Indoor plants
Kumquat
Citrus Japonica, син. Fortunella japonica
Kumquat — a species of citrus plants of the family Rutaceae (Rutaceae), native to South Asia. Other names: Golden orange, golden apple, kumquat, kinkan, kin kit, chantu.
It is cultivated in southern China, as well as in Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia, India, the Middle East, Southern Europe (Greece), the southern United States, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in Crimea and Abkhazia.
Kumquat flower
Kumquat is an evergreen shrub or small tree with a dense crown, 2.5–4.5 m tall, characterized by slow growth.
Shoots are flattened, three-angled, smooth, with short thorns or without them.
Leaves are dark green and glossy, 4–6 cm long and 1.5–2 cm wide with translucent glands.
Flowers are white, axillary.
Kumquat fruit
Fruits are 2–2.5 cm in diameter, golden-yellow, about the size of a plum, with a taste reminiscent of a slightly tart tangerine. They can be eaten with the peel, which has a sweet taste. Yield is high; a mature tree can produce hundreds or even thousands of fruits per year.
Care. Care consists of regular watering, fertilizing and spraying with soft water. Kumquat is a tropical plant and therefore needs warmth and humid air. You can place a humidifier near it.
Light. Needs good lighting. The best location is a room with south-facing windows, but east- and west-facing windows are also suitable. It is better to shade from direct sunlight to prevent leaf scorch. In winter the plant needs supplemental lighting, increasing the length of the light period to 10–12 hours. In summer it is recommended to take the pot with the kumquat outdoors — to the garden, veranda, balcony, to a place sheltered from the wind.
Air temperature in summer up to +35 °C, in winter the optimal temperature is +10–15 °C. It tolerates short-term temperature drops down to 0 °C.
Spraying: in summer it should be sprayed at least once a day, misting with a spray or by any other method. In winter spraying can be done less often.
Soil: When grown in a container, fertile, well-drained soil with a neutral pH is required.
Poliv: Water with soft water, moderately as the soil dries, avoiding drying out of the root ball or its overwatering. In winter, when the tree is dormant, reduce watering. At temperatures below 10 °C water once a month.
Fertilizers: In spring and summer, during flowering and fruiting, feed with organic fertilizers (you can use special fertilizers for citrus) once every 2 weeks. Apply fertilizers after watering to avoid burning the roots. In winter the plant is not fertilized.
Pruning and shaping. By pruning and pinching young shoots you can give the tree the desired shape.
Propagation. Propagated by seeds (rarely) and semi-woody cuttings, layers, grafting. As rootstock they often use Понцирус трифолиата
Overwintering. Kumquat overwinters at 10–15 °C. Supplemental lighting is necessary: on cloudy days – all day, on clear days – in the evenings, so that the total daylight period is 12 hours.
Pests and diseases: The most common pests are spider mites and scale insects (false scale).
Uses: Kumquat fruits are eaten fresh, made into dried fruits and candied fruit, jam, marmalade, and liqueur.