Citrus hybrids: varieties and growing at home. Limonium country nearby Do not buy citrus fruits with an open root system

Citrus fruits easily cross and form new hybrids, breeders widely use this property, so today it is difficult to list all the available citrus plant hybrids and their many variations. In addition to the already familiar calamondin and limequat, there are other hybrids of kinkans with citrus fruits and other citrus fruits with each other.

Let's look at some types and varieties of unusual citrus fruits that can be purchased at nurseries. A real exotic for your home!

Itchangensis

Citrus icchangensis, Yichang papeda are rather slow growing citrus species that have a characteristic lemon flavor foliage and flowers.

Ichang lemon (also known as shangjuan)
Kabosu
Hyuganatsu

Ichansky lemon (lat. Cítrus cavaleriéi, formerly Citrus ichangénsis) is an evergreen plant, a species of the genus Citrus (Citrus). Distributed in China. Is an the most cold hardy evergreen citrus, can be used as rootstock. Ichangensis is the most frost-resistant among all species of the genus Citrus. Critical temperature (complete death or freezing to the root neck) from -15 to -17 0 С.

Lemon Yichang, according to another classification, is Citrus wilsonii, comes from the hybridization of Citrus ichangensis (from the mountains of southern China, winter hardiness up to -15C) and Citrus maxima (tropical citrus, can withstand no more than -3C). Shangjuan is another variety of the same Citrus wilsonii, more winter-hardy (down to -13C).

Refers to paped group- citrus fruits, the leaf petioles of which are bordered by very wide wings, are similar to leaf blades. A tree or shrub growing up to 10 m in nature, with straight thorns on the branches.

The juice is sour and pungent in taste, the pulp is dryish, almost absent. Seeds are available. But the fruits are very fragrant, reminiscent of grapefruit (up to 10 cm or more). The large fruit has a taste reminiscent of a mixture of lemon and grapefruit, sometimes used as a substitute for them, although the taste of this type of citrus is still very specific.

How rootstock can be a good alternative to deciduous trifoliate. In addition, the plant itself is very beautiful: densely leafy, with abundant flowering, it grows rapidly.

Clemapo delicacy

Clemapo delice.

Hybrid tangerine x clementine Commune with repeated crossing with tangerine Avana x tangelo Mapo.

Early, medium-high grade. The fruits are obviously flattened, larger than ordinary tangerines (120 g) and usually ripen in October. The pulp has excellent taste and does not contain seeds, moreover, the peel of this tasty orange fruit is very easily separated from the pulp.

Mandarin Ortanik

Tangor - flattened "not-quite-orange", red- orange color, with a thick skin, the result of crossing a tangerine and a sweet orange.
Tangerine ripens earlier than mandarin, and its citrus aroma is less pronounced than that of mandarin.

Ortanique - probably natural tangor, found in Jamaica in the 1920s. Since tangerine and orange trees grew nearby, they decided that this was their hybrid. The name is composed of several words: or(ange) tan(gerine) (un)ique (orange, tangerine, unique).

Its other names are tambor, mandor, mandora.

The fruits are medium and large in size, the peel is slightly rough, orange in color, difficult to peel, with stones. Caliber (54-74 mm).

Ortanic tangerines are the second largest and largest tangerine variety in Greece. Unlike the Clementine variety, Ortanic is harvested without leaves. Due to the tight-fitting peel, Ortanic tangerines are well protected from damage.

Today, Moroccan tangerines of the Ortanic variety can be purchased in Russian stores. The variety is quite large. The fruits are very juicy, the taste is sweet-sour, very pleasant.

Orangequat Nippon

Orangequat nippon (Nippon Orangequat) is a rare and rare interesting citrus. C. unshu x F. margarita. Orangequat (mandarinquat). Its origin is associated with the mandarin, not the orange.

Orangequat is a citrus, a hybrid of the unshiu mandarin and the Hawaiian variety of the kumquat ("Meiwa kumquat"), created by the American Eugene May, introduced into culture in 1932.

Fruiting is less abundant than that of the mandarin, but more abundant than that of the kumquat. The fruits are orange, rounded, larger than kumquats. The skin is thick and sweet. The juice is bitter, but in the process of fruit ripening, their pulp becomes sweeter. The fruits ripen relatively quickly and stay on the tree for several months. Of the x, they are eaten whole, with a peel, like kumquats: the fruits are very tasty.

The species is frost-resistant, can withstand temperatures down to -12 ° C.

It is an attractive ornamental tree, grows slowly, small sizes, convenient for keeping at home, in room conditions.

Citrus Sudachi

Sudachi - frost-resistant sour citrus, can withstand temperatures down to -15 C. Sudachi ichandrin (papeda hybrid). Citrus sudachi Hort. ex Shirai. Citrus icchangensis X C. reticulata var. austere.

It is considered a hybrid of papeda and mandarin, traditionally grown in Tokushima in Japan, on the island of Shikoku. The fruits can be harvested when young, when Sudachi has a distinctive flavor that is different from Yuzu. Young fruits are used for cooking, green fruits are often included in vinegar or seasonings, suitable as additives to many various dishes especially from fish. In dishes, Sudachi is usually cut into thin slices to decorate the main dish. The aroma is used to flavor non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. The fruits are in high demand.

The fruit of Sudachi is much smaller than that of Yuzu, the average fruit size is 3.8 cm wide and 3.4 cm high, the average weight of one fruit is 27.2 grams. There are few seeds, the average juice content is 34.4%, which is higher than Yuzu, so Sudachi is mainly used for juicing. The flesh is light green when unripe, to green-yellow when ripe. Sudachi is slightly more acidic than Yuzu, averaging 5% citric acid.

