Hi! I have some loquat seeds which I'd like to try and grow, but I'm not too sure where to start. Some of my questions include: -Do they need a specific type of soil? -Do they need a certain amount of sun? -Do the seeds need to go in the dirt a certain way (ie do they have a "top" like a tulip bulb - I can't really tell by looking at them....). -How deep should the seeds be in the dirt? -Is there a specific time of year that would be best to try and grow them? Any advice would be appreciated. Best wishes, Corree (I live in North Vancouver in a south facing apartment)
I used to just push them into potting mix any which way or they even grew under the tree. This was at sea level in warm to hot summer and cool winters. When I moved up to to hills about 1.000 ft above sea level they barely grow. Certainly have not fruited and are just sitting there. Must be too cool up here even tho we have no frosts and the same warm to hot summers. Seems they might need a Mediterranean climate and very well drained soil. The originals were growing in a sand based soil. Liz
I grew some from seed once, from fruit on a dessert plate. I don't remember how I did it, but it must have been easy. They germinated well and produced several nice house plants. They are unlikely to fruit in our climate, but they can be pretty.
i have several seedlings and i just stuck the seeds in a pot with potting soil pushed them in until they where covered with dirt . one is about 2 1/2 years old and is about 5 feet tall i planted it when it filled the one gall pot i had it in which only took about 7 or 8 months. the other one is only about 6 months old and is almost 1 foot tall. and will be a while before it grows big enough to transplant and it is growing allot slower than the other one did.both of the seedlings where from pretty large fruit. big jim was in the ancestry of both.i got the seeds from a differnt plant but they where both seedlings from the big jim loquat and where still pretty good sized fruit but these being 2nd gen from the original no telling how big the fruit will be they may be normal sized fruit. but thats why there is an age difference of the seedling.i grew both of them in potting soil basically peat perlite and top soil full sun even the one in the pot. i am not sure how well they grow indoors in pots. i live in florida and they rarely get damaged by our little bit of cold in my area.i do have one loquat that is in a pot that was given given to me its in a three gallon pot i had to pull it out and put soil in the bottom of the pot but still seems fairly happy in the pot was not root bound but was trying to grow out of the bottom, it is about 4 feet and growing straight up as a stick so not sure how well they will grow long term in a pot indoors. the bigger one i have is 5 feet but it is branching allot so i guess seedlings vary in growth habit. i have never tried it but have heard of people using standard not dwarf indian hawthorn as a rootstock and it supposed to dwarf it i guess its possible the dwarf one would super dwarf it. i have never had luck grafting a loquat even to another loquat. its suposed to be possible but have never seen it personally. good luck
I realize this is an old post, but for the sake of newcomers with same question, I'll add my experiences with this lovely plant. The seedlings will do well, pushed into rich, humusy soil: and sprout within a month or so; if fresh. They'll sprout in sandy soil too, just not as quick. They do have a habit of reaching a particular height before beginning to branch out, as the other poster had mentioned. This is typical for the tree. The richer the soil, and the more you feed and water it, the faster and stronger they grow. I cannot seem to over fertilize mine. If you keep it in a near shade location, the leaves will grow larger. Given more sun, the leaves tend to be a bit smaller, although they are large leaved typically. (incidentally, the leaves make a lovely tea, if allowed to dry out and then put through grinder.) To give the appearance of tree shape, trim away any branches that will begin to sprout near the base. If you don't mind the shrubby appearance, allow them to remain. Mine are from seed, and fruited first time after reaching 8' in height, and at age 5 years. They spent the first two years of their lives in 5 gallon pots, so this may have slowed their fruiting age. Mine take light frosts quite well, and do great in full sun to partial shade. I have found that very regular fertilizing with abundant water produces the best tasting fruit, even if not a named cultivar. The tree itself is beautiful, if trimmed to shape. Squirrels and birds like the fruit, and where I live, so do large Florida roaches. You may want the plant away from your home in this case. (If in a zone that can handle being placed outdoors) You can also 'dwarf' your own, especially if grown from a seed. It's sort of like bonsai. Just keep it in small pot to start off, and allow to become rootbound. It does not seem to develop any kind of tap root to speak of, rather a root system that fans out well across soil surface, an entanglement of fleshy, woody orange roots. Because of this type of root, you can also trim some of them back when transplanting. My experience is they hate to be transplanted. So when you do, try early, foggy, sunless mornings where roots see no sun, and have next size pot ready. Drench well and use a rooting hormone (liquid like superthrive) for the first few weeks after doing so. The top can be trimmed to help hold the size down. This may help you keep it manageable enough to overwinter in a greenhouse and someday taste the peachy, tart fruits it produces. I know they all talk about the named cultivars being the best. Some are. But some of it also depends upon your own personal likes. The wild variety may produce less fruit around the large black seeds, but the fruit is very tasty to those enjoying a tart flavor. And as I mentioned further up: I get more pulp surrounding my wild cultivars by fertilizing mine quite frequently. I have never experienced any leaf burn. (These are IN-GROUND) You may have a problem with too much fertilizer if in planters. End result should be a 20 inch planter. That size should produce fruit for you, if you follow all steps above. I don't have my camera with me today, but will try to revisit this thread in a time and post some pictures. Hope my experiences have helped those of you wanting to grow this really nice tree. My husband loves the fruit and gets to it before the squirrels do.
