How to properly prune a tangerine tree at home: step-by-step instructions

The exotic tangerine tree is adapted to home conditions. In order for it to please with its appearance and bear fruit, it requires proper care. Particular attention is paid to pruning the tree. From the article you will learn how to trim tangerine tree at home and what to do after the procedure.

Why prune indoor tangerines?

Pruning is an important procedure in caring for your home tangerine tree. Timely and competent removal of branches allows you to:

1. Set the tree size. The acceptable height of a home tangerine tree is 40-50 cm.
2. Create a decorative crown that is compact and attractive.
3. Protect the plant from diseases. This is facilitated by the removal of dry and diseased branches and leaves.
4. Improve fruiting. Pruning stimulates the formation of ovaries and subsequently the ripening of fruits. Unpruned trees tend to produce scant fruit with small, bitter fruits or no fruit at all.
5. Accelerate tree growth. Healthy branches gain strength because they are not disturbed by weak and non-viable ones.

Is this necessary?

Neglecting the procedure for cutting branches not only leads to a neglected appearance of the plant, but also negatively affects its fruiting.

To grow a healthy and beautiful tangerine tree Regular removal and shortening of branches is mandatory.

Types of trimmings

There are several types of pruning:

1. Formative. Promotes the formation of a correct crown. Required primarily for young plants. In an adult tangerine tree, this procedure is used to regulate the volume and shape of the crown. Formative pruning also speeds up the onset of flowering and fruiting.
2. Sanitary. Aimed at keeping the plant healthy by removing damaged and dried branches. Affected branches or those with signs of disease are pruned to prevent the spread of diseases.
3. Rejuvenating. It is used to renew an old plant that has lost its ability to grow and bear fruit. Signs of the need for anti-aging pruning are weak growth, poor flowering and fruiting. Rejuvenation is carried out by strongly shortening old branches, which leads to increased growth of young shoots, from which a new crown will be formed.
4. Restorative. The purpose of this type of pruning is to restore the neglected crown and return the ability to bear fruit. Required by tangerine trees whose crown is either not formed, or formed incorrectly, or has lost its shape. This type of pruning is also necessary for damaged trees.

Timing for pruning

Any time of year is suitable for pruning a tangerine tree. It is required only during the period of active growth:

• when forming a new plant, wait for maximum branching and the appearance of higher order branches;
• When maintaining the shape of the crown of an adult plant, elongated and dry branches are removed.

The recommended period is from late February to early March. This is the time of active growing season for the tangerine tree. In the spring, remove the branches that had fruits on them, as they begin to dry out. In cases of wilting, the procedure is carried out in the fall, preferably in October.When pruning in autumn, the plant needs additional artificial lighting.

Pruning is carried out either before flowering or after the tree has faded.

Important! It is not recommended to prune a recently transplanted tangerine tree. It's better to wait 3-4 weeks.

When to prune an indoor tangerine for the first time?

The first pruning of a tangerine tree is done on a young plant when it reaches an average of 30 cm.

During this period, the first leaves begin to appear on the tree. Pinch each branch after four leaves form on it.

What does that require

Pruning requires tools - garden shears (secateurs) or a grafting knife.

Before the procedure, instruments are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate and checked to ensure they are sharp.

You will also need a product to treat the cut area - garden pitch, tree resin or paint based on natural drying oil.

Instructions for pruning tangerines at home

After the first pinching, you should observe the growth and development of the tangerine tree and, as it branches, perform formative pruning. Also trim excess branches in a timely and correct manner.

Which branches and how to delete

The following are subject to removal:

• small, thin shoots that interfere with the full formation of side branches;
• powerful shoots growing from the root and taking a significant amount of nutrition and strength;
• thickening branches growing vertically and to the sides or directed inside the crown - they deprive the plant of its attractive appearance;
• overgrown, elongated branches, giving the plant a neglected appearance.

Branches are removed in steps:

1. Carefully trim the branch or part of it above the bud.
2. The cut area is treated with garden pitch or tree resin and covered with film.
3. While the wound is healing (about 3-4 weeks), the plant is not touched. Afterwards the film is removed.
4. After a month, new shoots are inspected, leaving the strong ones and removing the weak ones.

To ensure uniform development of the tree, early and excess buds are cut off. In large quantities, they take away nutrients from the plant and slow down its growth.

Important! Calculation of buds and leaves: for each future fruit there must be at least 10 leaves.

How to form a tree

The tangerine tree is formed as a low bush, forming a beautiful, spreading crown. It is recommended to make it spherical and evenly developed, leaving the length of the main stem to 20-25 cm.

Attention! The crown is formed in the first 2-3 years of growth. After this, circumcision is performed less frequently.

Formative pruning consists of the following stages:

1. In a young plant, which is a single shoot, the crown of the stem is shortened. It has no decorative value and does not bear fruit. The top is trimmed so that under the cut there are 5-6 developed buds, from which first-order branches will grow.
2. From the branches of the first order, 3-4 strong, symmetrical shoots are left, directed in different directions. After regrowth, they are also pruned, leaving 4-5 buds on each branch.
3. Branches of the second and third order are formed on the side branches; they are also pruned.
4. Branches of the fourth order are left, growing in a horizontal direction. Flowers and subsequently fruits are formed on these shoots.

This completes the formation of the base of the tangerine tree.

Attention! The formation of a tangerine tree must be carried out before the first flowering.Flowering before the appearance of fifth-order branches leads to the cessation of the plant's growing season.

Post-procedure care

In order for the tangerine tree to recover faster, after pruning it requires complete and competent care:

1. Provide sufficient light. Daylight hours – at least 12 hours. In autumn, the lack of sun is compensated for with special garden lamps.
2. Water the tree thoroughly 2-3 days after removing the branches. Irrigation with warm water from a sprayer is preferable.
3. The tree is fed 7 days after the procedure using complex fertilizers for citrus fruits.
4. To ensure uniform development of the crown, the tangerine tree is periodically rotated around its axis.
5. In winter - the dormant period - they are placed in a cool place (for example, on a balcony) with a temperature within +12...+16°C and a humidity of about 60%. Watering is carried out 2 times a week, fertilizing is not required.

If the procedure was radical, the leaves on the tree may be absent for a long time. Therefore, it is recommended to trim the branches one by one, without removing all the shoots at once.

How to pinch a tangerine

Nuances of pinching a tangerine tree:

1. Pinching the top of a young plant is the first procedure carried out to form its crown.
2. Pinching is done by removing the top of the branch.
3. If an upper shoot is formed from the replacement bud, and not lateral branches, the pinching is repeated.
4. The procedure was successful if young growth appeared on the trunk.

Pinching promotes the growth of side branches, the formation of the correct structure and direction of shoots.

This is interesting:

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Ways to use tangerine peels for maximum benefit.

Health benefits and harms of tangerines, energy value and rules of consumption.

Conclusion

Pruning and pinching the tangerine tree are mandatory procedures to promote healthy and productive growth of the plant. It is important to carry out them competently and in a timely manner, and then provide high-quality care for the rapid restoration of the tree.