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Mandarins are evergreen low-growing trees native to the Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, Argentina and Brazil. In Russia, they are found only in the Krasnodar Territory and in the North Caucasus. They can be grown not only in the open field, but also at home.
Where did the tangerines come from?
The homeland of tangerine trees is considered to be the provinces of southern China and Cochin, i.e. southeastern part of Indochina (south of Vietnam). They grew there for dozens of centuries, and came to Europe only at the beginning of the 19th century.
Wild tangerine trees are no longer found. Only cultivated varieties are known. There are more than 200 species, varieties and hybrids of the plant. They differ in different parameters: in taste, appearance and shape of the fruit.
What a tangerine tree looks like
Mandarin is an evergreen tree belonging to the genus Citrus (Rutaceae family). In Latin, its name sounds like this: Citrus reticulata. The tree on which the tangerines grow is named exactly the same as its fruits.
The culture is a low tree that reaches a height of only 4–5 m. Young layers are dark green in color, over time they are covered with bark. Leaves are small, oval or ovoid. The flowers are white, with elongated petals (five on each inflorescence). The mandarin tree looks quite beautiful, especially during the fruiting period, which lasts 7-9 months. Harvesting ends by early December.
An adult tree produces 5-7 thousand fruits per season
Mandarin: This is a fruit, berry or vegetable
Along with the question of which tree tangerines grow on, it is not entirely clear which category they belong to. According to the scientific classification, the culture belongs to such a category as the orange or hesperidium. This is a type of berry - a juicy, multi-seeded fruit. The peculiarity of the orange is that its pulp is divided into several bags of the same size (10-12 lobules in each). Seeds are formed in only a few. There are also varieties in which they are not at all. Thus, the tangerine is exactly the berry. Although from an economic and household point of view, it is a fruit (sweet, juicy). Therefore, it is called so and so.
The size of the fruit is small (compared to other citrus fruits). They reach 4–6 cm in diameter, with an average weight of 60–80 g, although there are also larger varieties (depending on the variety). The color is orange, yellow, greenish and even red-orange. The taste is pleasant, sweet, often sour. The aroma of the zest is pronounced, citrusy.
Mandarin: is it a tree or shrub
From a botanical point of view, mandarin is exactly a tree. It reaches a height of 4–5 meters, after which it grows only due to lateral branches. Like the classic tree, the mandarin has a main trunk, skeletal branches, and shoots of the third, fourth and subsequent orders. For comparison: shrubs can have several trunks, and their height rarely exceeds three meters.
In which country do tangerines grow
In nature, the tangerine tree grows in tropical and subtropical climates. These are India, the countries of Indochina, southern China. South Korea and Japan. The second cultivation region is the Mediterranean, including Italy (especially Sicily), France, Greece, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt.
Also, tangerine trees are grown in the countries of the Black Sea coast and the Caucasus - Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Abkhazia. In America, these plants are also found quite often, for example, in Florida (USA), Argentina and Brazil.
In Russia, thermophilic tangerine trees are often grown in greenhouses.
Where tangerines grow in Russia
In Russia, tangerines grow only on the territory of the Black Sea coast - this is the south of the Krasnodar Territory and the regions of the North Caucasus. Plantations here are small, so the main volumes are supplied from Turkey, China, Abkhazia, Morocco and other countries.
How and on what tangerines grow
The fruits of tangerines grow on stalks - petioles on the shoot. They appear in groups of 5-6, in the same quantity as the flowers were formed.
How tangerines grow in nature
In natural growing conditions (open ground), these plants prefer light, fertile and well-moisturized soils. The place should be open and sunny, without stagnant moisture. All varieties are thermophilic and do not tolerate even short-term frosts. In countries with hot climates (Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia) they can bear fruit all year round.
How mandarin grows at home
At home, the plant is grown in heated greenhouses or in a room (in a large container, bucket). For planting, seeds of hybrids are chosen, which are distinguished by good germination and grow much faster. It is quite simple to distinguish them from varietal varieties: varieties have no seeds in the fruit, but hybrids always have them.
