Green citrus tea. Sea buckthorn tea with apple

It's the first day of October outside the window. Winter is just around the corner and it’s time to think about wintering citrus fruits - lemons, tangerines, etc. I would say that we are even a little late with this question. In this article we will learn how to care for indoor lemon in winter.

There are 2 wintering options for citrus fruits: warm and cold. The simplest and most recommended is cold. Let's start with it.

Cold wintering of citrus fruits.

— Peace in winter time for citrus fruits this is their usual and natural state.
— After a cold winter, citrus fruits bloom and bear fruit better and more abundantly.
— Lemons and tangerines and our other citruses require a minimum of attention during the dormant period.
— Many citrus fruits begin their next growth phase in October. This needs to be taken into account when you decide to lower the temperature. It is better to do this from November.
— Citrus trees grafted onto Trifoliate rootstock require a cold winter (at least 1 month).

Temperature and light
It is believed that at 10 degrees Celsius, citrus stops growing and gradually goes into a dormant state.
Optimum temperature for wintering citrus fruits +6-10C in diffused light. There is no need to add additional lighting.

Citrus fruits can overwinter in complete darkness. To do this, it is necessary to provide temperature +3-5C. The room temperature should not be allowed to drop below 0 degrees.

There were cases among citrus growers that their citruses withstood short-term frosts of -3-4 degrees. But it's better not to allow this.

Remember It should be introduced into a state of rest and brought out of it gradually! A sudden change in the position of your lemon from cold to warm, or vice versa, can have a detrimental effect on it. The lemon will begin to fall leaves, and maybe even “give up”.

It’s good if you place your citrus fruits in advance, for example in September, in a room where they will spend the winter, keeping in mind the temperature, and gradually reduce it there.

The most comfortable spot for a cold winter, this is an insulated balcony, veranda, winter garden, etc. There, the temperature itself gradually decreases depending on the weather conditions outside the window. And in the spring it increases. You just have to make sure there are no sub-zero degrees. It is also important to avoid drafts. Do not place citrus fruits close to windows.

Another thing I recommend is to take care of the root system. Place pots not on a cold floor or window sill (which cools down from the window), but on stands, for example, polystyrene foam, a board, or a box. You can wrap the pot warm material(shiny insulation).

Watering in cold wintering is minimal. The earthen lump should not be very wet, but slightly. Water warm water only when the earth dries out. Remember, melt water is the best for irrigation. Just remember to warm it up to room temperature.

Citrus trees are not fertilized in winter. If only once a winter, in a weak dose, and if the citrus fruits are overwintered indoors and warm.

You can also provide a cold winter in a room on the windowsill. In this case, you need to separate the window from the room, for example with polyethylene, so that warm air from the batteries did not go to the window. Create such a cold micro-climate on the window.

Pruning It's better not to do it in winter. The most best time For radical, formative pruning, this is spring. You can trim dry twigs and leaves in the fall.

Warm wintering of citrus fruits.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to create a cold winter for their plants. Many lemons and tangerines overwinter in apartments on windows. For them you need to create special conditions and take a number of factors into account.

The higher the temperature, the more light is needed.

Illumination of citrus fruits in winter.

If citrus fruits will spend the winter in a warm apartment, then it is necessary to ensure the light regime. Citrus fruits need 12 hours of light per day. In our country, daylight hours are reduced in the autumn-winter period. Therefore, our citrus fruits will need pre-light.

To be honest, I’m not “strong” with lamps yet. There is a wide variety of them. I know there is fluorescent lamps, the most powerful and bright sodium DNAT and DNAZ (suitable for a large number of plants and where there is practically no light), metal halide lamps DRI, and LED bulbs(used by those who do not have many plants).

phytolamps

Each of these categories has special line for plants - phytolamps. They also differ in power, wavelength, etc. Most often they emit pink color. And I must say, not every person likes this light. Therefore, many people prefer to dilute it by installing regular lamps. Or choose lamps with a full light spectrum.

If you have a south window, then the experience of many citrus growers shows that there is no need to add light to citrus fruits there. Or in the evenings, add one 40-watt fluorescent lamp for 3-4 hours.

I had an experience when my citrus trees stood on western and eastern windows without additional light. And they felt good.

But there is little light on the northern windows. And also if there is no space on the windows, many grow their citrus fruits on shelves or directly on the floor (large varieties). Then, of course, it is imperative to add additional lighting.

If your citrus fruits are on the windowsill, then you need to take care of insulating the root system of the plants. Because window sills can be very cold (from the windows) and the root can suffer. If the root is cold, then it stops working, meanwhile from heating pipes the air heats up, rises up to the crown of the plant, and an imbalance occurs. Place pots with plants on foam plastic, box, wooden board or insulate the pots with insulated material.

Humidity in the room.

