How to Make My Mandarins Grow Sweeter
- 1). Choose a sunny spot with good drainage to plant your mandarin tree if you live in a temperate climate zone that gets little frost. The planting area should receive reflected warmth -- from your driveway, a sidewalk, building or other source -- because heat will help it to produce sweeter fruit.
- 2). Dig in one part organic compost to every four parts of soil to increase the fertility of your soil; this will help to make sweeter fruit. When you set your tree into its planting hole, leave the top of the rootball, or crown, slightly above the top of the soil.
- 3). Water your tree when the soil becomes slightly dry down to about 2 inches deep. Thoroughly saturate the soil by running a hose at the base at a medium drip for at least 30 minutes. Be consistent with your watering and do not allow the soil to remain soggy.
- 4). Fertilize your mandarin tree with a high nitrogen formula plant food, such as one having an N-P-K ratio of 20-10-10. Repeat the fertilizer three or four times each year during the tree's active growing season between spring and fall. Follow product label instructions for correct mixing and application.
Source...