What conditions are needed for growing loquat, and how many years before it bears fruit?
Loquat is a fruit with a soft, tender texture and a sweet-and-sour taste. Different varieties vary in size. Generally, the fruit produced by a loquat tree grown at home is relatively small, but the flavor is also very fresh and sweet. On the market, varieties with high commercial value are often seen, and their fruit is relatively large, with golden-yellow skin. In recent years, the economic benefits of the loquat market have improved somewhat, so what are the conditions for growing loquat? How many years does it generally take to bear fruit?
1. What are the conditions for growing loquat?
1. Moisture
Loquat is an evergreen fruit tree and requires a certain amount of rainfall and humid air. Generally, in areas with annual precipitation of 1000-1200 mm, if the rainfall is fairly evenly distributed, loquat can grow and bear fruit normally. During the early spring fruit development period and the new shoot growth period, relatively sufficient moisture is required; spring drought is unfavorable for growth and fruiting. However, during the loquat fruit ripening period, excessive rain tends to cause fruit cracking, poor coloring, bland taste, and delayed ripening. In late summer and early autumn, less rainfall and a dry climate are required, so that growth slows down and flower bud differentiation is favored.
2. Temperature
Loquat can grow in places with an average annual temperature above 12°C, and places above 15°C are more suitable. The loquat tree itself has strong cold resistance, but when the temperature is -6°C, flowering is affected, and at -3°C, young fruit suffers freeze damage. Pollen begins to germinate when the temperature is above 10°C, and pollen germination is most suitable at around 20°C. When loquat is flowering, as long as there is a very short period at noon that reaches the temperature required for pollen germination, the pollen tube can elongate and fertilization can occur. Therefore, in the loquat producing areas of South China, the temperature required for flowering can often be met, resulting in good fruit set.
Excessively high temperatures are also unsuitable for loquat growth. Above 35°C, the edges of young leaves dry up, branch, leaf, and root growth is sluggish, and seedlings grow poorly; in the middle and late stages of fruit development, hot and dry weather easily causes sunscald. In addition, excessively high temperatures make it difficult for sugar to accumulate, so the fruit's sugar content is relatively low.
3. Soil
Loquat has a wide range of adaptability to soil and can be planted in acidic red and yellow soils or on coastal flats and riverbanks. Loquat is most suitable for sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam with deep soil layers, loose texture, good drainage, and relatively high humus content. Loquat trees are not strict about soil pH; they can grow and bear fruit normally at pH 7.5-8.5 and below pH 5.0, and the most suitable pH for planting loquat is around 6.0.
4. Light
Loquat trees are relatively shade-tolerant, but to grow and bear fruit well, they still need sufficient light. Generally speaking, loquat should be properly shaded during the seedling stage. After entering the fruiting stage, it needs at least 3 hours of direct light per day; otherwise, the tree vigor is weak and the branches and shoots are not well developed. Although it can still bear fruit, the quality is poor. Adult loquat trees require sufficient light to favor flower bud differentiation, fruit development, coloring, and early ripening. However, the trunk is easily scorched by direct exposure to strong sunlight, causing branches and leaves to wither.
2. How many years does loquat generally take to bear fruit?
Loquat trees are not divided into male and female. Generally, from sowing, transplanting, grafting, and field planting, three years are needed, followed by another four years to bear fruit, and 10-40 years is the peak fruiting period. Grafted seedlings are more likely to flower and bear fruit than seedling-grown ones. If grown from seed, it will take a long time, at least more than 5 years. Grafted seedlings generally also need more than 3 years to flower and bear fruit.
If you want more fruit, you cannot neglect one step, which is flower cluster thinning.
Flower cluster thinning is generally carried out in mid-to-late November (when the flower clusters are fully emerged). If a mother branch has 2-3 clusters, thin out 1 cluster; if it has 4-5 clusters, thin out 2-3 clusters. In early February, when the young fruit is the size of a peanut, fruit thinning is carried out. First thin out diseased and insect-damaged fruit, deformed fruit, and overly dense fruit, leaving 2-3 fruit per cluster. In each fruit cluster, the fruit at the top and base should be thinned out, leaving the well-developed, uniformly sized good fruit in the middle, so that they ripen uniformly and are convenient to harvest. In principle, trees with strong vigor should retain a somewhat larger number, while trees with weak vigor should have their fruit load controlled.