How to Grow and Care Loquat Tree

Loquat is still a rare plant. Loquat fruit has a high economic value. Although the selling price is high, but the development of loquat cultivation area is still low. That's why only few people know how to grow loquat tree.

Loquat fruit has a high nutritional value, in addition to the leaves and seeds contain medicinal properties. Loquat fruit contain malic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, tannat, carotene, vitamin A, B, and C. The leaves and seeds contain amygdalin known as anti-cancer in the form of vitamin 17 or Laetrile. Loquat leaves are effective for the treatment of bronchitis, fever, digestive, stomach, nausea, vomiting, hiccups, and belching incessantly.

Read also: Loquat Fruits and Leaves Nutritional Value

The Right Way to Plant Loquat Tree
Grafting are more common for plant propagation of loquat. In order to obtain quality connection seedlings it is necessary for a rootstock and a compatible upper trunk to form a perfect line of connections. The application of the grafting technique aims to obtain a disease-resistant rootstock as well as a top stem that has high fruit production in accordance with market demand. The advantages of using vegetative seeding techniques, among others, genetically obtained offspring have the same genetic characteristics as the ancestor, seed production does not depend on the availability of seeds / season of fruit can be continuous, generally the plant will be faster to reproduce compared with plants derived from seeds.

Propagation by Shoots of Loquat
Propagation by shoots, generally using rootstocks of mother trees that have been aged 8-10 years, with the growth of strong and erect crops, and free of disease, while the top stem (entres) derived from high-yielding plants, with large fruit size and good flavor.

Preparation of Rootstock of Loquat Procedure
Implementation of the rootstock preparation is as follows:

1. Selection of good loquat plants, healthy, vigor, and have aged between 8-10 years.
2. Rootstock has good adaptation and high compatibility to form grafting connection with varieties of stem.
3. Having strong and sturdy root and stem.
4. Selected fruit that has really old and ripe and not attacked by pests and diseases, then taken the seeds and then washed with running water.
5. Selection of good and healthy seeds, derived from healthy and non-defective seeds, then washed and dried naturally at room temperature for 2-3 days.
6. Seeds to be planted first soaked for 10-15 minutes with warm water with a temperature about 70 degrees Celsius.
7. Seeds then seeded in a tub using mixed media with ratio top soil : compost : manure = 2 : 1 : 1. After leafy plant 2-3 in transplanting to poly-bag size 18. Two months after transplanting give fertilization with a dose of 2-3 grams per poly-bag.

Loquat seeds

Read also: How to Dry Loquat Leaves

Preparation of Upper Stem of loquat Plant
The upper stem that will be used for shoots is derived from the shoot bud of the choosed loquat ancestor tree. The stem to be used must be healthy, normal, and has diameter the same or slightly smaller than the rootstock diameter.
Implementation of the top stem preparation is as follows:

1. Selection of ancestor loquat tree that is healthy and not attacked by disease.
2. Upper stem comes from the shoots dormant, straight, and diameter adjusted with rootstock commonly used ± 1 cm in diameter.
3. Avoid branches that may have mutant shoots.
4. Shoot of loquat taken along about 8-10 cm to be connected to the rootstock.

Loquat Grafting Technique
Loquat grafting techniques include the following steps:

1. The rootstock is cut with a height of 20-25 cm, then the bottom of the rootstock split along 2 cm.
2. Upper stem taken from the tip of the shoot of superior varieties loquat plant for about 10 cm, then the base of the entris slashed on both sides with the opposite incision, thus forming a wedge along the 2 cm.
3. The wedge is inserted precisely into the rootstock of the loquat plant that has been cut.
4. Then the joints wrapped in plastic with elastic plastic, then cover with transparent plastic, then the result of the connection is placed in the shade and after 2 weeks the wrap can be opened.
5. Three weeks after, connection plastic wrapper can be opened and can be planted 6 weeks after grafting.

Loquat seed plant in poly-bag

Loquat Plant Treatment

1. Three weeks after being sprouted to supply nutrients for plants given fertilizer powders were dissolved as much as 3 grams/plant for 2 weeks as much as 150 ml until transplanting to the field.
2. Watering is done routinely 2 days (according to the circumstances of the plant) by using a water hose. Prevent flushing of the connection when watering.

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