Sudachi trees are generally moderately strong creeping, small to medium trees, with spines up to 5 mm in each leaf axil. The leaves are elliptical in shape, with a small winged petiole.

It is highly resistant to citrus weevil. Growth is slow. Trees live for a long time. The tree gives an extremely large yield.

According to the University of Riverside in California, the species may be derived from a hybridization between the citrus papeda and the mandarin C. reticulata.

The first mention of Sudachi is in the 1708 book Kaibara Atsunobu.

The fruit is spherical, tuberous, about 4 cm in diameter, weight about 30 g, usually harvested green, from August 15 until the end of September, then the fruit turns yellow and becomes sweet.

The essential oil contains special ingredients, including sudachiines. The quality of sudachi fruit is the subject of publications in Japanese and Korean sources: it is good for the skin, increases triglycerides, fights obesity, it is an anti-oxidation and diabetic juice, improves glucose and lipid metabolism, an excellent anti-inflammatory agent, including in inflammatory processes in bone tissue. A Tokushima University Graduate School publication shows that mice fed this citrus supplement with 1% zest powder had a noticeable weight loss effect.

In Japan, mass production began in 1956. There are micro-manufacturing in California and in Portugal.

The sugar level in the juice is higher than that of a lemon, the sugar/acid ratio is more than 5, the usual quality level for this type of fruit. The taste is typified less tangerine than Yuzu, less resinous than Kabosu, it evokes a pleasant combination of sweetness and acidity, it is a real miracle, highly appreciated with grilled dishes (fish, mushrooms...), added to soy sauce and drinks ( alcoholic drinks, beer, soft drinks). Grated zest is also used.

Tangelo Seminole

Tangelo Seminole (Seminole tangelo). Citrus reticulata x C. paradisi. Citrus tangelo J.W. Ingram & H.E. Moore.

Seminole - citrus with large fruits(like a grapefruit) with a red-orange skin. It is very juicy, has a rich sweet taste with hints of grapefruit, tart, a bit like tangerine, but with a different shade. Variety trees require pruning.

Tangerine is a type of mandarin that grows in Morocco, Sicily, China and the USA. Tangerine is not a botanical term. As a rule, tangerines are called red-orange sweet bright tangerines with an easily detached thin skin. And hybrids of tangerines with other citrus fruits are called tangelo. The first tangelos were obtained in 1897 in Florida.

Known varieties of tangelo: Curly, or Sunrise Tangelo (K-Early, Sunrise Tangelo), Tangelo Seminole (Seminole tangelo).

Lemon Chimera Aranciata

Lemon chimera "Aranciata". C. lemon "Chimera aranciata".

A chimera is an organism consisting of genetically heterogeneous cells, and this lemon is called a chimera for a reason. On one plant, you can see shoots and fruits of both the original forms and hybrid, diverse, with a mixture of signs. Therefore, the shape and taste of the fruits of the chimera are different (oval and pear-shaped). It looks very impressive!

The oval-shaped fruits that grow on the chimera are sour, juicy, fragrant, slightly reminiscent of Meyer lemon in taste. Pear-shaped fruits medium acid, juicy. The chimeric "lemon" is a fruit with bright yellow skin, pale orange flesh that looks more like an orange than a lemon. The pulp is not entirely sweet, but it is far from the acidity of a lemon. The other fruit is pale yellow, but definitely more orange, with lemon flavored flesh. In general, it is incredibly interesting: what will grow and how it will taste!

Thomasville

Citranjequat "Thomasville". Citrangequat "Tomasville".

This hybrid was created at the beginning of the 20th century. It first gave fruit in Thomasville, Georgia (Georgia), now it is called that. The fruits are medium in size, elongated or oval in shape, orange to orange-yellow in color. The taste is sour, there are seeds, there are not many of them.

Tree of fairly vigorous growth, with thorns, grows upright. Leaves of variable shape, often trifoliate. The fruits are large, sour, tasty (when fully ripe), so the variety is the most common variety of citranjquats.

Wakiva (Wikiwa)

Wekiwa tangelo. Citrus × tangelo.

Fruits are medium-small, spherical, obovate or pear-shaped; pale yellow color; relatively few seeds. Skin of medium thickness, smooth. The pulp is tender, juicy; the taste is sweet. Under favorable conditions, the skin is pink-red and the flesh is amber-pink.

The tree grows slowly, but at the same time it is productive; leaves are small, rounded-oval.

It is a hybrid of the grapefruit and the Sampson mandarin and hence the species is a tangelo. It is not commercially significant, but is of interest due to its novelty and pinkish skin color.

The fruits are juicy and sweet with a hint of grapefruit.

They are dwarf trees, grow well in pots, can be kept small, compact, with judicious pruning. The fruits ripen in January.

Unlike other tangelos, Wikiva fruit resembles a pink grapefruit, but tastes more like a tangerine.

Flying dragon

Citrus Poncirus Trifoliata Flying Dragon. Flying Dragon. Latin name: Trifoliata Poncirius Monstrosa.

The unique exotic citrus Flying Dragon is a deciduous, very dwarf tree with an attractive shape, twisted branches and hooked thorns.

The flying dragon, also known as the Japanese bitter orange, is the hardiest close relative citrus fruits. Native to China and Korea, it is a deciduous shrub with twisted green twigs and menacing crooked thorns. The green spiky lace of the branches resembles the shadows and silhouettes of flying dragons.

The fruits of the Flying Dragon are yellow, about 5 cm in diameter, the juice is similar to lemon. In China, the Flying Dragon is used as a compact, impenetrable hedge. The variety is unpretentious.

