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Kumquat is a beautiful plant with healthy golden-colored fruits. Kumquat belongs to the subgenus Fortunella, of the Rutaceae family. The ornamental plant was brought into the country from China relatively recently and immediately became popular. A kumquat in a flower pot looks attractive, reminiscent of a miniature tree or shrub. Growing kumquat at home is an interesting and easy task, even a novice gardener can handle it.By following simple rules, you can grow a tropical plant with fragrant flowers and healthy, beautiful fruits.
What varieties of kumquat can be grown at home?
Under natural conditions, kumquat grows in southern China, the height of the tree reaches 5 m. At home, the height of the plant depends on the size of the pot. The plant forms a strong root system and a spherical crown. Kumquat blooms in the first half of summer; numerous snow-white-pink flowers with a pleasant citrus aroma appear on the tree.
After flowering, orange-colored fruits appear on the home kumquat plant, weighing up to 30 g. They taste like tangerines, but there is one difference - kumquat is eaten with the peel, as it is soft and has a sweet taste.
At home, in flower pots, you can grow several unpretentious, miniature varieties of kumquats.
Nagami. A popular, widespread variety of kumquat that can be grown both in apartment conditions and on a personal plot. The ornamental tree bears sweet and sour fruits, the size of an olive. The variety has 2 subspecies:
- Variegatum – the green peel is colored with original horizontal stripes, which disappear during the ripening process.
- Nordmann - A seedless variety of kumquat.
Marumi. A low-growing variety of kumquats, it forms a miniature tree-like shrub with thorny shoots. Small, oval fruits are golden in color, have a sweet and sour taste and a pleasant aroma. The variety is frost-resistant, so in regions with warm climates it can be grown as an outdoor plant.
Maeva. A dwarf variety of kumquat, the height of the tree reaches half a meter. Thanks to its decorative appearance, rather large bright yellow fruits with a sour taste, the variety has become popular among gardeners.
Fukushi. The variety is suitable for gardeners who have experience growing kumquat in an apartment. The plant forms a dense, dark green crown, among which large, sweet, thin-skinned fruits appear in mid-summer. The Fukushi variety is ideal for growing in greenhouses and winter gardens.
Obovata. A dwarf, thornless variety of kumquat, with a soft emerald crown. Flowers appear on annual shoots from June to October. Snow-white inflorescences reach 2 cm in diameter, very beautiful and fragrant. The fruits are small with thin skin and sweet-sour, spicy pulp.
What conditions do plants need to create?
To grow kumquats at home, you need to create comfortable conditions for growth, development and fruiting. In summer, kumquat prefers to grow in diffused light, in a place protected from drafts. If the weather is warm, then the flower pot can be moved to the balcony or garden plot.
In winter, kumquat needs a lot of light, so choose a warm, sunny place for this. If the windows face west or north, the flower must be illuminated.
Kumquat grows well in high humidity conditions. If the air is dry, as a rule, this occurs in winter, when the heating is turned on, the kumquat begins to shed its leaves. To increase air humidity, you need to spray the plant once a week and place a container of water or a humidifier next to the flower pot.If the temperature in the apartment is cold, then spraying of kumquat is not carried out, since at high humidity and low air temperature fungal diseases often appear on the plant.
How to grow kumquats at home
Kumquats are grown from:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- bends;
- vaccination.
When propagating kumquat by seeds, it will take a long time to wait for fruiting, and when eating the fruit, the taste will be below average.
Reproduction by grafting and cuttings is a difficult and time-consuming process, so it is not suitable for beginning gardeners.
By layering
To propagate kumquat by cuttings, select a one-year-old, strong shoot, 20 cm long. Make 2 ring-shaped cuts on the trunk and carefully remove the layer of bark, exposing a round-shaped area. Leaves located above and below the cut are removed.
For rooting you will need a plastic bottle. The container is cut in the center, and a hole equal to the diameter of the shoot is made at the bottom. The shoot is placed inside, the container is filled with nutrient soil and both parts are secured with tape.
After 60 days, the shoot will grow a root system, and after separation from the mother bush, it will be ready to be transplanted to a permanent location.
Seeds
Seed propagation is a simple, popular way to propagate kumquat. Even an inexperienced gardener can grow a plant from a seed. The main thing is to know that a young kumquat grown in this way will take a long time to develop, and the first harvest can only be obtained after 10 years.