It is important during heating season, additionally humidify the air, because dry air is bad for the plant, and pests such as spider mites may appear.

Place vessels with water near the plants. Spray the plants additionally every day. Additional special humidifiers can be used.

Watering in winter- moderate, warm (preferably melted) water.
Top dressing Possible once per winter, with a weak dosage at the root or on the leaf.

If possible, I still advise you to give the citrus plants a cold winter for at least 1 month (at least on a window, blocking off the warm air flow from the room and pipes with film). This will be very good for adult plants.

I hope my tips were useful to you. If you have questions or your experience of wintering citrus fruits, write in the comments.

Caring for citrus fruits in winter and autumn period- one of the most important topics in indoor citrus growing. Many people encounter a problem when in the spring the purchased plant grows very well and is “pleasant to the eye,” but starting in October it stops growing, and by December it begins to shed its leaves, although care was still good.

I also encountered and suffered from this problem at first. My first lemon was often on the verge of death, when it threw off absolutely all its leaves and dried out its branches, but it still survived until spring and was saved.

Caring for citrus fruits in winter should be based on some knowledge, namely:

• Daylight hours in the autumn-winter period are greatly reduced
• Heating radiators dry out the air very much
• The flow of hot air causes the plant to evaporate moisture strongly
• The roots cannot provide moisture to the leaves at the same rate as it evaporates.
• Often the soil temperature in the pot is much lower than the air temperature due to possible drafts - in this case the roots do not work well

Based on this, there are 2 options for maintaining and caring for citrus fruits in winter. The first option is the best - this is cool wintering. Since citrus fruits have waves of growth, that is, active vegetation does not occur constantly, but in spurts, and the strongest period of growth is observed in the spring with increasing daylight hours, it is very advisable to transfer the plant into a dormant period in winter. It is best to provide constant temperature 5-10 degrees, at which all processes slow down, which means the need for light as well. That is, all of the above problems are solved. I read that some citrus growers take the plant to basements, where they contain low temperatures 1-2 degrees and practically no light. All plants are well preserved. A huge advantage of this kind of maintenance is also that much less care is needed for citrus fruits in winter, especially in terms of.

This year I had my first experience of creating a cold winter shelter. I glazed my small loggia with a 2-chamber double-glazed window and insulated the walls with 3-centimeter polystyrene foam. In October-December the temperature was slightly higher than recommended - 8-14 degrees. I can say that the experience was very successful for me - not a single plant dropped a single leaf, although in previous years this period was terrible. Although I wrote that at low temperatures you don't have to light it up plants, but I still hung a fluorescent lamp (2*36W) on the loggia and turned it on from 16:00 to 22:00.

Now, when daylight hours began to increase and the temperature rose to 14-16 degrees, my pets thought that spring had come and began to awaken their buds en masse: who was going to grow branches, and who was going to bloom:

But it often happens that not everyone has the opportunity to have a cool or cold winter, like I had in previous years. What to do in this case?

First of all you need to do additional lighting, to artificially increase daylight hours. The second thing is to do it hot air screen; You can use any heat-reflecting materials. And finally, try raise air humidity. Spraying is good, but has a very short-term effect. Try to place many wide containers of water near the plants.

Despite the fact that I am a little late with this post and spring will soon come, I hope that my advice will help at least someone next year and caring for citrus fruits in winter will not be another headache!