Suitable as a dwarf rootstock for citrus fruits, causes very early flowering and fruiting. Trees grown on the Flying Dragon rarely exceed 1.5 meters in height and often bear fruit already in the year of sowing.

The fruits of this species ripen in late autumn.

The flying dragon in nature grows up to 2 meters in height, a plant with a moderate growth rate. Trees need very little pruning compared to others. fruit trees. Needs enough sunny place, fertile, well-drained acidic soil, regular deep watering is recommended. The variety is frost-resistant and will survive low temperatures, down to -20C. By spring, fragrant white flowers with five petals adorn the bare stems. In summer, green fruits appear among the glossy green leaves. Each leaf consists of three oval leaflets, therefore it is called trifoliate. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow, and around this time, the fruits of yellow-gold color ripen. Fruit may remain on the tree through the winter.

Takle

Tacle (Citrus sinensis x Citrus clementina).

While Sicily has been supplying the world with its citrus fruits, its most valuable treasure has been hidden in the Acireale research center for citrus and Mediterranean crops: the Tacle, a new type of citrus that was created over a decade ago.

The tacla fruit looks like a large tangerine or slightly crushed orange and is actually a cross between an orange and a clementine. To be precise, this hybrid stems from the Montreal variety Clementine (which is itself a hybrid) and the Tarocco orange.

Tacle has a sweet taste, the flesh is firm and very juicy, without seeds. Shiny, bright orange peel. It is ideal for fresh consumption and juicing.

Fragrant citrus fruit, excellent thirst quencher, speckled with reddish hues due to the characteristic pigmentation of anthocyanins. The fruit, weighing an average of about 150 g, has a flattened shape. The tacle fruit is harvested from late December to late January and has a distinct taste, similar to a mixture of clementine and Sicilian orange.

Thanks to its characteristic appearance and sweetness, Tacle stands out as a citrus fruit with a pleasant aroma and taste and valuable organoleptic characteristics, vitamin-rich pulp and low fat content. Tasty and healthy!

Pomum Adamo

Pomum Adami Citrus aurata Risso. Adam "s apple, d" Adam, du Paradis, Pomme d "Adam, Pomme du Paradis, Pomo d" Adamo. Adam's apple. Italian variety.

Pomum Adami is a citrus with huge fruits. It has long been called Pomm ď Adama ("Adam's apple"). According to Gallesio (1811) belongs to the group of hybrids "Lumia". It could be a mix orange tree and lemon cedrato. Marco Polo found this variety in Persia (now Iran) in 1270, the Arabs brought it to Palestine in the 12th century. It was also mentioned in the book History of Jerusalem by the French author Jacques de Vitry in the early 13th century. The book claims that de Vitry saw him in Palestine during crusades and holy war. This variety was also later described by other famous botanists.

According to molecular analysis done at one plant by Italian researchers, the original mother plants are pompelmus, citron and lemon.

The tree grows to medium height and fairly wide, has a globular crown with typically non-thorny branches, or in some cases there are rarely a few thorns on the branches. Large, spear-shaped leaves are oval, sometimes with slightly serrated edges. The flowers are large, highly fragrant, creamy white with a hint of purple. They usually grow singly, but at the tips of young shoots almost exclusively in racemes.

Spherical fruits are quite large, with or without a tubercle, sometimes with a narrow neck. The peel is light lemon-yellow, bitter. The pulp is almost inedible, very sour.

Tsitranszheremo

Microcitrus Citrangeremo.

Australian microcitrus.

This plant is actively growing, seedlings can be used as a rootstock. The plant is compact and grows well.

Citrangeremo is a natural hybrid of Citrange x Eremocitrus glauca. This variety was brought to Europe from Germany. The leaf is small, oblong, reminiscent of a willow leaf.

A variety of Australian origin, should withstand heat and dry air well, compact, great for indoor growing.

Glauka x shekvasha

Microcitrus Glauka X Shekvasha. C. Glauca x Shekvasha.

A hybrid of the Australian desert lime and mandarin.

Glauka easily form hybrids, this is one of them. Shekwasha is a tangerine (Shekwasha, Citrus depressa Hayata, Citrus pectinifera Tanaka).

It grows well, the crown is dense. The tree is very decorative.

The tree is vigorous, with a rounded crown. The fruits are very small, orange in color, flattened, with a very thin and fragrant peel. The pulp is soft, slightly viscous, with a very pleasant taste.

Eremoorange

Natural hybrid of C. glauca (Australian desert lime) x C. sinensis (orange). Eremoorange.

A tree of vigorous growth, gives a good increase. Leaves like microcitruses, from orange - a larger size of leaf blades. Seedlings of this variety grow quickly, have deep taproots.

The fruits are small (2-4.5 cm in diameter), drop-shaped, elongated, the peel is bright yellow.

In the area of Marseille, Eremorange survives in open field temperatures down to minus 15 degrees.

The fruits have a sharp sour taste, with a strong tangerine aroma and hints of orange. Suitable for making marmalade of the highest quality.

Kumquat Triploid Reale

Kumquat Reale (Fortunella Reale ISA). Fortunella Reale (Fortunella Reale Kumquat, Kumquat Reale ISA, triploid reale). This is a triple hybrid (triploid): a "Monreal" clementine is crossed with a Fortunella Hindsii kumquat, and then the resulting hybrid is crossed again with a Fortunella Hindsii kumquat, so 4x.

ISA - Istituto Sperimentale per l "Agrumicoltura, an institute in Sicily that breeds new citrus varieties.

Fruits of fine dessert taste.

This kumquat is specially bred in order to obtain the outstanding decorative qualities of the plant, continuous flowering and the ability to bear fruit already in the first year of life. An ideal variety for growing at home, in an apartment.

