How to Grow Finger Citron: A Detailed Guide to Finger Citron Cultivation Methods and Techniques

Finger citron, also known as five-finger citron or bergamot, has a rather unusual fruit that is golden or orange-yellow in color, aromatic, and split at the top like a clenched fist or spread open like fingers, giving it extremely high ornamental value. Its fruit can be eaten and used medicinally, with powerful effects. Many people have grown fond of it and begun cultivating it, and some, seeing this business opportunity, have started propagating it in large quantities and then making it into potted plants or bonsai for sale, with notable economic returns. Now let's take a look at the cultivation methods for finger citron.

1. Growing Conditions

Finger citron thrives in acidic loam with deep soil, loose and fertile texture, rich humus content, and good drainage, whether sandy loam or clay loam. The most suitable growing humidity for finger citron is 70%-90%, and the most suitable growing temperature is 22-24 degrees; it should not be too high or too low, and in winter the temperature must be above 5 degrees. Finger citron is also a light-loving plant that tolerates partial shade, requiring annual sunshine duration of 1,200-1,800 hours, and it dislikes intense direct sunlight, which can cause the plant to wilt from lack of water.

2. Propagation Methods

Finger citron propagation methods include cuttings, grafting, and layering, among which cuttings and layering are suitable for large-scale propagation, while grafting is mainly used to cultivate strong seedlings and make the plants grow more robust. For cuttings, generally choose June to July, take spring shoots or autumn shoots from healthy, vigorous mother plants as cuttings, remove all leaves and thorns from the cuttings, leaving only 3-4 buds, keep the cuttings about 15 cm long, and insert them diagonally into loam. Water regularly to keep the soil moist; roots form in about one month, and transplanting can be done after two months.

Layering is generally carried out from June to August. Choose vigorously growing branches, cut or girdle them with a knife, then wrap them with soil or insert the branches into the soil. Those wrapped with soil need an additional layer of plastic film for fixation. Likewise, water regularly to keep them moist; roots form in one month, and after two months they can be separated from the mother plant for transplanting.

3. Transplanting and Potting

Transplanting can be done in spring or autumn. Before transplanting, first prepare a container; the size of the container depends on the size of the plant. Mix the prepared sandy loam or clay loam with fertilizer and stir, then fill the container with soil. After filling, dig a hole in the exact center, plant the seedling into the hole, making sure it is planted upright, with the roots spread out in all directions rather than tangled together. Cover with fine soil, and while filling, lift the seedling upward several times so the roots connect closely with the soil, then firm the soil. The covering soil should be higher than the hole surface, and water to keep it moist.

4. Management

After potting, water regularly to keep the soil moist, and create the most suitable growing environment for it so it grows quickly, applying fertilizer according to the plant's growth condition. Each fertilization can be done by dissolving fertilizer in water and watering it on. When the plant grows to a certain height, cut off its terminal buds to encourage branching; once the branches have finished growing, it can be sold.

The above is an introduction to how to grow finger citron. We hope it helps you. For more cultivation methods, please stay tuned to us.