1.8. Vaccinations
1.9. Cuttings
1.10. Aerial rooting of branches

2.7. Citrus plants in autumn-winter

With the onset of short autumn and winter days in the life of citrus fruits begins especially dangerous period, which continues until the end of February. At this time, when the air in the room is especially dry, there is not enough sun and light, they feel depressed.
Often during such periods, amateurs make difficult mistakes. Some people argue, for example, like this: since plants are from warm subtropical countries, it means they are afraid of cool air. So they put them in the warmest place in the room for the winter months, and there they, as a rule, shed their leaves and then die. So what kind of care is correct in the autumn-winter months?
We are used to the fact that fruit trees in the garden in the fall they lose their gilded attire and seem to fall asleep until the warm spring days. Majority subtropical plants In autumn and winter they also enter a period of rest, but it is largely relative for them. And some types of citrus fruits, for example lemon, although they slow down their growth, can bloom in November, December, and January. Just like in summer, citrus fruits need light, moist and fresh air.
Scientists recommend two methods of winter maintenance indoor citrus fruits, in which they feel most prosperous: in a cool room or on the same windowsill, but with additional lighting. The first is preferable, but can only be done if there is a bright and cool terrace, veranda or wide opening between window frames, where you can maintain a temperature of 5 -10 degrees Celsius. If the mercury column in the room does not rise above 3-5 degrees, but does not fall below zero, citrus fruits can withstand even strong darkening without any harm. In such conditions, it is necessary to water the trees very rarely and only so that the earthen ball does not dry out too much. Thus, we force the plants to fall asleep, as it were, to enter a period of complete dormancy, when both the crown and root system less active. Only, unlike apple trees, citruses “fall asleep” along with the foliage, because they are evergreen. Wintering conditions on a cool veranda are to some extent reminiscent of the Black Sea subtropics, where in the winter months the temperature is basically the same. But here again, try to avoid sudden changes. Do not move citrus fruits from a warm room to a cold one. It is better to place them in advance where it will be cool in winter, but not too cold.
Closer to spring, around the end of February, try to make sure that the plant does not suffer from changing conditions: on the terrace, if possible, gradually raise the temperature, water the trees with warm water, and when moving it to the window, spray it more often.
You can keep citrus fruits at home, only then you need to rid them of the lack of light and increase the humidity. They especially suffer on window sills under which batteries are placed. central heating, as they enter the stream of superheated dry air. On the other hand, cold air often blows from the window onto the plants. And the picture we get is exactly the same as with a plant brought from a cool street into a warm room. Only there the unfavorable time for him lasts several hours, but here it lasts several months. Air excessively dried by the battery plays a special role. Since the beginning of the heating season, the relative air humidity has been significantly lower than normal; on some days it reaches a value unacceptable for either plants or humans - 20 percent.
There are also accurate estimates of how much light starvation costs citrus fruits. During the short five to six hour daylight hours from November to February, even with sunny weather square decimeter of lemon leaves overwintering in warm room, absorbs only 6 milligrams of carbon dioxide, while during the remaining, dark hours of the day, due to respiration, the same leaf blade loses 30. That is, at night it consumes exactly 5 times more nutrients than they accumulate in a day. It is not surprising that citrus trees die so often in winter.
The best option for keeping citrus fruits at this time - move the tree away from the battery and build artificial lighting directly above it.
An ordinary household light bulb of 75-100 watts with a good mirror or chrome reflector, as well as a white fluorescent lamp, are suitable. The greatest effect comes from the simultaneous use of both - then the spectrum of light is almost the same as on the street. The duration of illumination is at least 10 hours. In those cases when the tree stands on a windowsill, under which there are no batteries, only additional lighting is required, in other words, lighting with lamps only in the evening and early morning.
I'm on my own winter garden During an unfavorable season for him, I take care of him a little differently. Perhaps it makes sense for novice amateurs to take my experience into account. All year round I keep citrus fruits in a window facing east. In autumn and winter, there is also insufficient light and excessively dry air in the room. I got out of the situation like this: I doubled the window sill and covered it on top with a film lowered to the floor. I installed containers on the battery and next to it, into which I periodically add water. There are also plates of water on the windowsill itself, which to some extent increases the humidity near the window. In addition, I often turn on the electric air humidifier installed here (they are commercially available) and spray the tree crowns with a spray bottle almost every day. Thus, I increase the air humidity in my room to almost normal - 60-70 percent.
I solve the problem of winter dormancy of plants even more simply: I do not insert second frames into the windows and periodically open the window for a few minutes. To prevent the flow of frosty air from damaging the tree, I modified it a little, moving the side hinges down and the lock up. Now it opens like a transom for me, and the frosty air does not fall down on the plants, but is directed upward and does not cause damage to them. Of course, I try to avoid drafts (I only open the window when the door is closed). As a result, the air temperature in my room for many years in the fall and winter does not exceed 15-17 degrees, and on the windowsill it is even lower - 10-12 degrees, the air is always cool and fresh.
Citrus trees feel tolerable, from November to February they go into a dormant stage and, as a rule, do not grow. Only the lemon sometimes produces buds. I remove most and leave a few - for the aroma in the room. In other winters, when the heating radiators are especially hot, a few leaves fall off, but this has virtually no effect on general state plants. Already at the end of February - March they are covered with new needle-like shoots and bloom wildly.
A few words about watering and fertilizing citrus fruits in the autumn-winter months. Special manuals often contain the following advice: in autumn and winter, water occasionally, once or twice a week, and do not feed at all with minerals or organic fertilizers. Practice shows the opposite. In other rooms, where it is hot in winter due to rapid evaporation of moisture, the plant may need more water than in summer. And nutrition is also required during the period of relative rest, not to mention the time of growth and flowering, which is sometimes observed in late autumn and mid-winter. The benefits of using irrigation with fertilizers are also evidenced by the observations of scientists who have found that when there is a lack of light, citrus fruits need increased nutrition. With additional doses of nitrogen, plant leaves acquire a thick dark green color, are filled with chlorophyll, and their assimilation is activated.
Therefore, we must proceed from specific autumn-winter conditions. citrus trees. On average, from October to February, it is better to fertilize them about once a month, and water them as needed to avoid drying out the earthen clod. To do this, you can use a simple device - a circle of polyethylene, equal in diameter to the top of the pot. It is cut to the middle, widened a little there (according to the diameter of the stem) and placed on top of an earthen lump. Polyethylene significantly prevents the evaporation of water from the soil, making its humidity more or less even. You have to water the plant less often, although constantly (moisture still evaporates through the walls of the pot). It is better to use snow-heated water rather than tap water.
Let me remind you that a pot standing on the windowsill usually gets very cold. From cold soil (below 10-12°), the roots absorb water poorly, and the leaves evaporate it the more, the higher the temperature of the air surrounding the crown. It is because of this temperature difference that citrus fruits often shed their leaves and may even die in the autumn-winter months. Turns out it's watering cold water in a warm room increases the danger to the life of domestic trees. That is why in the cold season it is necessary to water only with warm water, which to a certain extent warms the soil in the pot. It is important not to forget: the higher the water temperature, the more active its absorption and thus eliminates the moisture deficit in the leaves.
And more advice. If pots with citrus fruits are on a marble or stone window sill, then again, to prevent hypothermia of the earthen clod, place a wooden board under them. It’s even better to put the pots in an oblong box for the winter, and fill the space between them with constantly moistened moss or wet sawdust. It’s also a good idea to cover the tree from the side of the room with a low white curtain. Then it will become a kind of screen, further enhancing the lighting, and to some extent protect against overheated air.

