Calamansi tree - How to grow & care

Grow Plants / Growing instruction / Calamansi tree

Calamansi tree grow and care – tree of the genus Citrofortunella also known as Kalamansi plant, Calamondin, Philippine lime, Calamansi tree perennial evergreen plant, grown for the edible fruits, mostly as ornamental plant and can be grow indoor mostly as dwarf or bonsai, can grow in tropical, subtropical, temperate or mediterranean climate and also indoor as houseplant and growing in hardiness zone 9+ and with the right care in hardiness zone 8.

Leaves color green and the shape is elliptic, flower color white and small, flowers grow in clusters.

Calamansi tree edible fruit

Fruit size ~3-6 cm and color is green to orange can be variegated, the inner fruit divided by segments the segment cover with layer, the taste is sour with little hint of sweet, possible to use the fruits even when not fully ripen.

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How to grow Calamansi tree – growing condition and care information:

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

Propagate by cutting:
Propagating require: sterilize knife, sterilize soil (put the soil in microwave), soil that will keep moist like: peat soil, coconut coir or peat moss, better to do it in in temperature of 25-28C (77-82F) possible higher, high humidity, moist soil (don’t let it dry), use root growth hormone and when growing from cutting it’s important, to give humidity that will be like fog

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/Problems with growing:
When tree is young, very sensitive to citrus leaf miner

Planting season:
Spring to summer in hardiness zone 8-10a, 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 plant:
Dig a hole as deep as the current root ball plus extra 20-40%, put in the hole organic matter, hummus and dried leaves and mix it with some soil, put the tree and loos little bit the root ball above the hole, plant the tree and cover it and don’t push the soil too much strong but not too much lightly because it won’t be stable, after planting put mulch to keep moist on soil, put water, for the next two weeks put every day (better in the morning) , better to take that the tree will be stable, and if not support it with bamboo or a stick that it won’t fall.

Pests and diseases:
Citrus leaf miner, aphids, citrus foot rot, ant, citrus gummosis

Pruning season:
End of the winter, beginning of the spring

How to prune:
Dead branches, cross branches, density branch grown, trim infected branches

Size of the plant:
2-5 m, 80-200 inches (6-15 feet), possible to grow it as dwarf 30-70cm

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Medium growing / 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 to full shade with a lot of light

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
Yes, easy to grow as houseplant

How to take care of Calamansi plant indoor:
When growing indoor it’s important to choose location with a lot of light, not next to ventilators or heater, need to check the moist of the soil and do not overwater, also when the plant get attract by pests better to take care fast as possible because there aren’t predators indoor, also increase the amount of water in fruits season

Growing also possible in pots, planter, flowerpot, 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 30%-50% than the root ball, every time that the tree arrive to full capacity need to switch to bigger until arrives to desirable size, better to switch the soil once in few years soil lose the viability over time and it’s efficient of care for the tree, when it’s not possible to switch all the soil just part of the soil in the side of the roots (don’t afraid from root cutting), it will bear fruits also in 5-10gallon (40 liter) container (but bigger is better), drainage it’s important and need to make holes and to use peat soil and maybe some lava grit in the bottom or something like that, put a bottom for the container and when water the plant let it fill the bottom but also need to dry in the same day, better to grow as dwarf tree or to grow it as bonsai.

Blooming information

When does flowers bloom?
Summer / Autumn

General information about the flower:
White flowers that grow in clusters

Pollination is done by:
Bees, self-pollination

Edible Fruit

When does Calamansi tree yield:
Autumn to winter and possible to keep the fruits until the summer

Pests or diseases in Kalamansi fruit:
Citrus stubborn disease, citrus black spot, alternaria, fruit explode lace of water

What can be done with big quantities of Calamansi fruit?
Eat, juice, the rind used fragrant, fruit leather, sugary rind

Work requirements on the fruit:
Add more water if the fruit exploding, pick up (sometimes cut branches that grow into the fruit)

How long does it take to bear fruit?
2-3 years from tree and from seeds 4-6 years, it will take more time to get fruits when start from seeds or not grafted tree

Ripening of fruit
Possible to pick up the fruit before and let them ripening them in the house

How to grow Calamansi tree from seed

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), possible to start growing in the winter indoors, might need artificial light)

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.