Buddha’s hand plant grow and care – tree of the genus Citrus is a type of Citron also known as Fingered citron tree, Buddha’s hand plant perennial evergreen plant, grow for edible fruits, can be used mostly as ornamental plant for the fruits and can grow as dwarf tree or bonsai, can grow in tropic, subtropical or mediterranean climate and growing in hardiness zone 10+ and with the right care in hardiness zone 9.
Leaves color green glossy in oval shape and the tree has thorns, flowers are white with purple with yellow stamen.
Buddha’s hand plant fruits edible and ornamental
Fruit are look like hand with a lot of fingers and little bit shapeless, there is no pulp sometimes seedless. Fruit mostly peel in color yellow, the size ~10-22 cm, taste is bitter sour. The peel is edible and also used as flavor and fragrant
Buddha’s hand plant for sale – Seeds or Plants to Buy
How to grow Buddha’s hand plant growing and care:
Well-drained soil, better loamy soil, moist soil in the fruits season and better to put mulch
How to care:
Design for easy to pick the fruits (when there are thorns it’s important but not all cultivars have thorns), add to the soil, organic matter, humus and fertilizer, in location with hot summer sun that the main trunk is expose to the sun better to better to whitewash (lime paint)
What is the best way to start growing:
Plant / Seed / Cutting / Air layering
Is it necessary to graft or cutting?
Yes, necessary to ensure the existent of the fruits and quality of the fruits and there are different parameters: size, taste (sweet, sour or something in between), juicy or dry, amount of seeds or seedless, season of the fruits (different cultivars have different dates for the fruits), better to graft more than one cultivar or more than on citrus.
Cutting need to use for the base of the tree for: disease-free, base that fit for different soils, resistance for drought, base that won’t resist for grafting or specific cultivar for the fruits.
Difficulties or problems when growing:
When the tree young very sensitive to citrus leaf miner, thorns
Planting season:
Spring, Autumn
Pests and diseases:
Citrus leaf miner, aphids, citrus foot rot, ant, citrus gummosis
Planting season:
Spring to summer in hardiness zone 9-10a, spring or autumn hardiness zone 10b-11a, possible also in summer and winter the main problem it’s hot and cold days that might cause future problem and even kill the plant, hardiness zone 11b+ planted all year
How to prune:
Dead branch, cross branch, too much density
Size of the plant?
3-5 m, 10-15 feet
Growth speed in optimal condition:
Medium growing to slow growing
Water requirement:
Average amount of water, usually the plant need more water in the fruits season, but usually it’s when there are rains and if raining season delay need to increase the amount of water that the fruits won’t be dry and won’t explode.
Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun and possible to grow in half shade in the right care but will produce less fruits
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No, but possible to grow next to window with sun that possible, grow it as dwarf tree and will take more time to get fruits
Growing is also possible in a pot, planter, flowerpot or containers:
Yes, when grow in container need to choose the desirable container if it’s small plant it directly if it’s a big container bigger than 100% than the root ball consider start to grow with small container, better to switch the soil once in few years, when start to grow check that the graft of the tree not too much high and choose plant that can grow as dwarf tree or to grow it as bonsai.
Blooming information
Bloom season:
Summer / Autumn
General information about the flower
Flowers are white with yellow stamen
Thinning the bloom:
The first year should thinning the flowers
Pollination is done by:
Bees
Edible Fruit
Fruit harvest season:
Autumn to winter and rarely in the spring
Fruits pests or diseases:
Citrus stubborn disease, citrus black spot, alternaria
What can be done with big quantities of Buddha’s hand plant fruits?
Eat raw in salad, alcohol, flavor, the rind used fragrant, fruit leather, sugary rind
Work requirements on the fruit:
Pick up (sometimes cut brunches that grow into the fruit)
How long does it take to bear fruit?
1.5-3 years
Ripening of fruit
Possible to pick up the fruit before and let them ripening them in the house
How to grow Buddha’s hand plant from seeds
Sowing requirement:
Moist soil, well-drained soil, 20-27C temperature and better in sunny location
Saving and care seeds until sowing:
Dry, dark location in room temperature
Sowing season:
Spring to early summer (possible also summer to autumn)
How to plant:
Planting in soil that keep moist, cover the seed lightly
Planting spacing:
Better in separate pots, direct on the place 3*4m (10*13 feet), for transplant 5*5 cm (2*2 inches)
Depth of Sowing:
2cm (1inches)
Conditions for seeds germinate:
Keep the soil and don’t let it dry, rich soil and sunny location
Watering requires for Seeds:
Average amount of water
Germination time:
2-4 weeks, but can take longer
Condition of seedling:
If there is Citrus leaf miner in one of the trees in the area, better to put it in greenhouse or indoor to protect the tree, young tree very sensitive to citrus leaf miners, better to cover the soil with mulch.
Scientific name:
Citrus medica var. sarcodactylus
Alternative names: Buddha’s hand lemon tree, Fingered citron tree, Buddha finger citrus
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Edible Parts |
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Culinary uses |
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Harvest Season |
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Ornamental parts |
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Plant growing speed |
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Plant life-form |
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Plant Uses |
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Planting Season |
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Plants sun exposure |
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Watering plants |
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