a week between April and October. And do that in the winter too, but then just small amounts of water every now and then to stop the soil from drying out.
Fertilizer
During the growing season, March through September, your mandarin orange tree will start bearing fruit and that’s a good time to feed or fertilize it. You can purchase special citrus tree fertilizer for this.
Winter is a rest period for the Citrus Mandarino so it doesn’t need any fertilizer then.
Pruning
It’s best to prune your Citrus Reticulata in the spring just before the new shoots appear. Then the plant can then use all its energy for the rest of the branches during the growing season.
Treating common problems
If the leaves are discoloured the plant is probably getting too much water. So water it less. Have you already made one or more holes in the bottom of the pot? If not, make sure you do that, otherwise the plant can’t get rid of its excess water.
Like many other plants in a pot, container, or tub, your mandarin orange tree can sometimes suffer from brown scale, scale insects, mealybugs, aphids, or spider mite. You could combat these pests with special products that are available from garden centres or DIY stores.
Advantages and disadvantages of mandarin orange trees
Advantages
- The plant provides a stunning splash of colour and is a real eye-catcher.
- It also produces delicious and nutritious fruit.
- Citrus Reticulata blossom has a wonderful fragrance in spring.
Disadvantages
- The plant is unable to withstand freezing temperatures so it needs to be moved indoors in winter, or in any event to a sheltered spot.
Conclusion
A colourful mandarin orange tree is a real asset for your garden, terrace, or balcony. Order your stunning Citrus Reticulata (Citrus Mandarino) today.
If you have any questions or would like more information about this plant, please contact us.