Loquat

Posts

• Paul B3 Posts: 3,154

  July 2017

  Hello Rosemary2 !

  Your Loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica) is obviously happy in its situation ; it is not uncommon for them to flower in the UK .

  A common fallacy is that they require hot conditions to bear fruit ; they originate from coolish mountain regions in China , so this is obviously not the case . Just a matter of time I guess .

  PS :-  I live in Lincolnshire too ' "not far from the coast" .

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• Rosemary 2 Posts: 5

  July 2017

  Thanks Paul B3 for that info. I forgot to say the tree is in a north facing garden.

  A squirrel tried one today but wasn't too impressed, it threw it on the ground.  I haven't tried one yet, not too sure about them.

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• Paul B3 Posts: 3,154

  July 2017

  Apparently the fruit has a sweet but tangy taste ; never tried one so can't verify that .

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• wild flower Posts: 78

  June 2019 edited June 2019

  Rosemary 2 said:

  My Loquat has got fruit on it for the first time, I think it is about 25 years old.  Is it common for them to fruit in this country. I live in Lincolnshire not far from the coast.

  I am in the same situation, i.e. my loquat tree has fruited for the first time in over 2 decades!  It did flower (for the first time last year).  I live in S.W. London. (Admittedly I have been watering it more fully over the last few years and now feeding it potash). 
  

  
  

  I tasted my first loquat fruit and found it very nice - a cross between a mango and an apricot with a slightly tough skin and 2 large seeds inside (reminded me of the moist avocado stones but smaller). 
  

  
  

  I am delighted since the tall tree is bearing lots of fruit and it doesn't seem to bruise if loosened with a long stick and falls to the ground (admittedly it fell in my lawn meadow).

  A 'weed' is just a plant in the wrong place - subjective!

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• Nollie Posts: 7,529

  June 2019

  We inherited a mature loquat tree with the house, three years ago. It had flowered in previous years but not fruited. The bees love it, the flowers are a great source of late autumn food when there is little else around. Last year it was descended upon by a swarm of asian hornets and the poor bees didn't get a look-in. This year its stuffed full of fruit. Not that the invasion was welcome, but I wonder if there is a connection?

  Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.

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