I have five fresh loquat seeds from 2 loquats I picked off my ex's tree. Any advice before I pop them into pots? I can get cuttings if these will take a century or so to get 6" tall...
Thanks!
Loquat trees
i am just posting to follow what might get said. i got some trees in trade 2-3 seasons ago. they haven't grown all that much but i have them in pots and i bet they would do so much better in the ground.
According to the following link, loquats won't produce high quality fruit in areas with hot summers. Flowers are killed at 26 degrees, buds at 19 and fruit at 25. I considered adding a couple of loquats to my fruit orchard, but since they bloom during winter, I'd be growing it as an ornamental. Good information site.
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/loquat.html
the trees are evergreen though and i like that even if i never see fruit.
hey brig, i just posted about seeds in the florida forum. i was told they are very easy to get going and even though it's very humid here, we have tons of trees in this area and all have really yummy fruit. we dug up some seedlings in a vacant area and i also got seeds from the neighbor's tree. i planted my seeds today in little pots. my southern garden book says that they do well in pots for the first couple of years. good luck!!!
I'm 9B and we have great loquat trees. A friend around the corner has 5 very large ones that produce a heavy crop every March. I've gone picking to make marmalade. She's had success growing from seed and I dug up a seedling from her yard last year, planted it in the ground and it is now 5' tall! We get really hot in the summer down here but it doesn't appear to affect the crop production.
knolan, when do the loquats bloom then? feb.? and wow i gotta get mine in the ground.
Insomnia attacking here.....yes, late February. If there's a late hard freeze, she loses quite a bit of the flowers and new growth. Mine has no buds on it this year. I'm hoping for next year!
I should also say that my brother purchased one from a local nursery 3 years ago in a 5 gallon pot. It's not thriving at all. He has it placed so that it gets full west sun. Too much, I say. Mine is on the west side of my house but is backed by a wooden fence. The fence provides a shady spot in the afternoon. The tree gets more morning sun. I'm not sure if that makes a difference but my seedling is doing fantastic. I'll take a picture tomorrow.
Sorry, I'm 9a....my bad. I've read so many conflicting reports of what zone I am that I just did eeny-meeny-miney-moe. If I have to go by most reports and play a guess....I'm 9a.
The loquat sounds similar to a kumquat? Maybe one is a cross?
kumquat is in the Rutaceae family and the loquat is in the Rosaceae family. they aren't similar in any way. the loquat is like eating a small yellow plum.
Loquats are easier that falling off a log. Stick them in the ground and stand back. The squirrels and mocking birds usually get most of the fruit after the 3rd year since they get so big. The branches are prone to breaking from the weight of the fruit. I have grown them from seeds for other people and they flourished. The ones I have had were the cheapies from a nursery that advertised 2 for $5 a few years back. I love them for the fruit which we like to eat out of hand, the flowers attract honey bees and the leaves are large and evergreen.
Ann
They must not mind the heat and humidity of Houston--next door neighbor has several, in full blazing sun, along with a very strange assortment of citrus. They all produce enough for him to share plenty with the neighbors.
My ex's loquats are in full afternoon sun, and are just dripping with fruit right now. I suppose there's some microclimate action going on, since so many have different experiences with them.
In any case, I'll pop these into pots as soon as it's a good time to plant seeds, and I may go take a cutting next time I'm over there. Or, knowing what an avid gardener he is (NOT!!!) I may find a seedling or two I could dig up.
It's surely nice to have a decent relationship with your ex.
They do great in Houston and the birds love the fruit. I had one year when my tree was covered with Cedar Waxwings for weeks. My son called them Bandit Birds because of their mask! They do sprout everywhere the fruit drops, so be prepared to be pulling up lots of seedlings. I never had mine freeze back more than just the tips on branches, even in hard freezes.
Crow