Citrus plants in the autumn-winter months

With the onset of short autumn and winter days, a particularly dangerous period begins in the life of citrus fruits, which continues until the end of February. At this time, when the air in the room is especially dry, there is not enough sun and light, they feel depressed. Often during such periods, amateurs make difficult mistakes. Some people argue, for example, like this: since plants are from warm subtropical countries, it means they are afraid of cool air. So they put them in the warmest place in the room for the winter months, and there they, as a rule, shed their leaves and then die. So what kind of care is needed in the autumn and winter months?

We are accustomed to the fact that fruit trees in the garden in the fall lose their gilded attire and seem to fall asleep until the warm spring days. Most subtropical plants also enter a dormant period in autumn and winter, however, it is largely relative for them. And some types of citrus fruits, for example lemon, although they slow down their growth, can bloom in November, December, and January. Just like in summer, citrus fruits need light, moist and fresh air.

Scientists recommend two ways to keep indoor citrus fruits in winter, in which they feel most prosperous: in a cool room or on the same windowsill, but with additional lighting. The first method is preferable, but can only be done if there is a bright and cool terrace, insulated, glass balcony or, at worst, a wide opening between the window frames, where the temperature can be maintained at 5–10 °C. If the mercury column there does not rise above 3–5 °C, but does not fall below zero, citrus fruits can withstand even a lack of light without any harm. In such conditions, it is necessary to water the trees very rarely and only so that the earthen ball does not dry out too much. Thus, we force the plants to fall asleep, as it were, to enter a period of rest, when both the crown and the root system are less active. Only, unlike apple trees, citruses “fall asleep” along with the foliage, because they are evergreen. Wintering conditions on a cool veranda are to some extent reminiscent of the Black Sea subtropics, where in the winter months the temperature is basically the same. But here again, try to avoid sudden changes. Do not move citrus fruits from a warm room to a cold one. It is better to place them in advance where it will be cool in winter, but not too cold. Closer to spring, around the end of February, try to make sure that the plant does not suffer from changing conditions: on the terrace, if possible, gradually raise the temperature, water the trees with warm water, and, after moving them to the window, spray them more often. However, the above-described system for keeping citrus fruits is acceptable mainly only for those living in “their own” house, or for those who have a glazed and insulated balcony for the winter. Everyone else should try to eliminate, if possible, or at least smooth out as much as possible the unfavorable factors of the winter-autumn “climate” of the room.

The main thing is to rid citrus fruits of light deficiency and increase humidity. They especially suffer on window sills, under which central heating radiators are located, as they fall into the flow of superheated dry air. However, cold air often blows onto the plants from the gaps between the frames. And the picture we get is exactly the same as with a plant moved from a cool street to a warm room. Only there the unfavorable time for him lasts several hours, but here it lasts several months. Air excessively dried by the battery plays a special role. Since the beginning of the heating season, relative air humidity has been significantly lower than normal, and on other days it reaches an indicator unacceptable for either plants or humans - 20 percent. But the drier the indoor air, the more moisture citrus leaves evaporate. Dry air in combination with high temperature(25–30 °C). It is then that the most undesirable thing happens - citrus fruits lose their leaves, and with them the vital energy leaves them.

Professor A.D. Aleksandrov made accurate calculations of how much light “starvation” costs citrus fruits. In Moscow, during a short five- to six-hour daylight hours from November to February, even in sunny weather, 1 square decimeter of lemon leaves overwintering in an excessively warm room absorbs only 6 milligrams of organic matter, while during the remaining, dark hours of the day, the same the leaf blade loses 90. That is, at night exactly 15 times more nutrients are consumed than accumulated during the day. It is not surprising that citrus trees die so often in winter.

