Grow your own mandarin oranges.
Mandarin oranges are a tropical fruit. If you like mandarin oranges but hate paying for them at your local grocery store when they are in season, consider growing your own, whether or not you live in a warm climate. Not only will a mandarin provide you with a supply of fresh fruit, it will also add visual appeal to your house or yard.
Instructions
1. Pot your young plant or seeds in a large container so that you do not have to re-pot it later as it grows. Fill the pot with a rich, composted soil. Plant the seed so that its distance from the surface equals two lengths of the seed. Plant a young tree deep enough so that the tree will be stable in the pot--about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom.
2. Place the container in a warm location that gets direct sunlight, where the humidity is between 30 and 60 percent, such as in front of a bathroom window. Alternately, use a humidifier or place some bowls of water near your plant; they will provide humidity as the water evaporates.
3. Water your plant daily until it drains from the bottom of the pot.
4. Add a water-soluble fertilizer to your plant four times a year to ensure the plant has the nutrients necessary to flower and grow fruit. Sprinkle a fertilizer made specifically for citrus plants on top of the soil. Follow the specific product's recommendations for quantity, as different fertilizers contain different levels of plant nutrients.
5. Move the tree outdoors during the summer months, when the temperatures are appropriate for the tree, and move it back indoors when the temperatures dip below around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Trim the plant every couple of years so that it does not get too large for its pot and your . Cut back branches shooting outward off the trunk so that your mandarin orange tree does not get too wide for your indoor space. Do this outside during the warmer months to avoid making a mess inside your home and choose an appropriate tool for the job; trim small growth with pruning scissors, and use a saw for thicker branches.
Tags: your plant, from bottom, indoor space, mandarin orange tree, mandarin oranges, orange tree, plant nutrients