Indoor Fruit Trees: Try The Calamondin Orange
Are you looking for a good citrus tree to grow indoors? If so, you have several choices. While many container gardeners are familiar with the Meyer and Ponderosa lemon varieties, another option to consider is the calamondin orange tree. The calamondin is quite easy to care for and offers ample crops of fruit.
Calamondin oranges are very well known in southeast Asia, where they thrive as ornamental varieties. Asian cultures have long regarded the calamondin as a useful and versatile fruit and rely on it for many health issues. Malaysian and Phillipine cultures routinely use calamondin juice as a hair conditioner and as a cough rememdy. Its juice is also commonly used to eliminate the itching and swelling of insect bites.
Interestingly, the calamondin fruit looks more like a lemon than an orange. Typically, by the time a calamondin turns orange, it’s over ripened. About the size of a lime, calamondin oranges are typically sweeter than most juice oranges and can be used in any manner reserved for citrus fruits.
One of the best attributes of our calamondin plant is its fresh citrusy fragrance. With nominal care, the tree blooms often, more frequently than most indoor fruit trees. Our calamondin typically produces fruit in the winter and spring months in ample quantity.
One important tip with a calamondin involves how to pick the fruit. It’s best to use clippers to remove fruit from the tree rather than hand picking. Using clippers or scissors will prevent damage to the stem side of the fruit, thereby eliminating premature deterioration.
Caring for your calamondin tree is quite easy. Give it plenty of sunlight, don’t over water, and fertilize once every 4-6 weeks. Typically, your tree will require water once every 10 days, or slightly more frequently in dry environments.
For best results and to ensure a thriving tree, place your calamondin outdoors in warmer months. Here in the midwest, our tree spends mid April through mid October on our patio. This really helps the tree flourish, as butterflies and bees find the fragrance hard to resist.
Calamondin trees will make a wonderful addition to any living space and are readily available from online sources specializing in container fruit trees. Their cost is nominal and you’ll enjoy many years of sweet delicious fruit!