Light - the most important condition life for indoor citrus fruits. And even more important than the most miracle fertilizers, because, as K. A. Timiryazev emphasized, “the most essential process of plant nutrition, its acquisition of its main component - carbohydrate, depends on light.” Whether the amount absorbed by the leaves is sufficient solar energy, the lives of our pets often depend. And this, as a rule, is underestimated by inexperienced citrus growers.

It is known that the amount of light necessary for plants for normal development, is determined by the duration of illumination (length of day) and the degree of illumination, measured in lux.

The optimal length of daylight for citrus fruits is 12 hours, while in many cities middle zone, and even more so in the north in other winter months it is almost half as much. In any case, for five months - approximately from October 15 to March 15 - the daylight hours are too short. It is not surprising, therefore, that even in the brightest window in the fall and winter, citrus fruits suffer greatly, are depleted to one degree or another, or even die.

Therefore, the first principle of the citrus grower is this: not a single ray of sunlight should be wasted. This means that all citrus fruits should stand in winter not next to the window, as they are sometimes placed, but almost close to the glass. Moreover, in winter, windows facing south are preferable. It’s a good idea to cover the tree with at least a low white curtain from the side of the room - it will become a kind of screen that further enhances and at least slightly prolongs the natural light.

Leaves located near the cleanest glass and perfectly washed receive only 60, rarely 80 percent of street light, while those 1 meter away from the window receive 20–50, and 2–3 meters only 3–5 percent. By the way, using a regular photo exposure meter you can accurately measure the degree of illumination of plants (they feel good at 5000 lux). Therefore, trees that are as close as possible to the window need artificial lighting to increase the intensity, and most importantly, to increase the duration of lighting to 12 hours (or so).

So, it is advisable to provide additional lighting for 1–5 hours (the shorter the day, the longer it should be). For example, at the end of December - from 16 to 21 hours, that is, for five hours, or two and a half hours - before dawn and after sunset. It’s better to orient yourself, of course, not by “sleep peephole”, but by the calendar, which contains the necessary data on the length of the day.

There is a misconception that the general lighting of the room is enough for citrus fruits, especially since they turn it on on winter evenings just after sunset, and turn it off late in the evening. However, the distance from the chandelier to the window sill is several meters, so even with the most powerful lamp, the degree of illumination is several times less than required, which is also easy to verify using a photo exposure meter.

Only electric lamps suspended directly above the plants are effective. As close as possible - just enough so that the tender leaves are not damaged by the hot light bulb (about 60 centimeters).

At one time, based on multi-variant experiments, A.D. Aleksandrov recommended to amateur citrus growers the most economical, from his point of view, option - light feeding with an ordinary household light bulb of 75 watts, but always with a good mirror or chrome reflector. According to the professor’s calculations, with many hours of additional illumination, on average, a plant can assimilate no more than 30 milligrams per square decimeter organic matter. Overnight at a temperature of 20 °C in 9 hours it loses a little more during breathing - 36 milligrams. The scientist proposed to equalize the acquisition and consumption of nutrients in the simplest way, which still needs to be adopted today - to reduce the air temperature at night to 12–14 °C with the help of ventilation (it is enough to open the window for a few minutes, but, of course, without freezing at this plant). At this temperature, the breathing process will slow down by half, which means the consumption of nutrients accumulated in the light will decrease by the same amount. By the way, the cooler it is on the windowsill, the more economically the tree functions. Therefore, the recommended simple white curtain can bring double benefits - to enhance lighting during the day, and at night to reduce the temperature by 5–7 °C near the window where the citrus fruits are located. On the contrary, at high night temperatures, the consumption of nutrients for respiration exceeds their amount accumulated during the day during the assimilation process. And if you fully comply with the optimal temperature regime, then it is advisable to replace incandescent lamps with fluorescent lamps (otherwise they are also called fluorescent lamps), which have a relatively cool glow and thus do not cause overheating of the leaves. Among other things, they use electricity three times more economically.

Fluorescent lamps are placed directly under the plants or to the side of them, almost right next to them. Please note: at a distance of 5 centimeters from the tubes, plants receive 7000 lux, 15–6000, 50–3000 lux. If you install an additional reflector above the lamps from shiny foil or metal painted with special lighting enamel, this will increase the illumination by another 30 percent.

Typically, lamps are mounted in several pieces with a distance between them of 10–15 centimeters at the rate of 200 watts per 1 square meter using fluorescent lamps different types. However, white lamps are still preferable. Citrus fruits illuminated by them for 12 hours a day can be placed in any corner of the room, but it is still more expedient and economical to use them only for additional illumination - before dawn or immediately after sunset (it is desirable that there is no gap between natural and artificial light).

