A calamondin is the ideal starter plant for the citrus gardener as it is easy to care for and cut. These instructions reveal why pruning isn't a headache. This is how you cut the dwarf orange correctly.
How do I cut a calamondin correctly?
To properly prune a Calamondin, you should remove dead, injured or diseased branches on Astring in late winter, shorten crossing shoots and inward-facing branches, and cut branches that are too long above an outward-facing bud. Wild shoots, so-called water shooters, should be removed all year round.
Instructions for the correct cut
Pruning has several goals: prevention against diseases and pests, maintenance of shape and adaptation to the available space capacity. In contrast to native fruit trees, you cannot stimulate growth or fruit and flower formation by cutting the dwarf orange. How to cut your Citrus mitis correctly:
- The best time is in late winter, in time before the fresh shoots
- Cut off dead, injured, diseased or pest-infested branches on Astring
- Remove one of the crossing shoots
- Cut inward-facing branches at the base
- Short branches that are too long with a cut just above an outward-facing bud
Please note that your Calamondin always blooms at the tips of young shoots. The more you cut here, the smaller the next flower will be. If your Citrus mitis has lost its leaves due to incorrect overwintering, do not cut off the affected branches too quickly. Over the course of the coming growing season, there is a good chance that new leaves will sprout. However, if the loss of leaves is due to waterlogging or dryness, shorten the dead branches down to he althy wood.
Remove water bullets all year round
From the wild base of your dwarf orange, lots of wild shoots strive to overgrow the crown throughout the year. These water shooters can be recognized by their narrow, elongated and very fast growth. These branches will neither flower nor bear fruit. As soon as you discover a copy, please remove it completely. As long as there is still a tiny bit of tissue left on the tree, a water shooter will boldly sprout again.
Tip
After overwintering is not only the ideal time for cutting. If you repot your Calamondin now, this choice of date means the least stress for the citrus plant. The new bucket should be a maximum of 4 cm larger in diameter. Otherwise, your Citrus mitis will be busy rooting and neglecting the growth of flowers, leaves and fruits.
