Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Clementine Mandarin
Clementine is the sweet, easy-peel mandarin also known as Algerian. It is one of the earliest mandarins, ripening from about November. The small to medium fruit has a smooth, deep orange peel and juicy, sweet flesh, and a lone tree gives mostly seedless fruit. It grows into a spreading, rounded evergreen tree with fragrant white blossoms.
Best for: an early mandarin tree for the backyard, sweet easy-peel fruit in late fall and winter, mostly seedless fruit from a single tree, and fragrant spring blossoms.
Clementine is one of the first mandarins to ripen, from about November. The smooth, deep orange peel comes off easily, and the flesh is tender, juicy and sweet. Clip the fruit off rather than pulling it.
A Clementine on its own gives fewer seeds but also fewer fruit. With another citrus blooming nearby, the crop is larger and more regular, but the fruit has more seeds.
It grows into a spreading, round-topped tree with dense leaves and almost no thorns. Expect about 10 to 20 feet tall and wide, and plant it about 15 to 20 feet from other trees.
A lone tree can bear a light crop. In the hottest summer weeks it does better with some afternoon shade, and bare trunks sunburn. Young trees need frost cloth on freezing nights.
- Citrus trees in a rowAbout 15 ft apart
- Single tree in the yardAbout 15 to 20 ft from other trees
Water a newly planted Clementine every few days for its first months, more often in summer. Soak the soil out past the branch tips.
Soak the soil 2 to 3 feet deep about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter. Let the top of the soil dry before the next watering.
Feed with citrus fertilizer three times a year: once in January or February, once in March or April, and once in May or June.
Plant it where it gets some shade from the hot afternoon sun, or at least away from a west wall. Keep the low branches to shade the trunk, and paint bare bark with white latex paint.
Clip ripe fruit off with hand pruners so the peel does not tear at the stem. Cover young trees with frost cloth to the ground on freezing nights.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
When are clementines ripe in Arizona?
Clementine is an early mandarin and starts ripening in about November, with the season running into early winter. Clip ripe fruit with hand pruners rather than pulling it off.
Are Clementine mandarins seedless?
Mostly, when the tree grows away from other citrus. If bees bring pollen from other citrus in bloom nearby, the fruit can have seeds.
Does a Clementine need a pollinator?
No, a single tree sets fruit, but the crop is smaller. Another citrus blooming nearby gives a larger, more regular crop, with more seeds in the fruit.
Is a Clementine the same as an Algerian tangerine?
Yes. Clementine started as a chance seedling in Algeria, and growers long called it the Algerian tangerine or Algerian mandarin.
What is the difference between Clementine and Dancy?
Clementine ripens earlier, from about November, and is mostly seedless on its own. Dancy ripens from December, has about 6 to 20 seeds, and grows into a larger, upright tree.
How big does a Clementine tree get?
It is a spreading, round-topped tree, a bit smaller than many mandarins, about 10 to 20 feet tall and wide. Plant trees about 15 feet apart, and the Spacing tab can count them.
Does it need shade in Phoenix?
It grows in full sun and does well in Phoenix, but some shade from the hot afternoon sun helps in summer. Keep it away from a hot west wall.
How cold can a Clementine take?
Mandarins are among the most cold hardy citrus, rated to about 23°F. Cover young trees with frost cloth to the ground on freezing nights.
How often should I water a Clementine tree?
Water deeply, 2 to 3 feet down and out past the branch tips. Established trees need water about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter.
When should I fertilize and prune it?
Feed with citrus fertilizer in January or February, March or April, and May or June. Prune lightly in late winter or spring, and keep the low branches over the trunk.
Is a Clementine tree safe for pets?
No. Citrus plants are listed as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Chewing the peel, leaves or stems can cause vomiting, diarrhea and depression.
Clementine Mandarin for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Clementine is a popular early mandarin that grows well in the Valley. It brings a rounded evergreen tree, scented spring blossoms and sweet, easy to peel fruit from late fall. This page covers the questions homeowners ask most, including seeds and pollination, harvest time, size, spacing, shade, watering, feeding and frost.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
When are clementines ripe in Arizona?
Clementine is one of the earliest mandarins, ripening from about November into early winter. Clip the fruit off rather than pulling it so the peel does not tear.
Are Clementine mandarins seedless?
A Clementine grown away from other citrus gives mostly seedless fruit, but a smaller crop. With another citrus nearby, the crop grows and so does the seed count.
Clementine vs Dancy tangerine
Clementine ripens earlier and is mostly seedless on its own. Dancy ripens from December, has more seeds and grows into a larger, upright tree.
How big does a Clementine tree get?
Clementine is a spreading, round-topped evergreen about 10 to 20 feet tall and wide. Plant trees about 15 feet apart, and use the spacing calculator for a row.
Growing Clementine mandarins in Phoenix
Clementine does well in Phoenix in full sun, with some shade from the hot afternoon sun in summer. Water deeply about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter.
Fertilizing mandarins in the Valley
Mandarins get three feedings a year. Feed once in January or February, once in March or April, and once in May or June.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.