Can a Loquat Tree Be Grown in a Home Courtyard? Flowering Time, How Many Years Until Fruiting, and Pruning and Planting Techniques

Loquat tree, aliases: loquat tangerine, golden pill, reed branch, often used for garden ornamental; the plant's fruit, loquat, has the effect of treating lung dryness and cough.So can a loquat tree be grown in a home courtyard? When does it bloom? How many years until it fruits? How do you prune it? What are the planting techniques? According to Rosaceae information, loquat belongs to the Rosaceae family as an evergreen small tree. The leaves are thick, long elliptical, with serrated edges. It blooms every year between September and October, and the flowers are pale yellow-white and fragrant. The fruit ripens between May and June of the following year.

Can a loquat tree be grown in a home courtyard?

A loquat tree can be grown in a home courtyard.

1. Since ancient times, because the loquat nourishes frost in autumn, blooms in winter, fruits in spring, and the loquat fruit ripens in summer, the loquat has always been called by people a fine fruit that “contains the qi of the four seasons,” and has also been regarded as one of the auspicious foods. Moreover, since the Tang and Song dynasties, the loquat has been regarded as a beautiful symbol of nobility, goodness, auspiciousness, and prosperity.

2. Because the loquat fruits borne by the loquat tree always come in pairs, there is also a saying that it symbolizes marital harmony. If you care very much about loquat tree feng shui and require that it must not carry any bad meaning, then it is suggested that you plant the loquat tree in the east or southeast direction, or you can plant the loquat tree behind the house or in a corner of the wall, so that there will be no bad meaning.

How do you prune a loquat tree?

1. Loquat is an evergreen fruit tree, producing new shoots 3 to 4 times a year; it blooms in autumn and winter, and the fruit ripens and is harvested in late spring and early summer of the following year. Therefore, for young trees that have not yet fruited, pruning can be done after each shoot stops growing and before the next shoot emerges, especially before the spring shoot emerges and before the summer shoot emerges. Because adult trees have already bloomed and fruited, they are mostly pruned immediately after harvest, until just before the summer shoot emerges. In spring, if there is too much fruit, the spring shoot growth is also reduced, and at the same time, because the fruit hangs on the tree, excessive pruning is not advisable.

2. Summer pruning after harvest is the most important pruning for loquat, and it should be done early rather than late; moreover, in coordination with pruning, if you want a large number of renewal shoots to emerge, you should apply heavy fertilizer after harvest. The summer shoot is the most important shoot of the loquat tree in a year. On adult trees, it should emerge early, stop growing early, and form flower buds early, which requires early pruning and appropriately heavy pruning.

Pruning techniques include bud removal, thinning out or heading back dense branches, pruning fruiting branches and branches after fruiting, and pruning water sprouts, etc. The specific requirements are:

① Thin out weak, dense branches. Loquat often has lateral buds that sprout into 3 to 5 lateral branches; keep only 1 to 2 strong lateral branches and thin out the other weak branches.

② Remove crossing branches. When two branches cross and hinder growth, one branch should be cut away.

③ Head back or remove adjacent branch orders. When 2 or more 3- to 4-year-old branch orders grow adjacent to each other and cause local crowding, head back or remove one of them.

④ Remove water sprouts. For water sprouts on large branches, they should be cut off from the base. If they do not disturb the tree shape, they can be headed back to encourage new shoots to emerge from the base and cultivate fruiting mother branches.

⑤ Fruiting branches and fruiting mother branches. Generally they are not pruned. After the fruiting branch is harvested, new shoots can emerge from the base and can send up panicles and bloom. However, some weak branches can be cut off from the base.

What are the planting techniques for loquat trees?

1. Selection of loquat seedlings

When choosing loquat seedlings to plant, choose plants that are robust, have smooth bark, and are free of pests and diseases.

2. Soil requirements

Soil cultivation in Tangqi orchard land. Because its soil pH value of 5.9 is suitable for the growth of Tangqi loquat. Key points of watering: Tangqi loquat not only requires high heat, but also likes moisture; suitable rainfall and temperature are beneficial to the growth and development of loquat. A balcony is a cement floor, which can only absorb water, so the water must be watered thoroughly and must not be lost. Usually water once a day, 2-3 times a day in summer, spray water at noon during high temperatures, and do not water on rainy days.

3. Planting and fertilizing

① Grafted loquat seedlings can be planted in large pots or small pots, but the bottom of the pot should be covered with 5-10 cm of tile fragments or stones, with soil making up 70-80% of the pot. Fertilize 3-4 times a year: around late March before the spring shoot emerges and before fruit thinning;

② Around late May before harvest; 3. After flower buds appear in October, when the flowers first open. Fertilization can use organic fertilizer, chicken and duck pen manure, decomposed cake fertilizer, and a small amount of compound fertilizer is also acceptable;

4. Disease prevention and pest control

Loquat pests and diseases are mainly prevented and controlled through ventilation and drainage. When disease occurs, use thiophanate-methyl at 700 times, spray 2-3 times consecutively, or use 0.5-0.9% Bordeaux mixture for control. For pests, manual capture is the main method, and 90% crystal trichlorfon at 1000 times or 20% fenvalerate at 5000 times can also be sprayed to kill them.