Calamondin Orange Tree

(Question)

Hello!

I live in a condo in Toronto and received a Calamondin orange tree at Christmas. I didn’t take great care of it until the last few months and would love to see it flourish. I just hope that I’m not too late :)

When I brought the tree home from my office, it had oranges on it but the majority of them fell off.

I have had had a few come back but they have some white on the tip (visible in photo) and it looks like the branches are turning brown which I’m not sure is ok.

I’ve been watering once per week but will increase that based on what I’ve read and also use a plant light that runs from 7am to 4:30pm as I don’t have a ton of sun in my unit but it is super warm in here.

I also purchased fertilizer for acid loving plants and put a pinch in a 500mL water bottle and will use that every other week.

Any advice on how to best care for this plant would be really appreciated.

Thanks so much!
Sheena

(Answer)

Thank you for your question to Toronto Master Gardeners. We do receive many questions about growing citrus trees indoors so I will attach links to these. Embedded in them are quite a few reliable links to more information sites.

You can probably remove the oranges and see if they are still edible as they have been on the tree for a long time. In the sources provided, you can look for hints on pruning your tree and upsizing the pot it is in. The root system needs more space as the plant grows and pruning will strengthen it and keep it to a good manageable size but will also promote new growth. If it is possible to place it near a window for any amount of natural light, this might also be beneficial. There is also lots of information available on how to fertilize your tree using a cotton tip…if you see flowers emerging.

https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/asking-about-the-small-boxed-orange-lemon-lime-plants-given-to-tourists-to-florida/

https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/help-me-save-my-indoor-lemon-tree/

https://www.torontomastergardeners.ca/askagardener/meyer-lemon-tree/

Enjoy your indoor garden.