Detailed Explanation of the Planting Methods and Key Technical Points for Fortunella hindsii
Fortunella hindsii is often grown mainly for its fruit and can be made into bonsai for viewing. Moreover, this plant is fairly drought-tolerant and has strong vitality; even in a pile of rubble, as long as its roots can reach soil, it can survive. Fortunella hindsii also has strong sprouting ability. Besides its varied trunk shapes being very suitable for making bonsai, the roots cut short from collected wild trunks can also be cultivated independently, and with proper management, they too can become a scenic feature.
-
It is best to use a somewhat larger breathable clay pot or to plant in the ground with bricks built up around it for deep mounding. The ideal medium is sieved coarse freshwater sand grains. Use a 1500-fold potassium permanganate solution as the rooting water, wrap the trunk in cotton cloth or sphagnum moss to retain moisture, and after three days water the roots again with a sunlight rooting solution. Normally spray water on the trunk frequently and water the soil as little as possible.
-
Regarding sunlight exposure, try to avoid the midday sun. It is best to get three hours of sun in the morning and two to three hours in the afternoon. It cannot be kept in full shade, otherwise the roots are prone to rot.
-
When the trunk begins to sprout, increase the number of daily water sprays until the leaves become firm and the buds stop growing. If the leaves of water shoots show signs of dehydration and stop growing, prune in time and discard most of the buds, cutting the retained buds back to the point where three to four leaves remain, so as to avoid greater loss of nutrients and water.
-
As long as the new shoots do not shrivel, wait for the second flush of shoots. When the second shoots appear, the leaves are glossy and the base of the shoots begins to turn white and become woody, which can be considered basically survived. After the second shoots stop growing, grow the plant in full sun and strengthen fertilizer and water management.
Flower and Fruit Management
1) Flower-viewing period
The flowering period of Fortunella hindsii is usually from June to September, and the process from flower bud formation to blooming generally takes 1 month. At the very beginning of flowering, the number of flowers is usually very small and the fragrance is very faint. We can delay flowering by pruning the branches, so that the blooming of Fortunella hindsii is concentrated within a certain period of time. When slow flowering occurs, it naturally becomes delightfully fragrant and more ornamental.
2) Fruit-viewing period
Like most fruit trees, Fortunella hindsii mostly blooms in summer and sets fruit in autumn. To achieve the goal of viewing the fruit after the flowering period ends, we also need to prune the branches of Fortunella hindsii appropriately. To achieve rapid shaping, some branches need to be cut back, so that the second flush of shoots can also bloom. The fruit basically turns golden orange in mid-to-late October and ripens in early November. Through pruning, the fruit ripening time of Fortunella hindsii can be delayed by more than half a month compared with normally flowering plants.