Mandarin Tardivo, Clementine type

Important notice! Most citrus plants on the market are produced for planting in orchards in the Mediterranean countries. They have a large overall height, have high graft and are difficult to shape and support at home. Rootstocks on which they are grafted are very fast growing, which is fine for the open ground in the subtropics, but is not desirable when growing in pot in the temperate climate.

All our small citrus plants are produced specifically for the Bulgarian market and are ideally suited for home cultivation. The rootstocks cause compact growth, grafts are low and this allows making an excellent shape of the crown, to be suitable for growing in pots. The used rootstocks are trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata 'Flying Dragon') and Volkamer lemon, Citrus volkameriana. Trifoliate orange is frost-hardy to -25°C, and significantly increases the cold resistance of plants grafted on it.

Citrus reticulata cv. Tardivo,

Mandarin from Botanical Garden - Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Mandarin Tardivo is a famous Italian variety, accidentally discovered as natural bud mutation in the 40's of the last century, around Palermo, Sicily. The fruits of this variety immediately stand out from other varieties of tangerines with its unique flavor and beautiful appearance. Characteristic of the fruits of this variety are:

•      - strong flavor
•      - high sugar content
•      - very thin peel
•      - flat-spherical shape
•      - yellow-orange color
•      - small number of seeds (2 to 6)

As with all other Citrus plants, the orange is susceptible to scales and spider mites and needs to be sprayed twice a year.

In winter it will need a cool place with temperatures 0-10 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is higher, the leaves usually fall off. In summer it needs to be outside and abundantly watered.

Much more information about all citrus species is available on our forum:

http://forum.palmi.bg/viewforum.php?f=4