I myself all year round I keep citrus fruits in a window facing east. In autumn and winter, I turn on two powerful fluorescent lamps in the evenings near the window (it is more advisable to turn on using a time relay). Like in other apartments, we also have excessively dry air. I got out of the situation like this: I doubled the window sill and covered it on top with a film lowered to the floor. I installed containers on the battery and next to it, into which I periodically add water. There are also plates of water on the windowsill itself, which to some extent increases the humidity near the window. In addition, I often turn on the electric air humidifier installed here (available for sale) and almost daily I spray the tree crowns with a spray bottle. Thus, I increase the air humidity in my room to almost normal - 60–70 percent.

I solve the problem of winter dormancy of plants even more simply: I do not insert second frames into the windows and periodically open the window for a few minutes. To prevent the flow of frosty air from damaging the tree, I modified it a little, moving the side hinges down and the lock up. Now it opens like a transom for me, and the frosty air does not fall down on the plants, but is directed upward and does not cause damage to them. Of course, I try to avoid drafts (I open the window only when closed door). As a result, the air temperature in my room for many years in autumn and winter does not exceed 19 °C, and directly on the windowsill it is 10–12 °C, or even lower, the air is always cool and fresh.

Citrus trees feel tolerable, from November to February they go into a dormant stage and, as a rule, do not grow. Only the lemon sometimes produces buds. I remove most and leave a few - for the aroma in the room. In other winters, when the heating radiators are especially hot, a few leaves still fall off, but this causes practically no noticeable damage to the plants. Already at the end of February - March, they are covered with new needle-like shoots and bloom profusely.

A few words about watering and fertilizing citrus fruits in the autumn-winter months. Special manuals often contain the following advice: in autumn and winter, water occasionally, once or twice a week, and do not feed at all with mineral or organic fertilizers. Experience shows the opposite. In many apartments during the heating season, the air is very dry and, as a result, the soil in the pot quickly evaporates moisture, so plants need watering more often than in summer, almost every day. And plants need nutrition even during the period of relative dormancy, not to mention the time of growth and flowering, which is sometimes observed in late autumn and mid-winter. The benefits of using irrigation with fertilizers are also evidenced by the observations of scientists who have found that when there is a lack of light, citrus fruits need increased nutrition. With additional doses of nitrogen, plant leaves acquire a thick dark green color, are filled with chlorophyll, and their assimilation becomes more active.

Therefore, we must proceed from the specific autumn-winter conditions for keeping citrus trees. On average, from October to February, it is better to fertilize them about once a month, and water them as needed to avoid drying out the earthen clod. To do this, you can use a simple device - a circle of polyethylene, equal in diameter to the top of the pot. It is cut to the middle, widened a little there (according to the diameter of the stem) and covered with an earthen lump. Polyethylene significantly prevents the evaporation of water from the soil, making its humidity more or less even. You have to water the plant less often, although constantly (moisture still evaporates through the walls of the pot). It is better to use snow-heated water rather than tap water.

Let me remind you that a pot standing on the windowsill usually gets very cold. From cold soil (below 10–12 °C), the roots absorb water poorly, and the leaves evaporate it the more, the higher the temperature of the air surrounding the crown. It is because of this temperature difference that citrus fruits often shed their leaves and may even die in the autumn-winter months. It turns out that watering with cold water in a warm room increases the danger to the life of domestic trees. That is why in the cold season it is necessary to water only with warm water, which to a certain extent warms the soil in the pot. It is important not to forget: the higher the water temperature, the more active its absorption and thus eliminates the moisture deficit in the leaves. To prevent the pot from being overcooled by streams of cold air penetrating onto the window sill from the cracks between the frames, they must be carefully caulked.

And more advice. If pots with citrus fruits are on a marble or stone window sill, then again, to prevent hypothermia of the earthen clod, place a wooden board under them. It’s even better to put the pots in an oblong box for the winter, and fill the space between them with constantly moistened moss, peat, sand or wet sawdust.

Wanting to bring the tree crown as close as possible to sunlight However, it is important not to overdo it and on frosty days make sure that the leaves do not freeze to the glass, otherwise they will be lost.

Please note: dust and dirt on glass and leaves block a lot of light rays, making them inaccessible to plants. Therefore, both must be constantly washed and kept clean.

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From book golden book rich harvest author Samsonov Sergey Anatolievich

Plants for the garden

From the book Strawberry. Strawberry. Varieties, care, seasonal calendar author Zvonarev Nikolai Mikhailovich

Plants for the garden Typically, in orchard The leading place is occupied by such crops as apple, pear, cherry, plum, strawberry, currant, gooseberry, raspberry, and grape. Some gardens also grow sea buckthorn and other plants that have healing properties.

