What are the reasons loquat does not bear fruit and how to solve them?

The loquat is a small evergreen tree, mainly grown in southern regions. Its fruit tastes sweet, with soft and juicy flesh and high nutritional value, and it is extremely popular with consumers. It also has the function of clearing heat from the lungs and stomach and directing qi downward to resolve phlegm, and is often made with other medicinal materials into “Chuanbei Loquat Paste”. But many friends are puzzled: the loquat tree planted at home for many years has not borne fruit. What is the reason for this? Let's take a look together with Qinnong Web.

1. It has not yet reached the fruiting time

The loquat is different from other fruits, which bear fruit in the same year they are planted, or are planted in the first year and bear fruit the next year. Its growth cycle is extremely long. Generally, from planting to fruiting, under normal conditions, it takes 5-6 years. So many friends' loquat trees planted at home have not borne fruit, possibly because the fruiting time has not yet arrived, and patience is needed. Loquat cultivation takes an extremely long time, and if you do not want to wait so many years, you can use grafting techniques to cultivate grafted seedlings that flower and fruit easily. Generally, a loquat tree grown from seed needs at least 5 years to bear fruit, while a grafted seedling only needs three years to flower and bear fruit.

2. Variety and soil

The above is about not having reached the fruiting time. If the planting time exceeds 5-6 years and there is still no fruit, the greatest possibility is a problem with the variety and the soil. Some varieties, after many years of introduction and planting, may show variety degeneration or reversion. Apart from being able to flower and bear fruit normally in its place of origin, it may be more difficult to flower and bear fruit in other non-place-of-origin areas. For this situation, grafting is needed to improve the variety. Also, a lack of certain trace elements in the soil can cause difficulty in flowering and fruiting. In this case, fertilizer should be applied promptly, fertilizer and water management should be strengthened, and the content of trace elements in the soil should be increased so that the plant can bear fruit normally.

During planting, in order to make the plant branch more, grow more vigorously, and flower and bear fruit more, pruning work is generally carried out on young trees. This method is correct, but if pruning is improper or excessive, causing the tree body to be shortened too much, it will inevitably cause vigorous growth later, unstable tree vigor, and difficulty in flowering and bearing fruit. When pruning, the goal is shaping, with the purpose of increasing branches and expanding the crown and stabilizing tree vigor. Excessive pruning is not advisable, as it affects its normal growth.

4. Poor pollination

The loquat tree is not divided into male and female, but it is a cross-pollinated plant. Male flowers and female flowers grow separately. Only when the pollen of the male flower touches the stigma of the female flower's pistil will the female flower be fertilized and thus bear fruit; otherwise, it will not bear fruit. The general pollination method is through natural wind, as well as bees collecting nectar and insects for pollination. However, if due to climate or other reasons these channels cannot pollinate normally, it will lead to no fruit. For this situation, artificial supplementary pollination is needed. When pollinating, choose cloudy days or the early morning and evening of sunny days, avoiding strong midday sunlight and rainy weather, so as to avoid pollination failure. Remove the male flowers and collect the pollen, dip a cotton swab into the pollen and smear it onto the female flower's pistil, and pollination can be completed, or directly use the male flower's pistil to touch the female flower's style.

The above are the reasons loquat does not bear fruit and the solutions brought to you by Qinnong Web. To learn more about loquat cultivation knowledge, please keep following Qinnong Web.