Calamondin Orange Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on April 13, 2022

Planting instructions

Site your calamondin orange treeOrange Tree where it will get at least six hours of sun a day, in soil that drains well. Unpot the plant, and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Place the tree in the hole, and, while holding it upright, fill in around it with good quality topsoil, tamping down as you go to eliminate air pockets. After planting, water thoroughly. Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of an organic mulch, such as bark chips, around the root zone, but don’t let it touch the trunk itself.

Watering and nutrients

Pollination

Calamondin orange trees are self-fertile, or monoecious, meaning that a single tree has both male and female reproductive parts. You may increase your harvest if you have more than a single tree, however. Insects such as honeybees are the primary pollinators, so if you wish to have fruit, put your container-grown trees outside when they start flowering in spring.

Pruning

Remove dead, damaged, or diseased branches whenever you see them on your calamondin orange trees. You can also remove interior limbs to open up the canopy so that it can get more light. If you are pruning to control growth, cut back to a lateral branch rather than just trimming off the ends of the branches. Some gardeners grow calamondin orange trees as bonsai, which uses extreme pruning techniques to keep the tree only a foot or two tall. Container-grown trees, however, can be easily limited to 5 to 6 feet without specialized pruning techniques.

Pests and diseases

Not many insects prey on the calamondin orange tree. Be on the lookout for red spider mites, whiteflies, scale insects, and mealybugs when growing the tree indoors. All can be dealt with by using a general-purpose insecticide. You’ll also have fewer issues if you wipe down the leaves every month or so to keep dust from settling and providing a haven for insects. Outdoor plants may be susceptible to diseases such as botrytis rot and anthracnose, which are both fungal in origin. A healthy plant can push back infection, but a fungicide can also help to keep your trees fungus-free.

Harvesting

Calamondin orange tree fruit can take up to a year to ripen, and fruits often appear on the tree at the same time as the flowers. Harvest when they are just starting to turn orange and allow them to further ripen off the tree. If you squeeze the fruit, it should be firm — if it is soft, it may be overripe. Although fruit can appear any time, harvest is most abundant between November and early summer, with the sweetest fruit available near the end of the harvest season.

Achieving maximum results

If you live in the northern U.S., you will need to grow your calamondin orange tree in a container. Choose an ornamental pot that is about twice the size of the root ball, and plan on repotting it into a slightly larger pot every two or three years. Once your tree reaches a size that is right for your home, you can prune it back to maintain that height. Minor root-pruning can help, too, to keep it consistently sized. Although calamondin orange trees are hardy down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, bring your tree inside once the temperatures falls below the 50s on a regular basis. Monitor your tree’s watering needs carefully. When the soil is dry 2 inches below the surface, give it a thorough watering, being sure that the drainage holes allow the water to drain away as needed.

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Customer Reviews

Anonymous

Verified Buyer April 29, 2021 at 3:36pm

Calamondin tree

My tree came in great shape!