The tangelo is a member of the citrus family. It was originally developed from a cross between a mandarin and a grapefruit.  Like all citrus trees it is an evergreen with thick bright green waxy leaves.  The fruit of a Tangelo looks similar to a mandarin but has a navel protruding from its apex.  It combines the tartness of a grapefruit with the flavor, smell and ease of peeling of a mandarin.  The fruit starts to ripen from late autumn through to late winter and will hold onto the tree for between one and two months.

All Citrus trees require hot summers and mild winters to thrive.  They can stand temperatures down to 5 Deg C with only minor damage to outer shoots.  Tangelos do best in a sheltered position that gets plenty of sunlight.  And like all citrus trees they prefer well drained soil and lots of water.     

While Tangelos do not need fertilizer to produce a healthy crop they are quite nitrogen hungry.  So if you want to maximize your crop yield a liberal spreading of a nitrogen rich fertilizer such as chicken manure in the spring and autumn will do the trick.

Tangelos generally do not need to be pruned. However they can be espaliered, with some success. Irrigation does enhance the yield and produce juicier fruit.

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