How to get a kumquat cutting to take root
Kumquats can be propagated by cuttings all year round, but the best time is mid-April, before flowering begins.In order for the cutting to quickly form a root system, it is treated with a growth stimulator (Kornevin or Epin) before planting.
How to plant kumquat at home
Grafting is a complex, labor-intensive method of kumquat propagation, and therefore is suitable only for experienced gardeners. Suitable rootstocks include grapefruit, lemon, orange, trifoliate or poncirus.
Kumquats can be grafted using the budding method or using a butt shield during active growth. For propagation, select a healthy seedling with a diameter of about 2 cm. After 50 days, the seedling will become stronger and grow a root system. To make the tree look decorative, formative pruning is carried out, removing all shoots above the grafting site.
Kumquat grown in this way begins to bear fruit after 10 years, but growth and development occurs much faster. The grafted kumquat has stable immunity to many diseases and sudden changes in temperature and humidity.
Landing rules
Growth, development and fruiting time depend on proper planting of kumquat. By choosing the right propagation method and having a little patience, you can grow kumquat indoors.
Growing kumquat at home from seed
Growing kumquat from seeds at home is not difficult if you follow certain rules. This is a long process that requires patience and endurance from the grower.
- A 15 cm layer of drainage is poured into the flower pot and covered with nutritious, well-drained soil.
- The seeds are soaked in a growth stimulator for several hours for better germination.
- Prepared seeds are buried 1.5-2 cm in moist soil.
- For rapid germination, the pot is covered with polyethylene, creating a greenhouse effect.
- After 10 days, shoots appear.
- After 4 leaves appear, the plant is transplanted into a larger pot. To quickly build up the root system, the roots are shortened by 0.5 cm.
How to plant a kumquat cutting at home
Kumquat cuttings are a simple, effective method of propagation. 10-centimeter flexible, green shoots cut from fruit-bearing plants are suitable for rooting.
The lower cut, made at an acute angle, is treated in a growth stimulator and sprinkled with ash. The bottom of the flower pot is covered with expanded clay, covered with damp moss and nutritious soil is added. Several cuttings are placed in a pot at a depth of 2 cm, covered with a glass cap and put in a warm, sunny place. After a month, rooting occurs, and the cuttings can be planted in separate containers.
How to care for kumquat at home
Citrus kumquat is a demanding plant, so care at home must be timely and carried out according to certain rules. For rapid growth and development, as well as for beautiful flowering and good fruiting, it is necessary to carry out timely watering, fertilizing and formative pruning.
Watering schedule
The frequency of watering kumquat depends on the time of year. In autumn and spring, moderate irrigation is carried out, in winter watering is reduced, in summer - as the soil dries out. Watering is carried out in the morning with warm, settled water. If irrigated with cold water, the plant will shed its leaves and root rot may develop.
The need for watering can be determined by the soil. If it has dried to a depth of 4-5 cm, then it is time for watering. After half an hour, the excess water formed in the pan is removed.
How to feed kumquats
Without regular feeding, kumquat will not grow well and bear fruit. The application of fertilizing depends on several factors:
- pot size;
- soil quality;
- plant age.
From March to October, during active growth and fruiting, fertilizers are applied several times a month. To do this, use liquid fertilizers intended for citrus plants, diluted strictly according to the instructions. You can also use 2.5 g of ammonium nitrate, 1.5 g of potassium salt and superphosphate, diluted in 1000 ml of warm water.
How to prune kumquats at home
In order for the kumquat to have a decorative appearance and begin to bear fruit early, it is necessary to trim the crown. First of all, the trunk is formed. To do this, it is pruned at a height of 20 cm, leaving 4 or more well-developed buds. Next, stem branches will begin to form from these buds, which will become the basis of the tree and will be branches of the first order. Each subsequent order should be 5 cm shorter than the previous one.
When does a kumquat bear fruit?
To increase and speed up fruiting, you need to know simple subtleties on how to make a kumquat bloom:
- Growing method - for early fruiting, kumquat is grown from cuttings. In this case, the first fruits will appear 5 years after planting.
- Regulate flowering and formation of ovaries - a large number of inflorescences takes a lot of energy from the kumquat, which prevents the formation of full-fledged ovaries. The maximum number of fruits is 1 per 10-15 leaves.
- Care – regularly fertilize with complex mineral fertilizers.
Kumquat is a late-ripening type of citrus fruit. Flowers appear in July, then after 14 days a second abundant flowering occurs.Orange fruits ripen in late winter, early spring.
