Mandarin Trees for Sale Online
Mandarin trees are the perfect citrus tree to grow in your garden or in the comfort of your own home. These trees produce small "orange-like" fruits that are very sweet and juicy in flavor. When you harvest your mandrin fruits try added them into entrees, deserts, salads, and so many other food options!
Their name refers to the bright orange robes publif officials wore of the ancient Chinese courts, called Mandarins. In the Far East, these and other exotic fruits were only available to the elite. Oranges still to this day symbolize wealth and prosperity. A very interesting fact is that the Chinese cultivated mandarin oranges for over 3,000 years, yes really that many years, before they made their way to North America and Europe. Now, mandarins are grown all over the United States, mainly in California, Alabama, and Texas, but now you can grow some in your very own home!
Types of Mandarin Trees
Clementine Mandarin Trees:
The most popular mandarine fruit available! You have probably seen clementines in your local grocery stores many times during the spring and summer months. Their easy-to-peel fruits produce a sweet and savory taste that stays on their trees for months.
Owari Satsuma Mandarin Trees:
These trees produce seedless, medium-sized orange fruit. Their sweet and juicy fruits ripen earlier than most mandarines and stay fresh for longer. The tree's foliage is a deep green color that compliments their fragrant white flowers that bloom in early spring.
Growing Mandarin Trees Indoors
Light
It is not possible to grow mandarine trees unless your home provides ample amounts of sunlight or you can provide an artificial source of sunlight. Specifically, Owari Satsuma trees require full sunlight. This means they must be placed near a south or southwest-facing window. You can even place them in front of a glass door as decoration and they will receive plenty of the sunlight they need.
You can supplement sunlight by using a specific light made for indoor plant growth. They can be very effective when used properly. For example, if your mandarin tree requires full sunlight, the light should be on for 8 to 10 hours a day.
Humidity
The most commonly forgotten care tip, maintaining the right humidity for your citrus tree is crucial for its success indoors. While they do prefer their soil to be on the dry side, these trees love humidity. Their foliage thrives in the humidity. Low humidity can potentially cause leaf drop or failure for your tree to thrive. In the wintertime especially, make sure you are misting your plant's leaves daily. You can even buy a humidifier and keep it running next to your tree, this is an excellent source of humidity.
Water
All mandarin trees are very drought-tolerant. Typically people overwater their trees instead of underwater because they require very little. Make sure you pot your plant in a container that is well-draining and your soil is the same. This will help prevent any root rot because their roots do not like to sit in standing water. Allow your tree's soil to dry out completely before watering again.
Fertilizer
Potted mandarin trees tend to require more food than outdoor mandarin trees. We recommend fertilizing your tree about 3 times a year with a slow-release fertilizer. Try using Espoma Citrus-Tone and follow its directions specifically for Potted Plants.
Pollinating Mandarin Trees
Pollination of all citrus trees is quite simple and mandarin trees are no different. If you grow your fruit tree outside in the summer, pollinators will do all the work for you. They visit from flower to flower to collect pollen. However, if your tree is indoors, you will need to do the pollination manually. Take a small paintbrush or a Q-tip and begin dabbing each flower, moving from one flower to the next. This will help recreate the pollination process that insects do naturally.
Harvesting Mandarin Oranges
Typically, you are completely fine to leave fruit on the vine even after it has begun to ripen. However, when it comes to mandarin oranges, your fruit needs to be picked as soon as it starts to ripen. If this does not happen, the flavor will start to dissipate. The best way to tell if your mandarin is ready to be picked is as soon as you see them turn from green to orange harvest them and enjoy!