The mandarin tree is an impressive appearance with its heavily bushy growth and elliptical, dark green, shiny leaves. The pretty, white flowers grow singly or in few-flowered clusters in the leaf axils. The numerous cultivated varieties are mostly propagated vegetatively by grafting onto canes of other citrus species as well as through eye cuttings and planters. Of course, you don't have to make it that complicated at home.
How can I grow a tangerine tree myself?
To grow a tangerine tree yourself, remove seeds from a tangerine, clean and dry them, plant them in potting soil and keep them moist. Alternatively, you can propagate an older mandarin tree using cuttings.
Propagate mandarin tree by seeds
If you want to grow a tangerine tree yourself, all you need is a tangerine bought in the supermarket. When buying, make sure you get the right type of tangerine, as satsumas or clementines usually contain little or no seeds. “Real” tangerines, on the other hand, always contain some seeds, which you remove from the pulp at home. Clean the seeds from the pulp, place them on a dry kitchen towel and let them dry in the sun for about a week.
Planting seeds
You can bridge the waiting time by purchasing growing containers and growing soil. An indoor greenhouse (€24.00 on Amazon) is also very suitable for growing seedlings. Now fill the cultivation containers with soil and put the tangerine seeds in there. Always keep the soil moist but never wet using a spray bottle. The potty should be in a place that is as bright and warm as possible. However, direct sunlight should be avoided. The seed will germinate within four to six weeks.
Caring for the tangerine seedling
The young tangerine plant should only be repotted when its growing container has been completely rooted. If this is the case, take a sufficiently large (but not too large) plant pot and first fill it with a layer of expanded clay or lava stone and then special citrus soil. The plant is placed there and always kept slightly moist.
Pulling a mandarin tree from a cutting
If you already have an older mandarin tree, you can propagate it using cuttings. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Select a head cutting approx. 10 centimeters long, which is cut off below the leaf node.
- Leave the lower part of the cutting, only two to a maximum of three leaves should remain.
- Dip the cutting end in rooting powder.
- Place the cutting in a growing container with low-nutrient potting soil.
- Put a plastic bag over it.
- Keep the soil evenly moist.
After a few weeks the cutting will form roots. You can tell this because there are fresh shoots on the plant.
Tips & Tricks
Tangerines are quite sensitive. They cannot tolerate excessive dryness, wetness, cold or even drafts. Nevertheless, you should put your tangerine tree out in a protected place in summer, because only then will it develop flowers and therefore fruit.