Forum home› Fruit & veg

Loquat

Rosemary 2Rosemary 2 Posts: 5
in Fruit & veg

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.

Posts

  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,010

    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" .image

  • Rosemary 2Rosemary 2 Posts: 5

    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.

  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,010

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

  • wild flowerwild flower Posts: 78
    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! ;)
  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,762
    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.
Sign In or Register to comment.