Kishu Mandarin Tree

1. Planting: Plant your tree in a large pot (around one and a half times the plant's shipped container) that gives the roots room to grow. Plant in well-draining, loose soil and make sure your container has proper drainage holes. Always keep your tree in the sunniest location possible, whether indoors or outdoors.

When you plant, add your soil, place your tree, backfill with soil again and leave about a one-inch space at the top. Finally, water to settle the roots.

2. Watering: Water new plants twice a week until it's established. Once the tree is established, only water every 7 to 10 days.

If you're not sure when to water, simply check your soil about 2 or 3 inches down. If the soil is dry here, it's time to water.

3. Fertilizing: Use a citrus fertilizer, like the one included in our Citrus Care Kit, in March, May, and June. Follow the instructions on the package, but divide the amount by 3. When applying the fertilizer, water the tree lightly to dissolve the fertilizer into the soil.

4. Pruning: Prune in the spring when new growth emerges. Remove all dead and dying limbs or branches that grow from the bottom of the tree. During the first two years of growth, remove all the fruit once the blooms have died. This allows the tree the ability to use all the nutrients, and it encourages new growth.

5. Pollination: Though this tree is self-fertile, for indoor trees, you can pollinate by hand since most people do not keep a healthy bee population within their home. Simply take a small, dry, fine-tipped paintbrush and stick it into the center of the bloom. Swirl it around and collect the pollen on the brush.

Go to the next bloom and repeat the process until every bloom has been treated. Do this once daily and don’t wash the paintbrush until after the blooms have been pollinated. The bloom will fall off naturally and the fruit will begin to form in its place.