Grafted plants bloom in the first year of life. The leaves are similar to kumquat leaves, the crown is compact, the spines are short and thin. The fruits are small, weighing no more than 15 grams, oval, yellow, they stay on the tree for a long time after ripening.

High-yielding variety, remontant. The fruits vary slightly in size and shape.

The taste of fruits is tangerine-kumquat, sweet peel and pleasant sweet and sour pulp. The pulp is sour, juicy; peel with the taste of sweet tangerine, rich, fragrant, so the fruits are eaten with the peel. Seeds are found, but not in all fruits.

From clementine Montreal variety received good taste, and from kumquat Hindsii - the ability to constantly bloom profusely.

Reale has outstanding decorative qualities: it blooms continuously. On the tree at the same time there are ripe fruits, ovaries and flowers. The shape of the crown is a bit like a Meyer lemon.

The variety is unpretentious, undemanding to the conditions of detention (suitable even for beginners), very prolific, highly decorative, and also with very tasty fruits. It is highly recommended as a pot culture for indoor maintenance.

The key to successful cultivation of citrus plants is not only the creation favorable conditions in the apartment, but also care that meets their needs. However, the first difficulty that one has to face is the choice of a green friend. Alas, it often fails. On the counter, the plant looks like a real beauty, and a week after the purchase, for some reason, it turns into a pitiful scumbag.

Plants strewn with bright fruits are usually sold in November-December, when they mostly bear fruit. So, they have, as businessmen say, the best marketable condition and, accordingly, the highest price, and the maximum demand. That is why, by the end of the year, seductive fruit-bearing citrus fruits, similar to Christmas trees with toy decorations, fill both markets and shops. What is the real prospect, not even prosperity, but at least just their survival on the windowsill? Alas, it is minimal!

All greenhouse sissies are capricious. Any fruit-bearing plants are conservative and require the same conditions that they are used to. What were they? Fruiting tangerines, kinkans, oranges and lemons, Russian intermediary firms buy most often in Holland. There they, in turn, come from greenhouses in Germany, Denmark and the countries of Southern Europe. There, for their growth and quick entry into fruiting, climatic conditions not different from the subtropics. That is, in these greenhouses, lighting and air humidity are brought to the ideal!

Inexperienced lovers are simply not able to repeat the same on their windowsills. Therefore, most likely, a live “purchase-picture” is doomed. By the way, in Holland itself, it is customary to buy fruit-bearing plants in pots for Christmas and other winter holidays only as disposable ones, that is, they keep them at home like a bouquet of flowers - until they wither, then they throw them away.

It is clear that our Russian buyer would like to count on much more long life of your acquisition. However, only those who are able to provide the hothouse handsome man with similar conditions of detention have real chances for this. But, we repeat, it is very difficult to do this.

Do not buy open-rooted citrus fruits.

Even when the roots are packaged in bags. Such plants, as a rule, are sold in the markets and at any city flea market (in Moscow and near metro stations). And they are brought from the Black Sea coast, where they hastily dig out of the ground, and then shake them in large, tightly stuffed bags for a long time in transport. Immediately before the sale, they are given a more or less marketable appearance.

An experienced citrus grower will bypass such a gift from Sochi or Sukhumi. With rare exceptions, such a plant will die sooner or later. And there are at least two reasons for this. Firstly, the roots of any citrus fruits cannot stand either rough handling or any long stay out of the soil, and a bag and a bag do not save from this. Secondly, even if Sochi-Sukhumi citrus fruits were grown and sold in pots, they would still not be suitable for our window sills.

The fact is that in the Black Sea subtropics, citrus plants in January-February are grafted onto the most winter-hardy, but deciduous species - trifoliata.

In winter, it is in a state of deep biological dormancy, which means that it cannot tolerate heat above 10 ° C. In a dream, the roots do not function and do not absorb water, and the leaves in a hot room evaporate it intensively. With such a discrepancy, death quickly ensues. Therefore, a citrus plant grafted on trifoliate, if it can be grown here, is only on cool balconies and loggias or in winter gardens.

Much easier to tame youngsters. It has long been known that any living organism, not excluding plants, gets used to new conditions of detention much easier and faster, including not the best ones, from an early age. For citrus fruits, this is the age when they are only a few months old, that is, long before fruiting. It is unprofitable for businessmen who supply foreign supplies to sell such plants. But citrus seedlings have finally been grown by several of our greenhouse complexes, small private nurseries, and just experienced amateurs.

However, even if we assume that only young varietal citrus plants are displayed on the counter, which are quite adapted to home conditions, then on an ordinary windowsill, under the same conditions, different species will behave far from the same way. Some will be capricious, others will quickly adapt. According to the rating of citrus fruits, calamondins are the most unpretentious in terms of endurance, followed by tangerines, oranges, citrons, lemons, grapefruits, and kincanas close the list. There is a scatter even within some species, that is, a variety from a variety differs very significantly. You will agree with this when you get acquainted with the characteristics various kinds and varieties of citrus plants.

Out of order of the endurance rating and we will tell about them in more detail, not only because among all other types of citrus fruits we have them the most popular. And also because there are so many varieties of lemon sold that it is easy for an inexperienced lover to get confused. We will help you make the right choice.

Meyer. The main advantage of this most purchased variety is short stature. Accordingly, the leaves and fruits are medium-sized. The taste is sweet and sour. It enters fruiting in the second year of life, and sometimes at the age of one. And it blooms and bears fruit very plentifully. There are also disadvantages. Not infrequently, it throws out only buds, forgetting about the leaves, and then the plant simply has nothing to absorb the light with. To save him, you need to remove most of the buds. Another disadvantage is a very painful reaction to the lack of light during the winter months.