From the book Momordika - an Indian doctor at your dacha author Serikova Galina Alekseevna

Plants protect plants Man has long been using environmentally friendly and harmless methods to control pests and diseases on strawberries, using a number of plants because of their insecticidal properties. But many of them are poisonous to people. So, decoctions and infusions of henbane and dope

From the book 1000 of the most important questions and the most complete answers about the garden and vegetable garden author

Winter preparations with Momordica Momordica in marinade Momordica – as much as needed Vinegar essence – 10 ml (per three-liter jar) Black peppercorns, dill, garlic, Bay leaf and currant leaves to taste. For the marinade: Water – 1 l Sugar – 20 g Salt – 20 g

From the book Vegetable Garden on the Windowsill author Onishchenko Leonid

Ornamental plants

From the book A generous vegetable garden, a productive garden, a bright flower garden: the most complete answers to the most important questions author Kizima Galina Alexandrovna

Citrus Citrus is a subfamily of dicotyledonous flowering plants in the Rutaceae family. As a rule, these are evergreen, usually small trees, sometimes shrubs. The flowers are quite large, white, very fragrant. The fruit - hesperidium, or orange - consists of a leathery

From book Healing properties fruits and vegetables author Khramova Elena Yurievna

Ornamental plants Perennial aster Why does the aster's foliage always dry out on the lower part of its stems? This usually occurs on infertile soils. you planted perennial asters and forgot about them. Asters require feeding with potassium and calcium at the end of July -

From the book Citrus Garden in the Room author Dadykin Venedikt Vladimirovich

Citrus OrangeOrange contains a large number of ascorbic acid, potassium salts, sugars, pectin substances and citric acid. This fruit was widely used in dietetics and medicine back in the Middle Ages for preparing decoctions and tinctures from the peel, as well as

From the book 500 tips for gardening author Boychuk Yuri Dmitrievich

Citrus fruits abroad and in our country According to poets, the sun itself imprinted kisses on citrus fruits. Apparently, a combination of beauty, benefits, excellent taste qualities, the ability to satisfy the most refined taste, and determined the colossal popularity

From book New encyclopedia gardener and gardener [edition expanded and revised] author Ganichkin Alexander Vladimirovich

How to properly grow citrus fruits at home Tip No. 476 Seedlings of lemon, orange and other citrus fruits at 1-3 years of age are replanted every year in fresh soil. Adult plants – once every 2–3 years. Lemons can be replanted at any time of the year, but

Hot fruit and berry teas are an ideal drink for the cold season. Firstly, they warm up quickly. Secondly, they contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, which are so necessary for us in the absence of fresh seasonal fruits and herbs. Thirdly, they are very tasty and can be prepared in a matter of minutes. Much faster than a smoothie or freshly squeezed juice. And finally, by adding a couple of spoons of rum or cognac to this tea, you will get a tasty and fragrant cocktail for adults.

Fruit and berry teas are prepared different ways, depending on what is the base of the drink. If it is water, then just pour boiling water over the ingredients, stir, cover with a lid and leave to brew for 5-7 minutes. If you are preparing tea based on fruit juice, it will have to be heated. The main thing is to do this over low heat and make sure that the juice does not boil, otherwise it may curdle or simply lose its taste and most vitamins If you add a sweetener, simply heat the juice over low heat until the sugar or honey dissolves.

Brew and serve so bright and beautiful tea best in a transparent glass teapot. If the ingredients include berries with grains (for example, sea buckthorn) or you add loose leaf tea, then you can use a French press so that the drink gets into the cup pre-strained. Tea with apple, pear or orange can be brewed in a large mug, from which you can drink it. Pieces of fruit or berries will be an additional bonus - they can be eaten with a spoon.

Sea buckthorn tea with apple

Recipe from Sergei Eroshenko, chef of the Honest Kitchen restaurant

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 40 g fresh or frozen sea buckthorn, 1/4 (30 g) apple, 1/2-1 tsp. honey, 250 ml water.

Instructions. Finely chop the apple. Place sea buckthorn, apple and honey in a container, add water and heat for 15-20 minutes over low heat, without bringing to a boil. Then let it sit for 3-5 minutes.

Green citrus tea

Recipe from Artem Ushakov, head bartender of the Prozhektor restobar

Ingredients (for 1-2 servings): 70 ml orange juice, 70 ml hot green tea, 2 grapefruit slices, 1 tsp. maple syrup (or any other to taste), 1 tbsp. l. lemongrass syrup (or any other citrus syrup), 1 sprig of fresh mint, 3 cardamom seeds, 150 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Heat all ingredients (except grapefruit) in a copper kettle, but do not bring to a boil. Before serving, squeeze and add grapefruit slices to the tea.

