The Budding of a Satsuma

Beautiful Buds

• Satsumas bud in the spring in March or April, depending on the climate, location and weather conditions. The white, fragrant flowers attract bees and butterflies, including the giant swallowtail. One reason these trees are favored for home landscapes is because they don't need pollination from another tree -- satsumas are self-pollinating. In most cases, damage to buds from a late freeze is minimal unless the freeze is very hard and very late.

Sweet But Strong

• Satsumas are part of the mandarin orange group -- classified by their very loose, thin rind. Satsumas belong to the "Class III" group of mandarins, which is extremely hardy. The many cultivars are resistant to cold -- some trees have been known to survive temperatures as low as 12 degrees Fahrenheit -- and generally fights off canker, psorosis and other problems common to sweet oranges, reports Purdue University.

Cool Citrus

• Satsumas, hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8b through 11, are grown primarily in parts of California, Texas and Florida. Outdoors, the trees grow best in full sun -- up to 10 hours per day, says Aggie Horticulture -- and generally prefer well-draining soil. Satsumas should not be cultivated in salty or alkaline soil. The trees are drought-tolerant but do not like overly wet soil, so water only when the planting medium is dry down to an inch below the surface. The buds are more likely to be damaged by a sudden freeze after days of warm temperatures than consistently cold temperatures. For that reason, the trees most likely to be damaged are the ones that bloom later in the spring rather than earlier. In general, they can tolerate consistently cold temperatures in the high 20s, with occasional drops to the teens, but trees in containers should be brought indoors if temperatures are forecast to be consistently lower than 26 degrees. They should also be brought indoors if the weather has been warm but a cold snap is forecast. Planting satsumas on the south side of the building will help protect them from freezing temperatures, advises Floridata.

Hardy Houseplants

• Home gardeners who live in climates too cold to cultivate a satsuma tree outdoors may grow one indoors. In fact, satsumas are a particularly suitable choice for growing indoors, says the University of Minnesota Extension Service, because of their numerous fragrant blooms, which add beauty and scent to any indoor space. Indoor satsuma trees should be kept in daytime temperatures around 65 degrees, with nighttime temperatures about 10 degrees below that. They grow best in slightly acidic, well-draining soil and in partial-to-full sun. Indoor trees should be positioned so that they receive a few hours of direct sunlight each day.