Panderose. The tree is medium-sized, with a spreading crown, short thick shoots. The fruits are large. It enters fruiting in the 2nd year of life. It blooms profusely, often even excessively. Therefore, in order to avoid depletion of the plant, most of the buds have to be removed again. It grows well on any windows without additional lighting. Therefore, it is considered one of the most unpretentious varieties.

Novogruzinsky. The fruits of this variety look very elegant: bright golden, elongated oval shape, with a pointed tip. Aromatic, fruitful. However, with two drawbacks. Firstly, it bears fruit relatively late - only in the 4-5th year of life. And secondly, it is distinguished by tallness, large needles. Therefore, it is more suitable not for home windows, but for offices where there are large bright rooms.

Kursk. High-yielding, bears fruit in the 3rd year of life. It is quite unpretentious, although it loses a lot of foliage in winter with insufficient lighting. The main disadvantage is tall stature, so a strong shortening of the branches is required annually.

Pavlovsky. The result of almost a century and a half of folk selection, the Variety is rightfully considered unsurpassed in the ability of plants to adapt to room conditions, seedlings can adapt to almost any light and temperature. It blooms and bears fruit at least twice, and even 3-4 times a year. Plants are medium-sized and practically do not require pruning and crown formation.

Not everyone knows that this seemingly exotic culture surpasses many varieties of lemons with its unpretentiousness. Indeed, with sufficient light, you can grow fruits that are not inferior to those of the south: just as sweet, large and even with more tender pulp! Many of them are able to develop well and bear fruit even on those windows that face the north side, less than other citrus fruits suffer from dry air in winter.

Unshiu broadleaf. The most common variety that moved to the window from the Black Sea subtropics. The maximum height of an adult tree is 1.5 m, it bears fruit from 3 years.

Kowano-Wase, Miagawa-Wase. Dwarf varieties of tangerines, their height on the windowsill rarely exceeds 50 cm. They are less common, but more convenient for home conditions. They bear fruit in the 1st-2nd year of life.

On the windowsill, they also feel quite tolerable. The trees look very decorative: a slender crown and dark green, dense foliage. Unlike varieties grown from seeds, they are usually taller, therefore they require either regular pruning or maintenance in spacious rooms.

Gamlin, Smoothskin. One of the most convenient varieties for home use. They have a compact crown, height up to 1 m, tasty and early ripening fruits. They start fruiting at the 3-4th year.

A rare species of citrus. With their crown, leaves, as well as the oblong shape, color and taste of fruits, citrons almost do not differ from lemons. But they are much larger and have a bumpy, thick, grapefruit-like peel.

Pavlovsky. The most famous variety of citron. Like the lemon of the same name, it comes from Pavlov. By the way, for the bumpy surface there it is often called shishkan. Differs in beautiful oblong large leaves. Compared to lemon, the tree is more decorative.

One of the largest citrus fruits. Plants are tall, so on the window they need to be severely cut annually. It is better to grow indoors, where there are large windows and wide window sills or well-lit halls.

Duncan, Seedless March, Jubilee. These are the best varieties of grapefruits, they begin to bear fruit in the 3-4th year of life.

Close relatives of citrus fruits. In terms of the number of potted fruit-bearing trees imported from Holland to our country, kinkans are in the lead, since they appearance impeccable and very seductive. Just what you need as a gift for the holiday: squat trees with dense foliage, literally strewn with golden fruits. They are eaten with the skin on. They are very original in taste and give a refreshing, prickly effect, almost like champagne. Sometimes kinkans go on sale under the name kumquats. They grow well and bear fruit only on sufficiently lit windows. With a lack of light, leaves lose much faster than they renew and eventually dry out.

Most often, two varieties of kinkan are sold: with fully rounded fruits (thick-leaved Meiva) and elongated oval (pearl Nagami). They begin to bear fruit in the 3rd year of life.

These are hybrids of kinkan and mandarin. Abroad, due to their unpretentiousness, they are more often grown on a windowsill or balcony than other citrus fruits. And in the summer they put them outside, where they decorate the place in front of the house and open verandas.

The golden fruits from this tree resemble tangerines, but are rounder and smaller (2-4 cm), with a thinner peel. The leaves are smaller than those of other citrus fruits, dark, leathery, oval-pointed. By the way, compared to lemon and orange, calamondin bears fruit more abundantly. Even with dry air and lack of light. A dense foliage combined with a beautiful crown, lush bloom makes calamondin a real window sill decoration in any home.

Almost all commercially available varieties come into fruition in the 3-4th year, and they are all unpretentious. True, the most original calamondin - variegated, with white edging on the leaves - is rather capricious and is suitable only for windows with good lighting.

Of all the heat-loving citrus fruits, the mandarin is the most cold-resistant. Therefore, it grows in open ground only in the southern regions of Russia, and in all the rest it is successfully grown today in room conditions.

Rejuvenating apples

Ancient Greek legends and Russian fairy tales tell about golden rejuvenating apples growing at the end of the world. For the sake of these apples, well-known heroes performed feats.

The most difficult twelfth feat (according to some sources, it was the eleventh feat) was performed by the son of the chief of the Olympian gods Zeus, the mighty Hercules. Having passed Libya, Egypt, he still got to the end of the world and got 3 apples. True, in order to take possession of them, Hercules had to use not only his prowess, but also cunning. So believe after that adults who tell children that cunning is a quality unworthy of a person. Although Hercules was only half human and half god, who is allowed to do everything.

