Master the Yehuda Loquat Tree: Steps for Successful Growth
A loquat tree flowers in fall and early winter, carries its fruit through the cold months, and ripens it in spring. It's easy to care for when you have a schedule that dictates how the Yehuda loquat tree is planted, protected, and pruned.
Planting a Loquat Tree
Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica), also called Japanese plum, does not come true from seed, and seedlings take 6 to 8 years to flower. Grafted trees like the Yehuda loquat usually begin bearing 1 to 2 years after planting.
Plant in full sun in a spot that does not flood after summer rain, and use the warmest part of the yard if spring frost is a risk. Give an unpruned tree 25 to 30 feet or more from buildings, power lines, and other trees. Trees pruned to limit their size can sit slightly closer.
Before planting, you'll need to dig a hole 3 to 4 times as wide and 3 times as deep as the container. Leave fertilizer, topsoil, and compost out of the hole. Set the tree level with or slightly above the surrounding soil, and backfill with the soil you removed from the hole. Water the tree immediately.
Staking is optional, and cotton or natural fiber string is safer for the trunk than wire or nylon. If planted in an area where water stands after heavy rain, plant on a mound 2 to 3 feet high and 4 to 10 feet wide.
Loquat Tree Care Requirements
Loquat grows in full sun to partial shade, and full sun gives the best fruit and form. It can handle clay, sand, and loam, in acidic or alkaline soil, as long as the soil drains. It does not tolerate flooded soil.
Water a new tree at planting and every other day for the first week. After that, 1 to 2 times a week for the first couple of months. During the first three years, water once a week during dry spells of five or more days, and cut back or stop if it rains heavily. An established tree survives periodic droughts, but trees 4 years and older still need water during fruit development.
A month after planting, spread ¼ pound of a 6-6-6 young-tree fertilizer and repeat every 8 weeks during the first year. Mature trees get 2 to 3 applications a year. Fertilize around bloom in late fall, again in March, and once in summer. Skip nitrogen after August, because late growth cuts into spring flowering.
Loquats are self-compatible, but cross-pollination by another variety improves fruit set, size, and production. Temperatures above 95°F can slow growth. A 2- to 6-inch layer of mulch held 8 to 12 inches from the trunk helps the soil keep moisture.
Growing Loquat Trees in Pots
Loquat makes a good container specimen in a large tub, and a grafted tree is the best starting point if you're going to go with a container. Use a pot with drainage holes and a loose, well-drained potting mix, and water only when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. Overwatering is usually the biggest reason container plants struggle.
Feed with a complete, balanced fertilizer following the label, keep the pot in full sun, and move it into a garage or house before a freeze. While you'll get fruit, a potted tree will not match the crop of a tree in the ground.
Pruning Loquat Trees
For the first 1 to 2 years, tip shoots longer than 2 to 3 feet to increase branching, and train the tree to a modified central leader or an open center. Mature trees can be selectively pruned to 6 to 12 feet, which makes care and harvest easier. June is the time to prune, after harvest, so the canopy opens up to light and wind.
Where cold has damaged a loquat, wait until new shoots emerge and then cut dead wood just above the young growth. For bigger fruit, thin to 4 to 10 fruits per terminal, which increases fruit size by 25% to 100%.
Overwintering Loquat Trees
Loquat trees are very cold tolerant and can withstand 8°F to 10°F, but flowers and developing fruit are killed below 27°F. The tree grows in USDA zones 8A through 11. Because it blooms in fall and early winter, a hard frost can cost the crop even when the tree itself survives.
Plant in the warmest part of the yard if spring frost is a concern, and water well in the fall. Trees sited away from winter morning sun tolerate cold better. Potted trees go into a garage or house before a freeze.
Harvesting Loquats
Loquat season in Florida runs from February through May, depending on the variety. Fruit color deepens and firmness drops over the last 4 to 5 weeks of development. Pick when the fruit reaches nearly full to full color, and taste a few first. Cut the cluster from the branch and then clip individual fruit from the cluster. Loquats do not ripen after picking, and ripe fruit keeps in plastic bags in the refrigerator for several weeks.
Loquat Tree Pests and Diseases
The Caribbean fruit fly can attack loquat fruit. Bagging the entire fruiting panicle helps protect the crop. It can also speed up fruit development, reduce scarring, and offer extra protection where birds are a problem.
Other pests, including scales, aphids, beetles, weevils, caterpillars, and nematodes, can damage leaves and stems. For current control recommendations, contact your county Extension agent.
Fire blight is the most serious disease affecting loquat in Florida and can kill branches or entire trees. It infects flowers in the fall and young shoots in spring, then spreads through rain and insects. If you see infected growth, prune it out and remove the branches completely, cutting 12 to 18 inches below the affected tissue. Sterilize pruning shears between cuts with 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. Avoid excess nitrogen, since too much can increase susceptibility.
Root rot can develop in wet soil, so plant loquat in well-drained ground and avoid flooded conditions.
Keeping Your Yehuda Loquat on Track
Plant in full sun in well-drained soil and water on a schedule for the first three years. Skip nitrogen after August, keep pruning to 6 to 12 feet each June, and watch the forecast through fall and winter, since flowers and fruit are killed below 27°F. Bag the fruit clusters to protect the crop from fruit flies and birds.
Ready to plant? Buy a healthy Yehuda Loquat Tree grown at our nursery in Homestead, Florida.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Tall Does a Loquat Tree Get?
Loquat trees may reach 20 to 35 feet, and pruning can hold a mature tree at 6 to 12 feet.
When Do Loquats Ripen in Florida?
From February through May, depending on the variety.
How Cold Can a Loquat Tree Take?
The tree withstands 8°F to 10°F, but flowers and developing fruit are killed below 27°F.
Do You Need Two Loquat Trees to Get Fruit?
No. Loquats are self-compatible, though cross-pollination by another variety improves fruit set, size, and production.
How Long Does a Grafted Loquat Take to Fruit?
Vegetatively propagated trees generally begin bearing 1 to 2 years after planting. Seedlings take 6 to 8 years to flower.
References
University of Florida IFAS Extension, "Loquat Growing in the Florida Home Landscape"
https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG050
University of Florida IFAS Extension, "Eriobotrya japonica: Loquat"
https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST235
University of Florida IFAS Extension, "Growing Fruit Crops in Containers"
https://mail.growables.org/information/documents/GrowingFruitCropsInContainers.pdf
Clemson Cooperative Extension, "Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) Care, Cultivation & Growing Guide"
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/loquat-eriobotrya-japonica-care-cultivation-growing-guide/
California Rare Fruit Growers, "Loquat" Fruit Facts
https://crfg.org/homepage/library/fruitfacts/loquat/
