This hybrid between mandarin orange and kumquat bears fragrant white blossoms in late winter or spring. The wonderfully fragrant flowers develop into showy 1-inch-diameter orange fruits on a shrubby plant with glossy green foliage. Fruits can remain on the plant for many weeks.
Calamondin Trees grow small 1 inch fruits that taste like a cross between a mandarin orange and a kumquot. The peel is sweet, and the juice is sour. Because of this, calamondins have many culinary uses including making lemonade, flavoring fish, salsa, marmalade, and mixed drinks as well.
Plant Care
- Water the tree as needed to keep the soil moist but not wet. Allow the top inch of soil to dry out before watering.
- Provide direct sunlight for at least several hours daily. Move the plants outdoors for a few hours daily in the spring, increasing the time outdoors until the tree can stay outdoors for the summer. Bring the tree indoors in the autumn, before the first cold snap. Decrease the time outdoors slowly until the tree is acclimated to staying indoors.
- Fertilize with a citrus formula or a slow-release formula specifically for acid loving plants during the growing season. Dilute the fertilizer to half the recommended strength during the winter months.
- Inspect the foliage regularly and before bringing the tree in for the fall. Treat insect infestations chemically, following the directions on the package.
- Prune your calamondin orange tree only as needed to remove dead or diseased branches. Pinch back water sprouts or spurs that grow from the trunk or roots.
- Replant container plants every few years to prevent roots from becoming root bound.
Why Grow It?: You can harvest the fruits after they ripen and use them like lemons or kumquats or make them into marmalade.
Name: x Citrofortunella microcarpa
Growing Conditions: Bright to intense light; 65-80 degrees F., 55-65 degrees F. in winter; keep soil evenly moist
Size: To 4 feet tall and wide
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