In Russian fairy tales, as a rule, the hero turned out to be the most ingenuous younger son, not distinguished by either strength or cunning. It was precisely by the absence of the last two qualities that he knew how to win over anyone he met, including the decrepit Baba Yaga and Koshchei, who was easy to lift due to the insignificant weight of his body, dried up by immortality. All these dark personalities willingly helped Ivanushka to emerge as a hero against the backdrop of greedy, treacherous and cunning brothers. Ivanushka also managed to get rejuvenating apples, which are still growing on the same edge of the world.

Since apples were not divas for Europeans and Russians, rejuvenating apples were understood as the golden fruits of citrus trees, including tangerines, which grew by the standards of that time “at the end of the world”. This is today, if air communication with the “end of the world” has not been canceled, it is 3-7 hours of flight before it.

Christmas present

The snow-white flowering of mandarin falls in March, filling the garden with pleasant persistent aroma. Only by December, its amazing fruits ripen, which differ from other citrus fruits in a number of qualities that are pleasant for humans.

Unlike lemons and oranges, the peel of which is not so easy to separate from the juicy pulp, and therefore sometimes they have to be cut into slices along with the leathery skin, the peel of tangerines is easily separated from the juicy pulp, which easily breaks up into separate slices, protected by a thin translucent film. Perhaps it is still easy to peel some types of grapefruit.

The flesh of the tangerine fruit is sweet, not sour-sweet like an orange or sour like a lemon. Therefore, tangerines are equally appetizing for people of any age.

And in terms of aroma, coming from both flowers and ripe fruits, not a single citrus can be compared with mandarin.

It seems that when creating the Mandarin tree, the Christian three-faced god gave Mankind a gift for the birthday of his only son, so that, celebrating this significant day for believers every year, they would enjoy the fragrant tasty fruit.

For the majority of Russians separated from religion, the aroma of mandarin is strongly associated with New Year's carefree holidays and a smart Christmas tree sparkling with colorful lights.

Mandarin on the windowsill

Derived miniature tangerine trees, which is enough flower pot to please a person with abundant flowering and fruiting. Moreover, the flowers, and behind them the fruits, do not wait for March or December, but appear on the tree all year round.

Of course, their fruits cannot be compared either in size or in taste with tangerines grown in free spaces, but they have the same tangerine aroma that fills the apartment.

So their peel can be used against moths, ants, which do not like the aroma of citrus plants.

Or, by drying the peel and turning it into an orange powder, you can use it to decorate culinary delights, delighting the household with delicious yummy.

Admiral Apraksin brought the first two hundred small fruit-bearing citrus trees in pots to Russia in 1708 at the direction of Peter the Great. At first, privileged persons grew them in their greenhouses and greenhouses. The exception is still the city of Pavlovo, Nizhny Novgorod region, where window citrus growing has become a hobby for almost all local residents (see "Science and Life" No. ). Now, 300 years later, many domestic and foreign companies are engaged in the cultivation of exotic seedlings, and home citrus growing attracts more and more plant lovers. But only those who will rely on the experience of previous generations of citrus growers can count on luck.

Science and life // Illustrations

The main advantage of the Meyer lemon tree is short stature. Accordingly, the leaves and fruits are medium-sized, with a thin peel. This variety blooms and bears fruit very abundantly.

With sufficient lighting on the windowsill, you can grow tangerine fruits that are not inferior to the southern ones. They are just as sweet, large and even have more tender flesh. In the photo: tangerines of the dwarf variety Miagawa-Wase. Plant height rarely exceeds 50 cm.

The most common variety of mandarin, Unshiu broad-leaved, bears fruit from the age of three. Fruits without seeds, with a smooth thin skin.

One of the most unpretentious varieties of lemon - Panderose. The tree is medium-sized, with a spreading crown. The fruits are large.

Fruits of the Novogruzinsky lemon variety are very fragrant - they are elongated-oval in shape, with a pointed tip.

Citrus fruits, even on the same branch, do not ripen at the same time.

In the room, oranges feel quite tolerable. The trees look very decorative: a slender crown, dark green dense foliage and rather bright fruits.

Grapefruit is one of the largest citrus fruits. Plants are tall, so when planted in a window, they need to be severely pruned annually.

Since the 18th century, myrtle-leaved orange, or sour orange, has been grown in Russia.

Citrus seedlings with a closed root system.

Formation of the crown of vigorous varieties of orange, grapefruit, lemon or mandarin.

With a lack of nitrogen, the leaves turn yellow, especially the lower ones and at the base of the shoots.

With poor nutrition, the dark green leaves of any citrus fruits become variegated.

Citrus buds appear at any time of the year, but most of them are in February-April and September-October.

Science and life // Illustrations

I warn you in advance: not everyone should even try to grow lemons and other citrus fruits in an apartment. Home citrus growing is the lot of passionate, dreamy and at the same time thoughtful, serious people who are capable of for long years, sparing no effort and time, to learn the numerous "secrets" of this difficult occupation, step by step comprehending its wisdom.

And all for what? In any case, not for the sake of the "real" harvest. And it's not even about satisfying one's own ambitions, but rather about something completely different - a kind of "sculpting" with one's own hands of a miracle of nature itself - a lemon country on a tiny windowsill.

This is not an exaggeration. Indeed, for any northerner, it is the evergreen tree of orange or lemon, tirelessly blooming, with golden fruits, that is the “living” symbol of the southern countries with eternal summer, where there is no gray-lead low-falling sky, short daylight hours and other discomfort that everyday affects our mood and well-being.

The man-made oasis seems to help, together with the plants, to move into the fairy tale of the subtropics.

But here is another paradox: not a single company that imports citrus fruits even attaches a short growing instruction to them. As a result, the life expectancy of acquired seedlings, sometimes expensive, is reduced to a few weeks, and luxurious southerners turn into miserable scumbags.

