Size and Growth
Calamondin Orange Tree can grow to be 20′ feet high in its native
tropical environment.
When kept as a container plant, it will usually top out at about 4′ feet
high.
Calamansi leaves are oval-shaped, shiny, and deep green.
Calamondin Citrus Trees Flowering and Fragrance
Calamondin Trees can bloom white flowers and set fruit all year round.
You may see both fruit and flowers on your tree simultaneously.
If you keep your Calamondin tree indoors, to produce fruit, you will
need to hand pollinate the flowers.
How Do You Pollinate Calamondin?
- To hand pollinate, you will need a small, dry artist’s paintbrush.
- Wiggle the tip of the brush in the center of each of the flowers
- Move along like a honey bee from one flower to the next.
The white, star-shaped flowers are very attractive and fragrant.
The fruits on this mini orange plant are small, orange, and easy to
peel.
If you plan to pick them to use, clip them off cleanly with sharp
scissors.
Be sure to use them promptly. They spoil within a week.
The fruits are usually too sour to eat.
They can be used like lemons or limes to garnish drinks, make beverages
and marmalade or squeeze over fish or other dishes that do well with a
sour zest.
Light and Temperature
The Calamondin tree, like other citrus plants, likes lots of bright
light.
When kept as a houseplant, your dwarf orange tree should receive a
minimum of four hours of direct sunlight daily.
Remember to turn the plant a quarter turn every week to prevent it from
growing lopsided as it reaches for the sun.
When the weather warms up, give your Calamansi an outdoor vacation.
These shrubs typically like temperatures ranging from 70° – 90° degrees
Fahrenheit.
They do not thrive in temperatures below 55° degrees Fahrenheit, but
they can survive temperatures as low as 20° degrees Fahrenheit.
Calamondin is winter hardy in USDA hardiness zones 9b and above.
Below the 55-degree mark (Fahrenheit), the plants could begin to go
dormant.
When the weather breaks and your calamondin orange tree can move
outdoors into higher light intensities – do it gradually. In at night,
out during the day. For about a month.
Also, remember that indoors any additional light and extra humidity you
can provide will be helpful.
Citruses, like the orange and indoor lemon tree, have been grown
throughout Europe in containers for centuries.
In the US, we don’t think much about citrus as indoor house plants.
However, they make excellent indoor houseplants.
Just know the proper Calamondin tree care, and you should enjoy citrus
fruits and their juices soon.
How Often Do You Water & Feed A Tree Calamondin?
Calamondin Orange is fairly drought tolerant. Water only as needed
because overwatering will kill your tree. Let the top inch of soil dry
out, and then water thoroughly.
If you want to force your citrus shrub to bloom, withhold water until
the leaves wilt and roll up.
Water thoroughly, and your plant should bloom within a couple of months.
Moreover, it would require moderate humidity levels, around 40% to 50%.
In the springtime, feed your dwarf orange a slow-release fertilizer.
Throughout the growing season, fertilize monthly using a full-strength
water-soluble citrus fertilizer.
In the wintertime, dilute the fertilizer to half strength and provide it
every fifth week.
In the watering department, soak the rootball and root system thoroughly
until water drains out the bottom.
Don’t water again until the top quarter of the soil dries out.
Also, Calamondin plants do best in well-drained soil.
Related: Fertilizing Citrus Trees
Soil and Transplanting
Citrus mitis thrives in well-draining soil. But small citrus shrubs also
do well as container plants.
However, you must be vigilant about repotting because it is easy for
their root system to grow and plants to become outbound.
Provide a large container with plenty of room for root growth.
Use a mixture of equal parts:
- Potting Soil
- Organic Compost
- Vermiculite or Perlite
Check at the end of every winter to see if your Calamansi is becoming
outbound.
Repot every two or three years in the springtime.
Citrus Fruit Rules to Remember
Use a potting soil mix designed for potted plants and not soil from the
garden. Make sure the pot has drainage holes.
We think of citrus growing in the ground. Don’t assume the same soil
could be used in a pot.
Grooming and Maintenance
Calamondin Orange Trees only need light and occasional pruning to remove
diseased, damaged, or dead branches.
When spurs and water sprouts appear at the base of the trunk, pinch or
prune them back.