oooOops! She's a tangerine not a mandarin. ( :

Hello Bo,
That is a nice little tree you got and what a deal! Where did you find it? Okay for your flower drop question. I say that this is normal. My citrus will drop whole flowers and I have noticed that most of the time, these flowers are sterile(They don't produce fruit.). The flowers that start dropping single petals and don't fall off entirely will give you fruit. Also, bud drop can happen if the tree isn't getting the growing conditions it likes. Make sure you use a gritty mix, or something that drains fast and prevents root rot. Flowers and leaves may drop. They may drop if they are not getting enough light and also if they don't get enough water. I found that getting the soil mix right is not that hard but it is a little tricky sometimes to keep them in there comfort zone. Meaning they don't drop leaves, flowers and have die back. I would get a soil thermometer. You will need to know the temp of the soil so you can give it the required light and also make sure you monitor the soil moisture levels. I would rather wait till the mix is completely dry and water. The citrus wont resent drought as much as consistent moist soil. Once root rot sets in your tree will start declining and it isn't always easy to get that same tree to come back. I would research the old posts here, that way you can see all the diffrent opinions on caring for these trees. So far I am having good luck with the 3 I have now. Following Mike's advice, tomorrow I am going to start taking them out for part of the day so they can get acclimated to our local weather here. Even with that you still have to watch the rain. I wouldn't leave your tree exposed if it is supposed to rain for long periods. Good luck and you have a really nice tree there. I contacted 4 Winds about getting a 2-3 year Minneola tangelo tree. I can't wait!!
Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Thanks! I've been doing some research online to find out if there are any local tropical fruit trees in my area. And to my great surprise and luck I finally found a person that sells them locally! She has a greenhouse and grows quite a few different citrus varieties.
It's good to know that the flowers that drop single petals only will survive! This gives me hope and something to look for... I really have to work on holding off on watering. I don't know why I'm so anxious to water!
You're very lucky to be getting nice weather! It's still cold, wet and rainy here! I can't wait for it to warm up so my plants can get some natural sunlight.
That's a lot of great info you provided.Thanks Andrew! I feel a lot better about this whole citrus-growing process. And great to hear your citrus trees are doing well!
Bo

May I ask where she's located? I'm also in Washington and I'd be very interested.

She's in Portland, OR and is a private resident. I will ask her if it's ok for other people to contact her.

Tangerines are mandarins.

You dont want too many fruit on that young a tree. It is best to have more wood and less fruit until it gets about two or three times that size. More wood to hold large sets in the future. More wood to resist the cold.

Isn't it nice and fragrant? I love this time of the year.

Hey Bo,
Just wonderin if you picked up your tree?
Andrew

{{gwi:582794}}

tantanman - Thanks for the clarification. Yes, they're beautifully fragrant. Should I start pinching some of the buds off or does it fall off by itself?

Andrew - I just picked her up today. And just like the previous pic she's loaded with blooms and buds. Though, you can't really see it on this current pic (I definitely need another camera besides the camera phone!).
The lady I got her from had a beautiful greenhouse! But she didn't seem to appreciate it much or use it to its full effect. What a shame!! I would've populated that greenhouse with so many tropical fruit trees and plumerias! She had about 6 more tangerine trees for sale. I feel very lucky to get my citrus tree for $12.50!! How is your lemon meyer? I can't wait for it to be nice and warm so I can put my tangerine outside.

Happy Citrus Growing!
Bo

I usually let my young trees bloom. Then thin fruit later
at about 3/8 ". A lot will have fallen by then so its less work. If you take off blossoms now it may rebloom.
Fruit on many small trees is often inferior, but some are OK.