In flower shops, citrus fruits are usually sold in the late autumn and winter months, when all their types and varieties look equally festive, especially since they are grown in almost ideal conditions of greenhouses and greenhouses under the supervision of specialists.

Sometimes it doesn’t even occur to buyers that a seedling bought for a lot of money in an ordinary apartment will have to experience, without exaggeration, shock and stress. Whether this whole plant will survive depends not only on our ability to create it the necessary conditions, but also on the life potential of a particular plant.

forty-year-old personal experience cultivation of such sissies and information from amateurs that I receive after the publication of my books about these plants led to the conclusion that different species and varieties in the same room conditions do not behave at all in the same way: some die immediately, others get sick, others more - Less adapt to life in any apartment.

Over time, I made a kind of "ranking" different types citrus fruits according to the degree of hardiness (from high to low). And what is curious: practically this "rating" coincided with what was published more than 100 years ago by Professor N. N. Shavrov in the book "Tub and Hothouse Culture". So, the most unpretentious are the Pomeranians (bigaradia) and Calamandins, and the "fastidious" and "capricious" are Kinkans. Between them, in decreasing degree of endurance, are tangerines, oranges, citrons, lemons, grapefruits.

From abroad, we mainly import kinkans, tangerines, oranges; their presentation is impeccable, but, as a rule, the type of plant is not indicated. Lemons different ages- mostly Russian, from domestic greenhouse farms.

SELECTION OF VARIETIES

The most popular citrus fruits are lemons. Although this species occupies the place of "middlings" in the "rating", the existing varieties differ from each other. In terms of hardiness, I arrange them in the following sequence: Pavlovsky, Panderoza, Kursky, Meyer, Novogruzinsky, then all the rest (more than 100 varieties are known in total).

Pavlovsky. The result of almost a century and a half of folk selection (in the 60s of the XIX century, this lemon was brought from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey). Seedlings of Pavlovsky lemon easily adapt to room conditions. It blooms at least twice, and even three or four times a year. Plants are low- and medium-sized (up to 1 m), practically do not require pruning and crown formation. They begin to bear fruit in the third year. At good care give 10-30 rather large (up to 200 g) fruits from a tree.

Panderose. It grows well on any windows without additional lighting. Therefore, it is considered one of the most unpretentious varieties. The tree is low- and medium-sized, less than 1 m, with a spreading crown, short, thick shoots. The fruits are large (up to 50-100 g). It blooms profusely, therefore, in order to avoid depletion of the plant, most of the buds have to be removed. It enters fruiting in the second year of life. The yield is high, up to 10 lemons per tree, but the fruits have their drawbacks: they are thick-skinned, not acidic enough and a little dry.

Kursk. Bred in Kursk by amateur citrus grower A. A. Fomenko more than half a century ago. Unpretentious, although with insufficient lighting in winter it loses a lot of leaves. Fruits in the third year of life. On a glazed balcony, it gives more than 30 high-quality fruits from a tree. The main disadvantage of the variety is its tall stature, therefore, a strong shortening of the branches is required annually.

Novogruzinsky. Very elegant bright golden fruits of this variety. However, it also has two drawbacks. Firstly, relatively late fruiting - only in the fourth or fifth year of life. And secondly, tallness (up to 1.5 m and above) and large needles.

Productivity - up to 20-30 fruits per plant.

Meyer. The main advantage of this variety is short stature (0.5-1 m). It enters fruiting in the second year of life, and sometimes even earlier. It blooms and bears fruit very abundantly, the fruits are medium-sized, sweet and sour. This variety also has disadvantages. Often a plant throws out only buds, forgetting about the leaves, and then it simply has nothing to absorb the light with. To save the tree, you have to remove most of the buds. Another disadvantage is the painful reaction of the plant to the lack of light during the winter months.

Much better variety Meyer feels at home in our apartments when grafted onto homegrown citrus seedlings. As a result, the trees develop well and bear fruit abundantly: up to 20 fruits from each. The fruits are thin-skinned, juicy and less acidic than other varieties.

As for other types of citrus fruits, tangerines and citrons are more elegant than others. Mandarin trees are strewn with brightly colored, fragrant, sweet fruits. Citrons are distinguished by dark lush foliage and beautiful tuberous yellow fruits.

It is convenient to grow tangerines in small windows, since many of their varieties, especially dwarf ones, are rarely more than a meter high. Citrons after 10 years of growth are slightly higher.

Grapefruits are less suitable for window sills - because of their tallness: they often reach 1.5 m and above. However, they can be successfully grown in spacious areas.

Calamandins and oranges are very decorative, do not take up much space and are unpretentious. However, they have fruits of mediocre taste.

Much tastier than kinkans (their other name is kumquats), their fruits are eaten together with a piercingly fragrant skin. Kinkan trees are rather undersized, but capricious and require growing conditions close to ideal, which is easier to create on the balcony and in the loggia.

Very impressive fruit-bearing trees! But I do not advise you to be tempted by such plants when buying: they rarely get used to room conditions, often get sick and die. It is much more practical to buy citrus "youngsters", they adapt much easier and faster to life on the windowsill.

OUR WINDOWSILL IS NOT SUBTROPIC, BUT…

If you purchased and placed a citrus tree on the window, try to create conditions for it that at least remotely resembled the usual natural element - the subtropics. And initially room conditions, to put it mildly, are strikingly different from them.

In the homeland of citrus South-East Asia and the countries of the Mediterranean - a lot of light (light day is equal to night, that is, 12 hours), high humidity air (up to 95% on average) and a favorable temperature: from spring to autumn it is hot, and cool in winter (5-10 ° C).

