Clementine tree - Growing and Care

The clementine tree is an amazing citrus.

Clementine orange tree facts

Name – Citrus x clementina, Citrus clementina
Family – Rutaceae (Rue family)
Type – fruit tree

Height – 16 to 20 feet (5 to 6 m)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – rich enough

Foliage – evergreen – Flowering – spring – Harvest – autumn/winter

Care, pruning and watering are practices that increase tree growth and clementine fruit formation.

Read also: health benefits and therapeutic properties of clementine

Planting Clementine orange

Planting clementine trees in the ground

It is recommended to plant clementine trees in fall or in spring.
You may plant it in a sun-bathed spot, sheltered from wind, so that it may have the highest possible productivity.

Growing directly in the ground is only possible in areas where winter is mild.
Farther North, you should plant it in pots so that you may bring it indoors to a cool but non-freezing place during the cooler months.

Refer to our guidelines for planting

Potted clementine tree

For potted growing of clementines, refer to our page on potted orange trees because it is exactly the same thing.

Pruning and caring for clementine trees

It isn’t really a requirement to prune.

Remove dead wood and clear out the center of the tree after fruit formation.
Clementine trees resists freezing temperatures rather well, down to 17°F (-8°C) depending on the variety, but take note that extended frost spells could be fatal.

Clementine in winter

In Mediterranean-like and warmer climates, you can grow it and keep it outdoors in winter.

When outdoors, remember it can hold to temperatures as low as 17°F (-8°C).
What is best is to use horticultural fleece which will let it cope with these low freezing temperatures best.

If you are growing it in a pot, the best thing to do is to move it to a greenhouse or an unheated lean-in so as to protect it from freezing, while letting it feel the cool it needs over its winter dormancy.

Read also: protecting one’s plants against the cold

Pests and diseases of clementine orange

A pest that will spread quickly across clementine trees is red spider mite.

Learn more about clementine trees

Common name – clementine tree

A beautiful tree of the Citrus family which also includes the orange tree and the lemon tree, clementine trees tend to be slightly more resistant to cooler temperatures and to various diseases.

A French missionary priest called Father Clément supported the development of this fruit in France at the beginning of the XX^th century, and the fruit was named after him.

It is mainly grown in the Mediterranean area, but it does tolerate harsher climates, especially when well protected from wind and winter cold.