Mandarin Clementine Rubino V.C.R.

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 x Clementine

Mandarin Clementine from Botanical Garden - Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Clementines are a hybrid of mandarin and sweet orange, sometimes called Algerian Tangerine. In just a century, this hybrid has grown to a group of varieties that cover several months of maturing and are among the most popular dessert Mandarins.

Characteristics of the fruits of the Clementines are:

• - strong flavor
• - juicy with high sugar content
• - low acidity
• - thin peel
• - separate in 7 to 12 segments
• - ripen in late November to late January
• - seedless

Typical of clementines are their seedless fruits. But it depends on growing conditions and agrotechnics. Regular fertilization and cross-pollination with other citrus varieties are results in a different number of seeds inside the fruits.

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