How much does a jin of loquat seeds cost? How many years until it bears fruit and a detailed guide to growing it in pots
Loquat, also known as lu ju, jin wan, and lu zhi, is a plant of the Rosaceae family and the genus Eriobotrya, widely cultivated in various places. So how much does a jin of its seeds cost? How many years after planting can it bear fruit? How do you grow it? According to the Seed Management Station of Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang, the price of loquat seeds is generally around 20-30 yuan per jin, and they can be bought at the local agricultural market. Loquat generally sprouts in 7-10 days.
How many years after planting do loquat seeds bear fruit?
Loquat trees are not divided into male and female, and generally take three years from sowing, transplanting, grafting, and field planting, then another four years to bear fruit, with 10-40 years being the peak fruiting period. Grafted seedlings are more likely to flower and bear fruit than seedlings grown from seed. If grown from seed, it will take a long time, at least more than 5 years, and grafted seedlings generally also take more than 3 years to flower and bear fruit.
How do you grow loquat seeds?
1. Selection of a seedbed for loquat seeds
The nursery plot should be chosen in a shaded, wind-sheltered spot with loose soil, rich in organic matter, medium fertility, and good fertilizer and water retention, in sandy soil. Half a month before sowing (early to mid-May), apply an appropriate amount of decomposed compost, farmyard manure, pig manure, or scatter 50 kilograms of compound fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer. Then plow the soil, harrow it fine, level it, and make beds, each bed 1.2 meters wide with a 30 cm furrow. Where there are underground pests, carbofuran should be used to disinfect the soil before land preparation to kill the underground pests.
2. Screening of loquat seeds
Loquat seeds have no dormancy period. Before sowing, the loquat pits should be screened, removing smaller and abnormally developed loquat seeds, and selecting large, plump loquat seeds, which can be sown after being washed clean and dried.
3. Sowing of loquat seeds
The sowing period is from late May to early June. There are 2 sowing methods, broadcasting or drilling (drilling is generally used). For drilling, the row spacing is 20-25 cm and the plant spacing is 10-12 cm. Depending on the seed germination rate, sow 1-3 seeds per hole. When sowing, press lightly to press half a seed into the soil, then thinly scatter a layer of fine ash and soil, until the loquat seeds are no longer visible. If sown too deep, it is difficult for them to emerge and they may also rot; if too shallow, they will not take root. After sowing, immediately water the seedbed thoroughly, and thinly cover the soil surface with moisture-retaining materials such as straw or fresh pigpen grass, so as to keep the soil surface from crusting and help seedling emergence.
4. Management of loquat seeds after sowing
Before the seedlings emerge, the seedbed should maintain a certain humidity, not too dry or too wet. After emergence, remove the covering grass. Because loquat seedlings like shade, their leaves are easily scorched by strong sunlight. Therefore, after sowing and before emergence, a shade shed should be set up with shade netting, with the shed 50-60 cm high. After the seedlings are uniform, promptly thin out weak, overly dense, and diseased seedlings, leaving one strong seedling according to the plant spacing. When the seedlings grow 3-4 true leaves, they can be watered with dilute human manure or compound fertilizer once every half month, and weeds should be removed promptly. When the seedlings reach 20 cm in height, remove the top 1-2 tender leaves to promote thickening of the lower stem, and at the same time do a good job of pest and disease control. The shade netting is removed at the end of August and early September. In the spring of the second year, when the rootstock seedlings reach more than 0.6 cm in diameter, they can be grafted; those that do not meet the standard can be transplanted and cultivated further until grafting the following year.
Appendix: How to grow loquat seeds in pots
1. After eating loquat, collect the seeds and air-dry them. Do not expose them to the sun. After air-drying, try to peel off the outer skin.
2. Use a small plastic flower pot. Note that the bottom must have air holes so water can flow out. Choose a small mesh and place it uncut at the bottom of the pot.
3. Pour in crushed fine soil, about 4 cm thick, then place the loquat seeds on top of the soil, 4-6 seeds.
4. Then cover with soil, about 5 mm thick, just enough to cover the seeds. After covering with soil, water appropriately.
5. Place the flower pot under tree shade, with sunlight and water, and it will sprout in about 2 weeks. In less than 2 months it can grow into a large seedling. Look at the one I planted, it looks pretty good, right? When the sapling grows a bit bigger, it can be transplanted into the ground.