Mandarin Trees

How to choose a mandarin

The Imperial Mandarin Tree is a popular backyard variety and the earliest here, with sweet, easy peel fruit from autumn into early winter. The Emperor Mandarin Tree follows in winter, with big, rich flavoured, loose skinned fruit. The Afourer Mandarin Tree is a late, juicy, almost seedless type, and the Ellendale Mandarin Tree is a tangor, a mandarin and orange hybrid with rich, tangy fruit.

For small spaces and pots, the Dwarf Imperial Mandarin Tree and Dwarf Emperor Mandarin Tree stay much smaller than their standard forms.

Where mandarins grow

Mandarins grow well in the subtropics and in warm to mild temperate climates, from Queensland through to Perth, Adelaide and the sheltered parts of Victoria. They need full sun and a position sheltered from strong wind and frost, particularly while young. In cooler areas a pot against a warm wall is a good way to give them extra protection.

Browse the full citrus range or pair a mandarin with orange trees and lemon trees for a mixed home orchard.

If you want fruit across the season, plant two or three varieties that ripen at different times, for example an early and a late type, so the harvest runs for several months rather than arriving all at once.

Planting and spacing

Plant in spring or early autumn in free draining soil, in at least six hours of sun. Standard mandarins need about three to four metres between trees, and dwarf types about two metres. In a pot, choose a container at least 50 centimetres across with drainage holes, and a citrus potting mix. Keep the graft union above the soil.

Care basics

Water deeply and regularly in the warm months, and mulch to keep the roots cool, leaving a gap around the trunk. Feed with a citrus fertiliser in spring, summer and autumn. Prune lightly to keep an open shape, and remove any shoots from below the graft. Watch for leaf miner on new growth and for scale and aphids. Our guide to growing citrus trees in your backyard covers the routine in detail.

Mandarins can crop heavily in alternate years. Thinning the fruit and feeding well after harvest evens things out. Fruit holds on the tree for several weeks once ripe, so pick as you need it.

Common questions

When are mandarins ready to pick?

Most varieties are ready from autumn through winter, with late types such as Afourer into spring. Fruit should be fully coloured and taste sweet before you pick.

Can I grow a mandarin in a pot?

Yes, and the dwarf forms are made for it. Use good potting mix, water regularly and feed through the growing season.

Do I need two trees to get fruit?

No. Mandarins fruit on their own, though some varieties set seedless fruit more reliably when isolated from other citrus.

How long until a new tree fruits?

Usually within two to three years of planting, with the harvest growing as the tree matures.