Yay! My 3rd citrus! Mandarin tree : )

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Hello everyone. The citrus forces completely re-routed my citrus plans this weekend. I was prepped to go and buy my lime tree this weekend (I've been talking about it forever!) and I ended up with a Kishu Mandarin.

My daughter texted me this pic yesterday, plant sale (instead of yard sale? lol) and asked if we could go after her practice because she saw little bonsais (she too has been talking about those forever). We went and she ended up with two little bonsais, and me with this mandarin tree. It looks like it needs a bit of TLC, but I could not pass because of the price. Some of the leaves are splotchy green and when the leaves are dry, there looks to be white residue on them.. almost powdery. Some of the fruits look rusty(?) in a few places. Leave it to me to go get this tree instead of a perfectly healthy, new tree. However, I judged (hopefully correctly) that it was healthy enough to buy and to try and fix its deficiencies. I will definitely start reading Mike's thread about taking care of pests before bringing them indoors; I know there's tons of info there about treating leaves and pests, etc. I used the reptibark that I'd had soaking for a while, and put in in a 511 mix. I thought these fruits looked too big to be kishus, but the lady assured me and the nursery container had them labeled as such. I've eaten kishus before (they were great), so I bought this tree with my kids in mind. They will love them, especially in their school lunch boxes!

Having three citrus babies is so fun and exciting!

Featured Answer

myermike_1micha

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Well, now that is one great looking tree from here Figs!! I don't eat citrus but this one was worth every bite when I tried it last year! It is a fun tree to grow and is always putting out fruit all times of the year...Your kids are going to LOVE it and what a thoughtful Mother you are..I wish I could find a plant sale around here..lol I'll bet if I had one, everyone in my area would be lined up to check it out...

Look at the GREAT job you did potting up in the 5.1.1 mix..I love the looks, I love your choice...Just think, because you use such a porous mix like that, no watching for soil pests, no worrying about root rot, no worries about soil collapse, no worries about salt toxicity or having to flush your mix out, no worries about the cold and wet roots at the same time, no worries about too much rain, and no worries about over fertilizing!! That is going to be one happy tree..I can see a difference all ready..It's as if that tree is saying "thank you" for giving it a chance. You are just like me. I seem to be drawn to unhealthy looking plants in need and I always find it rewarding to bring them back to super looking...It will respond well to your care and it will get better looking fast..YOu will see such joy in watching transform into something better than it is now.

If you have Neem Oil, use that right away..It will help heal what ever if afflicting it. It is good for treating 'disease', and good for smothering pests...It's natural and safe. Pick the afflicted fruit off now and see if the new fruit grows in like that. Check it over with a magnifying glass and make sure to water it frequently to start, especially keeping the top part of your mix moist.

We are very happy for you, and let me tell you when I say I wish my Mother and I could be there with you. The weather must of been beautiful there today. Here it was a whopping 55 degrees and very rainy all day. Windy. My trees are loving it too. they have made friends with the geese and frogs..lol

Nite)

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Comments (9)

figsinhawaii
Original Author
9 years ago
Forgot to add pics:

plant sale, lol
Laura LaRosa (7b)
9 years ago
Congratulations!!! Looks like a great addition. I can't help you with the splotches, but someone here will know. Happy for you!
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cory (Zone 7a, NJ)
9 years ago
Nice tree!

Cory
figsinhawaii
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you guys! I understand now- all of you guys with tons of trees. It was exhilarating driving home with it!
figsinhawaii
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you Mike, that was great advice. It is going to hurt, but I'll pick off the fruit with the rusty marks on them. I do have neem concentrate, so I'll apply some tonight when the sun goes down. Ooo, I can use my hose end sprayer! I'll spray all of my trees. Now, for spraying neem, I'll be happy to have that large coverage area to make sure I get the entire canopies.

Wow, you don't eat citrus?! Says one of the most knowledgeable and interactive citrus forum members, lol!

My family and I will be gone a large chunk out of the summer next year. However, any summers after that, I'd be more than happy to play tour guide to you and your mother! Visitors like to come to Hawaii during their winters because it is warm here, but I always still recommend coming during the summer because although our winter temps are still warm, ocean conditions are polar opposites. My kids have pics that look like they were taken out of a magazine, yet I read comments online about how people were disappointed with their vacation here because the ocean was too rough. Long story short, if one wants to see picturesque, calm, clear Hawaiian beaches, summer conditions are required : )
User
9 years ago
Mike, why pick off the fruit? They seem to have only minor blemishes possibly due to fungal infection. I would leave them on but make sure to spray with neem to prevent further fungal growth.

As for the white stuff on the leaves, it is probably something (pesticide or fungicide) that was sprayed on at the nursery and is of no concern.
figsinhawaii
Original Author
9 years ago
Mike, Vladimir, I sprayed neem last night. That hose end sprayer was great for the neem application. The lady that I bought the plant from said she had the tree for about a year and needed to downsize her collection, so I'm not sure that stuff was from the nursery. Yesterday, I thought that some of that white stuff looked a little fuzzy. Starting Thurs, I will have tons of free time next week so I'm going to wipe each leaf, one by one. I'll let the neem do its thing between now and then.
figsinhawaii
Original Author
9 years ago
I just went out for an early morning inspection; I FOUND PESTS!! Hopefully they're dead and smothered with neem. I can't tell. I handn't seen them before, so it is possible they were deeper in the hidden leaves and emerged when I sprayed yesterday? Either way, at least now I know I have that pest and I can treat accordingly.