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When to plant a loquat tree

TheGardenerFromMarsTheGardenerFromMars Posts: 65
in Plants
When is the best time to plant a loquat tree in the UK? Nursery websites often avoid giving any information about when to plant each species that they sell - even the RHS pages don't tell you what time of year to plant each species.

The Gardener's World website says April/May, but some nurseries seem to sell them from autumn,  so I'm confused. I haven't seen any bare root loquats for sale, so i guess my question is referring to when to plant pot grown loquats in the UK.

Any advice very welcome.

Posts

  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    edited August 2022
    Any plant that is in a pot can be planted at any time provided the ground is not too cold.

    In the autumn the ground is still warm from the summer, so that is a good time, as the roots can get established before winter.

    Spring works well too as plants are starting to grow.

    Hot summers would work as well...provided that the plant was watered copiously every daily. Mulch to keep the root run cool and retain moisture.

    Winter...not a good idea if ground is cold, wet, frozen..but it all depends where you live.
    Many places in UK no longer have cold weather in winter and stay mild right the way through.

    Eriobotrya japonica..common name Loquat.

    https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/6735/eriobotrya-japonica-(f)/details





    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    Autumn is, generally, the best time to plant trees. However, because loquat is not reliably hardy, it would be best planted in spring. This would allow it to establish a good root system before it faces a UK winter. I would not recommend planting it bare root. Personally I would plant a small plant, though this will depend what you can buy. I grew mine from  seed collected in Portugal. It thrived and I have just removed it. 
  • TheGardenerFromMarsTheGardenerFromMars Posts: 65
    Thanks both for the advice :)
  • AstroAstro Posts: 433
    You say you would personally buy a small plant @Kate 7 , do you you think this is better value than buying bigger?

    I only ask because I've read both that they grow quickly and slowly 🤔
  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    In my experience it is easier to get a small plant established. It is not due to cost. However, you are unlikely to get much choice. Regarding speed, mine reached the first floor window in about 10 years. 
  • AstroAstro Posts: 433
    Yes they are not the easiest plants to get hold of from my experience so far. I've looked round all of the local stores and nurseries and they don't have them.

    There are a few available online but the larger specimens are costly.  I think I'll take your advice and go small, the bit of patience should pay off.
  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 542
    You could try and buy a punnet of the fruit and grow from seed...
    Why loquat? Some of the big leaved magnolias or rhododendrons will give a similar effect. For instance Magnolia grandiflora which has the most gloriously scented flowers and is More readily available.
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