does any one know anything about the loquat tree & loufer tree. ( not sure if i spelt them right )Where do they grow and where can i purchase one from?
Hiya, in Dareton. I believe there are nursery's in gol gol and buronga that can supply grafted loquat stock. They are a nice tree. Cheers MJ
Loquat The loquat is in the Rosaceae family and also called Japanese Plum. We have a 30 yr old loquat tree that is close to 40 feet ft tall and right now is loaded with more fruit than we can eat. Luckily the birds and squirrels love them. They are self fertile and the seeds that drop are very viable, so much that there is a ring of seedlings growing around the base of the mother tree. You can graft a cutting from a good variety onto chance seedlings. The fruit taste best when they turn orange and start to blemish slightly, if picked too early they are tart. Unfortunately they do not keep well since the skin is very thin. Here is a link to Julia Morton's book offered online called "Fruit for Warm Climates" This book is a good reference for fruit growers. https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/loquat.html
My Mum used up all our Loquats last year to make jam, it was fantasic, she mixed a little apple into the mix too.
we have some loquts in the garden, I think they grew like this, but they are not very tasty. I think it is better purchasing a tree from a nursery because they shurely sell better varieties. Possums like them. I am not shure if loquats are related to a mediterranian fruit which is called nispero, they taste very yummy. Loquat trees are very easy to grow.
The key with Eriobotrya japonica is that good old saying "ripeness is everything". They go sweet right before they go off. Before that they are pretty tart. Bill Mollison goes on about how of all the fruit trees they have the widest latitudinal range, fruiting at the equator and up into the colder extremes too.
Loquats self seed in this part of NSW, there are a few big, old trees in the valley ... cattle love them, they're eaten as high as the cows can reach so paddock loquats are flat bottomed trees that need to be climbed to be harvested.
loquat trees Loquats grow much better fruit from a grafted tree than a seedling. Seedlings will usually end up with small fruit, more seed than fruit. The large fruit are fantastic. I have 2 seedlings that haven't fruited yet and one grafted baby that we are waiting on. Should be well worth it.
thanks to everyone who replied to my email. you all have been a great help with the information you have given me on loquat trees. Thanks so much. Snow white
Loquats The easiest way to propagate a known cultivated variety of loquat is to air layer a mature branch. The process involves shaving a small section off the bark in a ring around the branch, apply some rooting hormone, wrap with moist sphagnum moss and the enclose it with some aluminum foil or a plastic grocery bag. After a few months you can feel if it has rooted, if so prune the branch off below the roots and pot up in some good soil. I am always amazed how well this works with most trees.
Re: loquat trees Oh dear. I just bought a loquat tree at a street stall. Then got home and read a fact sheet to say they breed fruit fly! My loquat only cost $2 so it sounds like it was just from a seed. Is the best advice you'd give me to use it for compost?
Re: loquat trees I guess it depends on what else you have in your patch. We had a loquat growing next to the compost pile when I was a kid and climbing on my brothers shoulders to try to beat the lorikeets to the sweet ripe yellow fruit is one of those memories I cherish. They do drop a lot of overripe fruit though, and if fruit fly is a problem you'll need to either put your chooks under it regularly or clean it up by hand. I'd grow it just so my kids could have the same experience that I did. (Which reminds me that it needs to go on my Wanted list....)
Re: loquat trees doesn't breed fruit fly on the sunshine coast - - give it a chance and see what happens - - in the years you wait to get fruit run chooks over your property - that will get rid of the fruit fly larvae in the soil and then see if you still get them fruit fly have a limited flight capability - not sure exactly - - so if you can clear a no fruit fly zone around your trees you should win and I can't see how loquat breed fruit fly - not enoug of hte actual fruit for them to feast on??? https://www.greenharvest.com.au/pestcont ... _info.html https://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/horticulture/5081.html a couple of fruit fly links
Re: loquat trees I recently planted a loquat tree, and was wondering if the fruit will ripen off the tree or whether they have to be left on the tree till they're ripe. cheers