How to grow loquat at home

The word "medlar" refers to shrub or tree plants growing in the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Balkan countries, in southern Europe and the United States. The fruits of the plant contain valuable substances, they make homemade wine, jams, and leaves used for medicinal purposes. The loquat has a decorative appearance, beautifully and for a long time blooms with white rosettes resembling tuberose inflorescences, which emit a delicate delicate aroma. Is it possible to have such a wonderful plant in his country house?

What is the medlar and its varieties

Medlar is a tree plant that has two dissimilar varieties. The fruit of the Japanese medlar or loqua resembles apricots, and the leaves look like walnut leaves. Lokva begins to bloom in November, and gives fruits in May. They have apricot color, taste reminiscent of a very fragrant apple sauce with a delicate melting taste.The fruits are not completely flat, they have a thin skin and an incredibly tender puree-shaped flesh. That is why loqua is not for sale in supermarkets, like apricots or kiwi.

Such a thermophilic plant is difficult to grow in temperate climates. However, there is a variety adapted for Europe. This is the German medlar, which belongs to the family Rosaceae. Unlike the Asian variety, the European medlar has sour hard fruits, when ripe resembling rose hips. The tree blooms in late spring and early summer, and the fruits appear in October-November. To improve their taste, gardeners wait for frosts. Frozen fruits become much softer and tastier, but in size and taste are much inferior to loqua.

The European plant variety gets on well in cool climates, endures frosts withstand, and is not picky about soils (except for drainage). However, the Japanese species of medlar will also be able to grow in the southern regions of Russia. Lokva does not tolerate frosts, so it should be grown in a subtropical climate, on the Black Sea coast, in the countries of the Caucasus.With the approach of cold weather, the tree begins to bloom, unlike the rest of the flora, its leaves turn red, and loquat deserves an honorable place as a decorator of the autumn garden.

What distinguishes the Japanese medlar from the German

Japanese variety:

• The fruit has one big bone
• The peel is soft, bright orange
• Blossoms on the shoots of this year
• Pubescent leaves
• Gives fruits in spring
• The fruits have a sweet taste.
• Flesh loose
• Does not tolerate frost
• Evergreen

German variety:

• The fruit has 5 small bones
• The peel is dense, brown color
• Blossoms on the shoots of last year
• Wax leaves
• Gives fruit in the fall
• The fruits have a sour taste.
• Pulp is dense
• Easy to tolerate frosts
• Deciduous

How is the medlar growing at home?

Seed propagation
Propagation by seed and bone is the most effective way to grow a full-fledged tree, because it will retain all the properties of the parent plant. For the cultivation of the German medlar from seeds, the following is carried out:

1. The fruit of the German medlar is cut and taken out of the seed and placed in a solution for plant growth for 2-3 hours.
2. An earthen substrate for flowering houseplants bought at the store is poured into the pot.
3. Seeds are buried 3-4 cm into the ground for 5-6 seeds per 1.5-2 liter pot, watered a little above.
4. The surface of the pot is covered with food film and put it in a warm place. Every day, remove the film from the pot for 2-3 hours for airing. Watering is done as the land dries.

After 40-45 days, shoots appear, and with the formation of three leaves for 22-24 days after shoots, the shoots are planted in separate containers with a clod of earth, because they have a fragile root system. If you want the loquat to grow with a bush, pinch the top, if with a tree, then do nothing. A tree is pinned annually so that it does not drag up. With this method of growing medlar blooms for 4-5 year. The German variety does not bloom in winter, and it is not worth creating greenhouse conditions for it. Feel free to bring the pot to the glazed loggia or to the room with windows to the north. Loquat needs good lighting, so buy a special botanical lamp. It should illuminate the bush or tree from south to west, and the total light day should be 10-12 hours.Water for irrigation is preheated. Once a week the leaves are sprayed from a spray bottle, and in the summer they are satisfied with tropical rain in the shower.

Breeding stones
Bone breed loqua or Japanese medlar. To grow a good plant, you need to do the following:

1. Release the bone from the fetus. Immediately process the stone with an emery paper or a file, removing the overgrown pulp and thus accelerating further maturation.
2. Put the stone in a mug with water for a day (if the fruit was brought from distant countries, then in a solution of potassium permanganate).
3. Do the drainage holes in the plastic container and pour the mixture of peat and sand 1: 1 there. Liberally spill water to allow fluid to flow out of the holes.
4. Deepen the bone in the ground by 2-3 cm, placing each in a separate container. The pot is covered with a film and put in a warm place.

Shoots appear in a month. During this time, weekly spraying of the earth's surface from the spray gun is carried out, the film is periodically removed and condensate is removed from it. As soon as sprouts appear, the container is removed from direct sunlight, but the air temperature should not fall below 18C. With the appearance of 3-4 leaves medlar put on the balcony for hardening.When growing bone plant will bloom for 3 years. Young loquat transplanted annually, it needs a change of soil. The plant is sick, so the transplant is carried out in the summer after the end of fruiting. The flowering of the Japanese medlar begins in the fall, so in the cold season feeding is not stopped. In its natural environment, the plant grows in a humid tropical climate, so at home it needs daily spraying and watering 3-4 times a week. Provide good drainage, medlar does not tolerate stagnant water. Do not forget about the formation of the crown of the tree, pinning the side shoots and upper leaflets. Juicy and fragrant fruits will appear as early as 3-4 years after planting the stone in the ground.

Growing by grafting
The medlar is surprisingly viable. The plant can be obtained by growing it from cuttings. To do this, do the following:

• prepare a pot or jar (wrap it with a dark cloth or paper, the roots will appear only in the dark)
• fill the tank with 1: 1 peat and sand substrate or just water
• cut the bottom of the cutting at a 45 degree angle
• leave only 2 leaves at the top, cut the rest
• deepen the cutting into the ground by 4-5 cm and pour heavily
• cover the stalk with a plastic cup, creating a greenhouse effect
• put in a warm place, for example, near the battery

The stalk will take root in 2 months, and it can be planted in the ground. He likes abundant watering, highlight his lamps. The tree grown in this way bears fruit for 4-5 years.

Regardless of the method of cultivation, medlar will decorate your apartment. Do not forget about watering and drainage, and then the plant will delight you with beautiful flowering and tasty fruits. At home, the loquat does not grow above 1.5 meters, so do not be afraid that the tree will flood the entire room.