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How to Grow Cumquat

Cumquats are known for their very tart citrus flavour and are most commonly used in jams, marmalades and preserves. Many people also enjoy eating cumquats whole, including the fragrant skin, which can be sweeter than the flesh itself. There are several different varieties of cumquats, also called kumquats, including oval fruited 'Nagami' and round 'Marumi'. There's also a cumquat with both variegated leaves and fruit. Cumquats can also be very decorative trees, with their white fragrant flowers and brightly coloured fruit covering the trees from winter to early spring. Cumquats are often grown purely as ornamental trees, however marmalade makers will appreciate a basket of fruit!

Full sun

Slightly acidic, well drained soil

Pick when ripe from mid winter (depending on the variety)

Water regularly

How to grow cumquats in a garden

Step 1

Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. If the soil is clay based, add gypsum and fork in well.

Step 2

Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.

Step 3

Position in hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down. Form a raised or doughnut shaped ring of soil around the outer edge of the plant's root zone. This helps keep water where it's needed. Always water in well after planting to settle the soil around the roots and keep the soil moist for several weeks while the new plant establishes.

Step 4

Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips, sugarcane or pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk.

Step 5

Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions.

Step 6

Apply Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser yearly – once in spring, summer and autumn. When in flower, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Plant Food to help promote more flowering and fruiting.

How to grow cumquats in a pot

Step 1

When growing a cumquat in a container, choose a well drained pot that's at least 40 cm in diameter (a Yates Tuscan pot is ideal) and use a good quality potting mix like Yates® Premium Potting Mix.