California Honey Mandarin Tree

1. Planting: Plant your tree in a large pot that gives the roots room to grow. Plant in well-draining, loose soil and make sure your container has proper drainage holes.

You can keep your plant outside during the warmest months, but when temperatures begin to drop below 60 degrees you'll need to begin training the tree to move indoors. Training is easy - simply bring your tree inside for 1 hour on the first day and increase the time inside by 2 to 3 hours each day. If you move your plant back outside during the summer, you'll need to retrain it in the same way. Always keep your tree in the sunniest location possible, whether indoors or outdoors.

2. Watering: Water new plants twice a week until established. Once the tree is established, only water every 7 to 10 days.

If you're not sure when to water your tree, simply check your soil about 3 inches down. If the soil is dry here, it's time to water your tree.

3. Fertilizing: Use a citrus fertilizer, like the one included in our Citrus Care Kit, in March, May, and June. Follow the instructions on the package, but divide the amount by three. When applying the fertilizer, water the tree lightly to dissolve the fertilizer into the soil.

4. Pruning: Prune in the spring when new growth emerges. Remove all dead and dying limbs or branches that grow from the bottom of the tree. During the first two years of growth, remove all the fruit once the blooms have died. This allows the tree the ability to use all the nutrients, and it encourages new growth.

5. Pollination: The California Mandarin is self-fertile, for indoor trees, you can pollinate by hand since most people do not keep a healthy bee population within their home. Simply take a small, dry, fine-tipped paintbrush and stick it into the center of the bloom. Swirl it around and collect the pollen on the brush. Go to the next bloom and repeat the process until every bloom has been treated. Do this once daily and don’t wash the paintbrush until after the blooms have been pollinated. The bloom will fall off naturally and the fruit will begin to form in its place.