Loquat tree: care

scientific name Eriobotrya japonica, this fruit tree can reach heights of 10 meters without difficulty. It is characterized by its branches, which are born facing downwards forming a rounded or dome-shaped crown, and by its white flowers, which are grouped in panicles and appear in the fall. Its fruits, which are green at first, turn a characteristic orange and take on a sweet flavor, which can have acid tones when not ripe enough.

It’s about a fairly cold hardy fruit tree, although it does not need this to develop properly. When we talk about the medlar today, we almost always refer to the japanese medlar treewhich is by far the most widespread.

It can be grown both from seeds and by grafting, the latter method being a great option, since it allows for fruit production in just two years.

Here we offer you a guide on when and how to plant medlars, if you decide to make your own from a stone of one of these fruits that you have eaten. Also, keep in mind these basic loquat tree care that we indicate here:

• Climate: It grows well in temperate climates, although it can resist the cold.
• Irrigation: It does not need extensive irrigation, but summer droughts can affect the fruit.
• Pass: It needs a good subscriber, especially in its growth.
• I usually: It is not demanding with the soil, but it does not do well with limestone or very saline ones.
• Pruning: It requires training and maintenance pruning.

Below, we explain these aspects of loquat care in more detail.

The loquat is a tree very resistant to cold. In its adult phase, it can withstand temperatures of up to -10 ºC. However, this applies only to the vegetative part itself. Its fruits do not tolerate temperatures below -3 ºC and although the tree will survive, it will not produce fruits with frosts of these levels. Taking this into account, it withstands spring frosts well, which rarely fall below these margins.

For the soil, it is important that the soil has good drainage, since the tree will need frequent watering during its production season, but the floor must not be waterlogged. If it is very limestone or saline soil, we must provide the tree with nutrients to combat chlorosis.

This tree has no special watering needs, at least as far as its survival is concerned. However, if you want your loquat to produce quality and quantity fruits, you must water it often in its flowering and fruiting season. Don’t let the soil dry out completely, or the fruit will drop or dry out, becoming unfit for consumption or losing a lot of quality.

We recommend increasing the frequency of irrigation in these months, reducing the amount provided by irrigation in return. In this way, the tree will continuously have the water it needs, without the soil becoming waterlogged or the tree harmed by it. After harvesting the fruits, reduce the frequency and abundance of irrigation again.

The loquat is quite demanding in terms of soil nutrients regards. It especially needs phosphorus and potassium, especially in its initial phases of growth. This is because the medlar tree It has very superficial roots and, therefore, it is necessary to put the nutrients at its disposal by providing them with fertilizer. Nitrogen should be applied only during the fruiting period and immediately after harvest.

We advise you to consult this link where you will learn how to make homemade organic fertilizer for plants.

Like almost all fruit trees, the loquat needs a training pruning during the initial years. This serves to give the tree an adequate structure, which allows its branches to be arranged optimally and without getting in the way of each other. Later, it will only be necessary to practice fruiting and maintenance pruningcleaning it of branches that bother others with their growth and removing branches and leaves in poor condition.

Learn when and how to prune fruit trees with this other article from EcologíaVerde.

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