Seeds are selected of a normal type (not very thin), and you need to take at least 5 pieces. In March, they are planted in a pot with sod soil, humus and sand (2: 1: 1). You do not need to take peat, since it acidifies the soil, and tangerine loves a neutral reaction (pH 6.5 to 7.0).
Initially, ordinary 200 ml cups with holes for moisture removal can be used as a container. The seeds are planted to a depth of 4 cm and watered with water. If you have time, you can first put them in a damp cloth and put in a warm place.
At home, it is quite possible to get a harvest of tangerines.
Saplings are grown at room temperature (20-25 degrees). In such conditions, the first shoots appear in the period from 15 to 30 days. As soon as four leaves appear, they are transplanted into a pot.
It is not worth deepening the root collar - it must remain on the surface. Old plants do not need to be transplanted.
A culture may not bloom on its own. To stimulate this process, they act as follows:
- The base of the trunk is tightly wrapped with wire and the structure is left for six months. After that, the wound is treated with garden varnish. The method works only after the plant has branches of at least the fourth order, and it itself has passed at least one wintering.
- Also, seedlings can be grafted by making a T-shaped cut on the trunk at a height of 7 cm (length 2.5 cm, width of the upper lintel 1 cm). The bark is folded back and the scion is inserted. Then cover with a bag, watered, create greenhouse conditions. The vaccination should take root in a month, if this has not happened, you will have to do another scion.
All tips of the leaf plates are removed after 4–5 leaves. Shoots that grow inside the crown are also removed. The most important stage for formation is the first four years of life.
How long does a tangerine tree grow?
This plant lives for a very long time - in warm countries the age reaches 65–70 years.Moreover, in the period of maximum fruiting, the tree enters 30 years. Although in home, greenhouse conditions, the duration is much shorter, but the indicator is still quite large - from 10 to 20 years. Even growing in a room, you can harvest your own fruit.
When and how the tangerine tree blooms
The flowering of a tangerine tree begins, depending on the variety, from 3-5 years. Flowers appear in May, they cover the entire crown. The inflorescences are pure white. Petals are oblong, collected in pairs or 4–6 pieces. The aroma is delicate, floral, not like the smell of citrus fruits. Delicate jasmine tones are noticeable in it.
Mandarins (pictured) bloom very beautifully, almost all flowers form ovaries. Therefore, the yield of mature plants is very high.
The main flowering period of the tangerine tree is in May.
Interesting facts about tangerines
Mandarins have been known for many centuries, but they appeared in Europe only 200 years ago. Despite this, quite a few interesting facts are known about them - here are some of them:
- The word "tangerine" was once used to refer to high-ranking Chinese officials (their clothes were bright orange). Translated from Portuguese, it means "minister".
- In the USSR, the first tangerine trees were grown in Abkhazia.
- The Krasnodar Territory and the Caucasus are the northernmost regions in the world where tangerine trees are grown.
- The tradition of buying tangerines for the new year exists not only in Russia, but also in China. It is customary here to give fruit to your family and friends. They are believed to bring wealth, prosperity and happiness.
- In terms of sales volume (among citrus fruits), mandarins are second only to oranges.
- Tangerine juice is not stored for a long time, and when boiled, it loses its beneficial properties. Therefore, it is almost impossible to find this drink on sale.
- Different varieties of tangerines are crossed with lemon, grapefruit, orange and kumquat. Therefore, there are both sour fruits and very sweet ones.
- One of the forest ducks is called the mandarin duck because its feathers are bright orange. Only males can boast of an unusual color. Females are inconspicuous, they have a grayish plumage.
Conclusion
Mandarins are some of the most famous citrus fruits along with oranges and lemons. Plants live for a very long time - up to 70 years. They bloom profusely and give a large annual yield of up to 500-600 kg per tree.
