Dancy Mandarin Tree
The Dancy Mandarin is sweet and easy to peel. The fruit is medium size with red-orange skin, juicy flesh and a rich flavor. They are very popular in California and marketed as “Cuties”. Thought to be from Tangier, Morocco, these are often sold as tangerines. The Dancy mandarin tree can grow to a moderate or large size but is often kept small. Grows vigorously, upright, and is densely foliated. Dancy Mandarin trees produce tiny white, aromatic blossoms. Multiple harvests per year.
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General Plant Information
Dancy Mandarin / Tangerine Tree Information and Care
Our Dancy Mandarin trees are grown in Standard, Semi-Dwarf, and Dwarf forms. This Semi-Dwarf and Standard citrus tree has a single trunk and branches out to form a canopy. Dwarf citrus are topped low, as a result they grow as a bush. These are great for pots! Although a citrus tree can grow over 20 feet tall, most prune to keep them short. Therefore, many people grow mandarin trees 9 – 15 feet tall. When it comes to spacing, plant citrus trees as close as 9 feet apart and provide more space to allow for larger growth. The mandarin tree is a great choice for a home garden. Its small size will serve as a beautiful ornamental, as well as provide many fruit.
How To Plant, Water, and Fertilize A Mandarin Citrus Tree
Plant a mandarin tree in the full sun. It amends with high quality planting mix and fertilizer in soil that drains well. Water a newly planted mandarin tree twice per week during the Spring through Summer. Water once per week in the Fall and Winter, while the weather is cool. Consequently, trees in hot climates or sandy soils may need water more frequently.
Spring is the most important time to fertilize a citrus tree. Use citrus food fertilizer with a 2-1-1 NPK ratio in the Spring through Summer. To promote growth, there is twice as much nitrogen to phosphorus and potassium. Blood meal and manure are great organic sources of Nitrogen. Use a fertilizer with more phosphorus and potassium like humus or bone meal during the Winter to promote flowers and fruit.
The mandarin tree has few pests and problems. They are less attractive to birds and animals like squirrels.
The Dancy Mandarin tree does great in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego Counties.
Mature Size
Citrus trees are generally pruned to be about 10-20 feet tall. Plant your citrus trees about 10 feet apart. Provide more space to allow your citrus tree to grow larger. Commercially citrus trees are often planted 15 feet apart with 20 feet rows for machinery.
A Standard form citrus tree has a single trunk and a canopy that generally starts a few feet from the ground, eventually where people can walk or sit under. Dwarf citrus trees are genetically identical to Standard citrus trees. The tips are simply trimmed when the tree is very young so that the plant grows rounder like a large bush. Dwarf citrus trees are easier to harvest due to the lower canopy, but you can never sit under occupies a wider area at ground level. You would always be next to a Dwarf citrus tree, and would not go under. Dwarf citrus trees are great for containers and to keep a shorter tree to prevent blocking a view.
Additional Information
Bloom Color : WhiteSun Exposure : Full Sun
Watering : Regular
Plant Type: Evergreen
USDA Hardiness Zones: 7-10
Pollination: Self-Fruitful / Self Pollinating
Planting Information
Soil and Planting: Plant in soil that drains well. Dig a hole that is as deep as the tree’s roots and at least twice as wide.
Place the tree in the hole and backfill around the plant’s roots with a mixture of the native soil and high-quality planting mix that has washed sand and organic fertilizer.
Create a basin around the roots drip zone so that water collects. Water deeply until the roots and nearby soil is saturated and reaches field capacity.
Plant Care Information
How To Water
Newly planted trees should be watered about twice per week. Adjust the frequency based on weather conditions and soil type. Create a water well or basin around the drip zone to collect the water for the tree’s roots. Provide enough water to saturate the entire root zone. To give enough water run a sprinkler for 20 minutes. A bubbler system can provide enough water in 6 minutes while a drip system would run for 2 hours to saturate the soil.
Fertilizer and Plant Nutrition
Fertilize citrus trees with a balanced fertilizer. Use the manufacturers general recommendations. Organic sources of fertilizer include manure and blood meal. Bone meal is a great source of phosphorus. Potash is often used as an organic potassium input in agriculture. Specialty fertilizers that contain a balanced amount of NPK are commonly available and often sold as citrus food.
Winter Pruning and Summer Thinning
Prune fruit trees in the Winter to maintain size and shape to prepare for Spring growth. Thin the tree in the Summer, and remove excessive fruits. Remove any dry twigs and branches. Cut off any new growth below the graft or very low in the tree, this will direct the plant’s energy to its main branches. Thin your trees during the Spring and Summer seasons to ensure the plant’s energy is directed as desired. If the plant provides an overly large quantity of fruits for that branch. Reduce the quantity of fruit so that what remains grows larger. This will also prevent broken limbs. Harvest ripe fruit to prevent undesired pests.
Harvesting and Pest Management
The basics of integrated pest management is cleanliness and the use of a combination of methods. This means we use of organic pesticide when the pest population reaches a threshold that requires action. Horticultural oils such as Neem oil is an organic pesticide that controls tiny, soft bodied insects. Use organic Bordeaux and Liqui-cop to manage fungus causing diseases such as powdery mildew, rust, and leaf-curls.
Keep a clean environment, free of weeds and dropped fruit that host insects or attract animals. Harvest when fruit reaches size and store indoors. Use repellants and bird netting to protect your harvest from other animals.
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Compatibility
The two factors that determine if a deciduous fruit trees will grow well and produce fruit in a certain area are the Chill Hour Requirement and the Cold Hardiness. “Chill hours” are the amount of cold a deciduous fruit tree need to produce fruit. This is measured in the number of hours below 45 degrees Fahrenheit a plant must experience during its winter dormancy. Paradise Nursery only grows Low Chill fruit trees that meet the chill requirements of all areas of the United States.
The second factor is Cold Hardiness. Cold Hardiness refers to the minimum temperature a plant can tolerate. The USDA’s Cold Hardiness Zones indicate the average minimum winter temperatures of areas. Based on the shipping zipcode, our website will only allow you to add plants to your cart that grow within your USDA Hardiness Zone, and tolerate your climate.
Pollination & Propagation
(Grafting/Cutting) Most of Paradise Nursery’s edible plants are self-fruitful. Self-pollinating trees do not require an additional tree to produce fruit. For your convenience, we have indicated which trees require a pollinator, and their associated pollinators. Only the sweet cherries, avocados, and some plums require a pollinator. All of our other propagated edible plants do not require a pollinator. All of our edible plants are either grown from cuttings, budded, or grafted. This way, we can ensure that our plants are high quality and fruit immediately. Plants will generally begin fruiting within a year of planting.