Loquat tree from seed?

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by lnewportTX, Feb 26, 2009.

  1. lnewportTX

    lnewportTX Member

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    Hi there, I found this forum looking for information on my citrus trees but I also have a Loquat tree.

    I live in Austin, Texas and Loquat trees are planted mostly for decoration however my mother is from Tiawan and each time she sees the fruit of a Loquat tree (when we find one) she gets really exicted and tells me how good the fruit is and how here in Texas no one really eats them but they do in Tiawan.

    Well I wanted to do something special for her so I purchased one from a seller here in Texas but later found he had grown the Loquat from a seed. From what I have read, Loquats grown from seed will not produce fruit but the seller insists that they will.

    I am wondering if anyone has any experience with this?

    I also recently took a branch off a Loquat tree I found next to my mother inlaws house which I have seen produce a lot of fruit. The branch looks like it is growing some roots now so I hope I have sucessfully propragated it from a good tree. Do you think I could sucessfully grow a tree from this?

    Any help would be appreciated. I would like to have some good fruit for my mother in the future.
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    If seedlings did not fruit the species would have no way of maintaining itself. It's not that seedlings don't fruit, it's that you don't know what specific characteristics (beyond those of the species in general) the fruits a particular seedling will have until it starts to bear them.

    You also have to wait for a seedling to reach sexual maturity. In addition to known fruit characteristics vegetative propagations (such as grafts) of named forms have the sexual maturity of the parent plant and will be old enough to bear soon after planting.
     
  3. lnewportTX

    lnewportTX Member

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    Thanks Ron I'll keep my fingers crossed on this. Thank You for responding.
     
  4. mikeyinfla

    mikeyinfla Active Member

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    does anyone know how long it takes from seed for a loquat to produce fruit i have a seedling that is just over 2 years old and it is about 7 feet tall and multy branched it is one thta i hope is allot like the parent it is a seedling from the big jim but like ron said you never know what the fruit characteristics will be from a seedling i might get a much smaller and not as sweet variety. i have grown others from seed and they where really really slow growing this one just seems to want to grow and grow. hopefully the one you bought turns out to be a good variety if nothing else you could graft a piece of you're cutting to it that is if you liked the fruit off the cutting. the neibor has one that hangs over onto my property they are very sweet but pretty small so the parts that hang over i cut all but maybe 3 fruit off each of the fruit spikes before they devolop any size so the fruits that are left are a bit larger when they ripen. good luck
     
  5. JoeInAustin

    JoeInAustin Member

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    I know your post is over a year old but I just came across it. I live in north Austin and my parents planted five seeds in my backyard about 10 years ago and they all grew into trees. Not much fruit on them but they do produce some. I'm no green thumb but I just transplanted two of them to a different spot and am keeping my fingers crossed that they will survive.


     
  6. pinenut

    pinenut Active Member 10 Years

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    I've got a couple of four or five year old trees growing in my west window. I'd be interested in knowing how old they have to be to start flowering/fruiting. I'll let you all know if it happens.
    Carl
     

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