Lingonberry tea with cranberries and mint

Recipe from Sergei Chesnokov, bar manager of the Strelka bar

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 70 g lingonberries (fresh or fresh frozen), 30 g cranberries (fresh or fresh frozen), 2 tbsp. l. honey, 3-4 fresh mint leaves, 300 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Rub the berries with honey, add hot water, cook for a couple of minutes without bringing to a boil. Add mint before serving.

Pomegranate tea

Recipe from Evgeniy Sirbu, bar manager of the restaurant Zafferano

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 100 ml pomegranate juice, 1/4 (30 g) apple, 1.5 tsp. honey, 1 cm lemon zest, 150-200 ml boiling water. Pomegranate seeds and apple slices for decoration.

Instructions. Cut the apple into strips and the lemon zest into thin slices. Heat all ingredients without bringing to a boil. Strain into a glass and garnish with pomegranate seeds and apple slices.

Pear tea with jasmine

Recipe from Oleg Kashin, bar manager of a restaurant chain Il Forno

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 100 g pear, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 lime wedge, 1 pinch of jasmine tea leaves, 200 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Finely chop the pear and mash into puree. Brew jasmine tea and add lime juice, pear puree and cinnamon. Let it brew for 10-15 minutes.

Berry tea

Recipe from Andrey Vakarchuk, head bartender of the Noah's Ark restaurant

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 1-2 strawberries, 2-3 blueberries, 1 blackberry, 2 raspberries, 1-1.5 tsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. l. any fruit puree, 1 tsp. flower honey, 200 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Place the berries (fresh or defrosted) in a large glass, add fruit puree, sugar and honey, crush the berries with a spoon, pour boiling water over everything, stir, cover and let steep for 3-5 minutes.

Hot tea “Pumpkin head”

Recipe from Ilya Doronin, head bartender of the gastrobar “We’re not going anywhere”

Ingredients (for 2-3 servings): 300 g pumpkin puree, 50 g strawberry puree, 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice, 25 g ginger, 1 slice of grapefruit, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 pinch of ground red pepper, 25 g ginger root, 200 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Grate the ginger on a fine grater, place all the ingredients in a kettle, pour boiling water, cover with a lid, let it brew for a couple of minutes, then pour into cups.

Apple sbiten

Recipe from Alexey Ponedelin, bar manager of the restaurant “Fedya, game!”

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 150 ml apple juice, 1/2 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 1 clove inflorescence, 1 apple slice.

Instructions. Place all ingredients in a container and place over low heat. Boil for 2-3 minutes, without bringing to a boil. Then pour into a serving container and let sit for 5-7 minutes.

Hot Chili Tea

Recipe from Vlad Mozgovoy, head bartender of a restaurant chain Ribambelle

Ingredients (for 1-2 servings): 2 tsp. black tea, 1/2 apple, cut into pieces, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 pod of hot red pepper, 2-3 mugs of lemon, 2-3 cloves, honey to taste, 400 ml of boiling water.

Instructions. Place all ingredients in a kettle, pour boiling water, cover with a lid, let steep for 5 minutes, then pour into cups.

Fruit tea “Moscow Autumn”

Recipe from George, the restaurant's mixologist Siberia

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 1 pinch of fruit tea leaves, 2 pinches of dry hibiscus tea, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, fruit to taste, 200 ml of hot boiled water.

Instructions. Pour hot but not boiling water over fruit tea and hibiscus and leave for 4 minutes. Pour into a glass, add anise and cinnamon. If desired and to taste, add 1 tbsp. l. chopped fruit. Stir.

Blackcurrant tea with basil

Recipe from Peter Rabchevsky, chef of the burger bar Burger Heroes

Ingredients (for 5 servings): 150 g blackcurrants (thawed), 75 g sugar, 1 large bunch of purple basil, 1/4 lime, 1 liter boiling water.

Instructions. Separate the basil leaves from the sprigs, place in a teapot (leave a little for decoration), add blackcurrants and sugar, mash until the berries release juice. Fill in hot water 75-80°C. Let it brew for 5-7 minutes. Pour the tea into cups, squeeze a lime into each wedge and garnish with basil leaves.

Sea buckthorn tea with ginger

Recipe from Evgeny Gizatulin, head bartender of the Scottish Cell restaurant

Ingredients (for 1 serving): 5 g ginger root, 100 g frozen sea buckthorn, 1 tbsp. l. honey, 1 tbsp. l. passion fruit syrup (or any other syrup to taste), 1 sprig of mint, jam to taste, 180 ml boiling water.

Instructions. Slice the ginger thinly. Place sea buckthorn, ginger, honey, syrup and mint in a French press, pour boiling water over it, leave for 5-7 minutes. Then pour into cups and serve with jam to taste.

Another recipe for detox tea with honey and spices from Oleg Goncharov, bar manager of the Bank cafe - in our social networks.