Of the three listed factors more or less achievable in the room, oddly enough, only the last. The indicators of the microclimate of our window sill remotely resemble ... India and Italy, although, as a rule, in the winter months in our apartment it is warmer than it should be, and in the summer it is a little cooler.

But the other two conditions for the life of these sissies are very difficult to provide.

In December-January, at the latitude of Moscow, no more than 3-5 fine sunny days are usually given, and the duration of daily lighting drops by the end of the year to 7 hours instead of the required 12. Moreover, due to frequent cloudiness, a dim beam of light is simply not able to start the "motor "photosynthesis. And from November to mid-March, citruses are doomed to many months of hard to endure fasting.

After all, the main nutrition that is required every minute is not contained at all in certain fertilizers, but in the surrounding air - this is carbon dioxide, which turns into leaves into organic compounds only under the influence of a powerful light source - the sun!

Fasting is tripled due to low air humidity (25% instead of 95%). And as a result of this, the entrance "gates" - stomata for carbon dioxide - slam shut on the leaves, saving the life-giving moisture of the tissues from drying out.

It is clear that in order to save the tree, it is important to adjust two indicators of the habitat, namely: every day in autumn and winter, extend the lighting up to 12 hours due to bright lamps and in various ingenious ways to increase the humidity of the air to at least 50-60% (which, by the way, is important and to improve our well-being!).

Both goals are easily achievable, and in several ways. Ordinary household incandescent bulbs are categorically not suitable as an artificial "sun" (the wrong spectrum of light and too much heat). But fluorescent fluorescent lamps of daylight suspended directly above the crown of plants (ideally, two lamps of 80 watts each) are quite suitable, and even more effective. sodium lamps high pressure with a mirror reflector, produced by domestic manufacturers (one lamp with a power of 70 watts is enough).

As for increasing the humidity of the air, for this, saucers filled with water are usually placed on the windowsill, and plants are often sprayed from a spray bottle. All this helps, but not much. Much better to hang on the battery central heating a large wet towel, substituting a wide basin below on the floor. And even more effectively humidify the air in the room with electric humidifiers of various systems that are sold in stores.

FIRST CHALLENGES

The best place for citrus fruits is the brightest window sill, and even better - a double-glazed and insulated loggia. Immediately after the acquisition, the tree is transplanted (more precisely, "transferred" with the preservation of the former earthen coma) into a new pot, more conveniently - into a plastic one, with a diameter and height of 4-7 cm more than before. Do this very carefully, trying not to damage any of the roots. Be sure to arrange drainage at the bottom of the tank in the form of a two-centimeter layer of fine expanded clay, or better - swamp moss-sphagnum; the land mixture is made up of equal parts of leafy soil (completely rotted leaves collected under old maples and lindens), sod (it is obtained by simply shaking off earthen layers cut in a meadow or along the banks of a river, lake, pond) and compost sifted through a metal mesh with cells of 1 cm. The so-called special earthen mixtures "Lemon", "Orange", "For citrus" are least suitable for citrus fruits, since they consist exclusively of peat with the addition of mineral fertilizers. Watering trees in winter time usually every other day with boiled, settled water (at least 50-60% of potassium and magnesium salts are deposited in such water, which alkalize the soil), and ideally - with water passed through a household filter.

FEEDING AND PEST PROTECTION

In the future, citrus fruits require an annual transplant into a loose fertile soil and frequent (every decade) fertilizing irrigation from late February to August. You can limit yourself to top dressing with a weak aqueous solution (1:10) of fermented nettle, dandelion, comfrey and other weeds; they are insisted for a week in a glass jar or a closed plastic bucket in a 1: 1 ratio. As a rule, such dressings are combined with completely soluble complex mineral fertilizers - Sudarushka, Semitsvetik, Kemira-lux.

Much more worries and troubles are the troubles associated with the health of domestic citrus fruits, since they are a favorite delicacy for many pests. Attracts to them, like a magnet, aphids, whiteflies, spider mites and false shields (the latter are especially dangerous and difficult to eradicate).

Pest attack is one of the main reasons for the death of citrus fruits. The most effective means of protection in emergency cases are Aktara and Aktellik preparations. I advise you not to spray the plants, but to completely immerse their crown in a container with an insecticide solution. The biological drug Fitovern is also suitable (2 tsp per 1 liter of water), but this drug does not work at a temperature of +17 ° C and below. But the best prevention is regular (every two to three months) treatments with the New FAS drug of high concentration (3-4 tablets per bucket of water).

So, the key to the successful cultivation of citrus plants is the creation of favorable conditions in the apartment, and care that meets their needs, and the ability to defeat insect pests. Only then will citrus trees bring you joy.

Detailed description of the illustration

Formation of the crown of vigorous varieties of orange, grapefruit, lemon or mandarin. Citrus fruits are pruned in February. On young seedlings, the top of the only growing shoot is shortened in order to quickly cause its branching, the appearance of branches of the 1st order. They are also pruned to get shoots of the 2nd order. This operation is repeated until fruit-bearing branches of the 4th-5th order grow. In the future, pinching stronger branches, cause the growth of weak shoots, thereby forming a lush and beautiful crown. In the figure: a - pinching a branch of the 0th order; b - pinching branches of the 1st order; c - pinching branches of the 2nd-4th order.
Citrus buds appear at any time of the year, but most of them are in February-April and September-October. For more than a month, they develop, increasing in size. When opening at least one bud, a delicate aroma, somewhat reminiscent of the smell of jasmine, fills the whole house. As a rule, each flower has five dense petals, bright yellow fluffy stamens and a pistil towering above them with a stigma at the end. The flowers of many citrus fruits are self-pollinating, but the desired sweetish aroma attracts bees that fly into the apartment through the window.