Replanting kumquat at home
The frequency of replanting depends on the age of the kumquat. One-year-old specimens are replanted 2 times a year, a plant aged 3 years - 1 time, an adult kumquat is replanted no more than 1 time in 3 years. You can determine the time by the roots that form from the drainage holes. The optimal time for replanting is considered to be the dormant period after harvesting.
Transplantation technique:
- Like any citrus plant, kumquat prefers nutritious soil. You can buy it, or you can mix it yourself. To do this, combine sand, peat, humus and garden soil. For an adult plant, the ratio is 1:1:1:1; for a young kumquat, the amount of sand is doubled.
- Before planting kumquat in self-prepared soil, it must be disinfected chemically or thermally.
- The pot is selected 2 cm larger than the previous one.
- The bottom is covered with expanded clay and the plant is transferred to a new pot using the transfer method. The voids are filled with nutritious soil, lightly compacting it.
- To maintain moisture, experienced gardeners recommend mulching the top layer with peat or disinfected tree bark.
- It is impossible to bury the kumquat too much, as the citrus will begin to hurt and may die.
Disease and pest control
Kumquat is a capricious plant that develops well at high temperatures and humidity. If the rules of care are not followed, the kumquat, like any citrus fruit, can be susceptible to diseases and attacked by insect pests.
How to control pests on a kumquat tree
The main pests of kumquat include:
- aphid - affects the leaf blade and young shoots;
- thrips - destroy the entire green part of the kumquat;
- spider mite - affects young foliage and root system;
- scale insect - settles on the trunk, branches and fruits of kumquat;
- nematodes - attack the root system.
You can fight insects using folk remedies together with insecticides. As folk remedies, a decoction of hot pepper, a tobacco-alkaline mixture, and an ash alkaline solution are used.
How to treat kumquat against diseases
All insect pests are carriers of dangerous diseases, such as:
- Anthracnose – the fungus affects leaves, fruits and branches. The foliage and flowers fall off, and red spots appear on the kumquat fruits.
- Gommoz – red spots appear on the tree trunk. If treatment is not started, the bark will begin to die and gum will leak from the affected area. The disease often appears during deep planting, in the presence of mechanical damage and poor drainage.
- Citrus wartiness – the disease affects the fruits, leaves and young shoots of kumquat. The foliage becomes covered with small yellow spots, which over time turn into warty growths, young kumquat branches dry out, and vague orange spots form on the fruits.
You can get rid of kumquat diseases using fungicides. For prevention, kumquats are sprayed with 1% Bordeaux mixture 3 times a year.
Possible problems during cultivation
There may be some problems when growing kumquats. Very often the leaves of the plant dry out, the ovaries fall off, flowering and fruiting do not occur.
Why kumquat sheds leaves and what to do
Kumquat leaf fall occurs when there is a lack of moisture, low air humidity, and if the plant is not given a period of rest with a decrease in air temperature. In order for the kumquat to go into hibernation, the pot is moved to a bright, cool place, and watering is reduced.
Also, leaf fall may begin immediately after purchase. This is due to changes in conditions of detention. To stop the leaves from falling, the kumquat is transplanted into a new substrate, all ovaries and fruits are removed, and the soil is spilled with warm water with the addition of a growth biostimulator. You can also cover the crown with a plastic bag for 10-14 days.
Why does kumquat dry at home?
Very often, the tips of the kumquat leaves begin to dry out. There are several reasons for this problem:
- watering with cold, chlorinated water;
- low air humidity;
- lack of moisture.
You can get rid of the problem by regulating the care of the kumquat: timely watering, increasing air humidity by spraying or a warm shower. Irrigation is carried out only with settled, warm water.
Why doesn't kumquat bloom?
Very often the kumquat drops its buds. This is a natural phenomenon; the plant thus gets rid of excess ovaries, leaving them strong and viable.
Also, flowering does not occur if care rules are not followed: irregular watering, the pot is placed in a poorly lit place, and complex mineral fertilizers are not applied in a timely manner. In order for the kumquat to please with beautiful, fragrant flowering, and then good fruiting, it is fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers throughout the growing season.
Conclusion
Growing kumquat at home is an interesting activity and requires the gardener to know certain skills.To grow a beautiful and healthy plant, it is necessary to carry out timely care and prevention from diseases. And then the plant will thank you with abundant, fragrant flowering and good fruiting.
