How to Plant, Grow, and Care for a Loquat Tree

Grown either as a loquat tree or a shrub, this fruiting plant is an interesting one. A relative of the rose, it makes small fruits that taste like a blend of peaches, citrus, and mango. It has a honey note.

But most people have never tasted it and know virtually nothing about this unusual fruit or the lushly-tropical tree it grows on!

I will fix that because loquats are delicious, nutritious, and fun to grow if you’re in the right climate to do it. These evergreen trees are a beautiful ornamental species, and with fresh fruit, it’s worth growing!

What is a Loquat Tree?

With an average top height of 30 feet, it can become a sizeable evergreen tree. However, it’s more commonly kept in the 10 to 15-foot range by commercial growers for ease of maintenance and harvesting. At the 10-foot height, it is treated more like a dense, tree-like shrub.

While as many as 800 cultivars are available, they are all the same base species. Loquats are also called the Japanese plum tree, Chinese plum, or Japanese medlar. In China the tree and its fruit are called Pipa.

Native Area

The loquat tree (Eriobotrya japonica) is native to southeastern China and possibly parts of southern Japan. It thrives in subtropical to mild temperate regions and has been cultivated in its native areas for thousands of years. The tree is particularly well-suited to regions with warm, sunny climates and moderate rainfall.

Over time, it has spread to other parts of Asia, the Mediterranean, and subtropical regions worldwide. The loquat is now widely naturalized in many areas.

Characteristics

The tree has a rounded or spreading crown and dense foliage. The leaves are large, leathery, and dark green with a glossy upper surface and a slightly hairy underside.

Loquat trees produce fragrant, white to cream-colored flowers in late autumn or early winter, which develop into clusters of golden-yellow to orange fruit. The fruits are small, oval, or pear-shaped, with a sweet and tangy flavor. They contain one to four glossy brown seeds.

In traditional Japanese and Chinese medicine, the fruit and the leaves of the loquat plum fruit tree are used for multiple different purposes. The Chinese use the fresh fruit to make a syrup to ease coughs. The leaves are used in Japan to make biwa cha, a beverage which is believed to help with skin conditions and help with bronchitis or other respiratory illnesses.

Both the leaves and the seeds have small amounts of cyanogenic glycosides that release cyanide when digested. However, small amounts of these compounds rarely have any effect. It’s still good to avoid eating the seeds or the leaves, and to keep them away from children and pets.

Varieties

There are white-fleshed or orange-fleshed varieties. Some popular-to-grow cultivars in the United States include:

• ‘Vista White’: a round variety with white flesh and pale yellow skin, small to medium fruit size, needs a second tree to cross-pollinate.
• ‘Gold Nugget’: a firm orange-fleshed round to oblong variety with yellowish-orange skin, large fruit, self-fertile.
• ‘Early Red’: an orange-fleshed pear-shaped variety with orange-red skin dotted in white, medium to large fruit, self-fertile.
• ‘Champagne’: a white to yellow-fleshed pear-shaped variety with pale yellow-orange skin, medium to large fruit, self-fertile.
• ‘Big Jim’: an orange-fleshed round variety with pale orange-yellow skin, large fruit, self-fertile.

Fruit Development Cycle

At the end of a warm summer, the loquat plum tree will begin to develop flowers as fall approaches. It forms its flowers on the tips of new growth branches that are younger than six months old, and the flowers are in pannicles or clusters. These flowers often carry a sweet tropical scent around your garden.

As many as a hundred flowers can form on a single pannicle, but that doesn’t mean it’ll produce a hundred fruits from that cluster. Typically, there will be between forty and sixty flowers on a pannicle, with 10-12 fruits developing at that spot.

If you find your tree appears to be setting a lot of fruit, this is a good time to prune off some of the excess to ensure you have larger, healthy fruits instead of a bunch of tiny ones.

As individual blossoms begin to swell into fruit, it’s also important to keep your tree warm. A cold snap can cause the flowers or fruit to fall off the tree. Avoid temperatures dropping below 30°F (-1°C) if at all possible.

Ripen the fruit on the tree to develop its sweetness and flavor. When it is ripe, the fruit softens up, and generally, the entire tree will become ripe at or around the same period of time.

Flowering may not be consistent from year to year, and fruit set may vary. Some years may have a heavy harvest where others are much smaller. It depends on the weather conditions as to how well your loquat tree will produce annually.

Planting

Planting a loquat tree begins with choosing the right location, as it thrives in areas with full sun and well-drained soil. Select a spot with plenty of room for growth, keeping it at least 12 to 20 feet away from other trees or structures.

Start by digging a hole twice as wide and as deep as the tree’s root ball. Mix the excavated soil with compost to improve fertility and drainage. Place the tree in the hole, ensuring the top of the root ball is level with or slightly above the ground. Backfill with the amended soil, gently firming it around the roots to eliminate air pockets.

Water thoroughly after planting to settle the soil and establish good root contact. Mulch around the base to retain moisture, but avoid piling it against the trunk. Loquat trees are relatively low-maintenance but benefit from regular watering during the first few months and occasional feeding with a balanced fertilizer.

Transplanting

Transplanting loquats is fairly easy. Prepare the soil where you wish the tree to be planted, and work it to loosen the soil in at least a four-foot circle around the area where you plan on planting.

Once the soil is loosened and a hole has been dug for the tree, remove it from its container. Rinse off some of the potting medium to expose its roots, although you don’t have to remove it all.

Place it in the hole at the same height it was originally planted. Make certain some of the new soil comes into contact with the roots, and fill the hole around it. Water it in well, and mulch to help prevent weeds from growing at its base.

Repot annually to replenish its soil, to move it to a larger container if needed, and to carefully trim the tap root if trying to keep the tree in a dwarfing or small habit.

Be careful not to remove too much of the tap root so as to not greatly injure the tree, but light trimming will encourage your tree to remain small enough for its container and prevent the tree from becoming rootbound.

How to Grow

Typically preferring tropical climates, loquat trees are easy to care for once established. If you keep them in the right temperature range, they will provide beautiful dark green foliage and shade year-round. Let’s go over the perfect conditions for growing your loquat tree!

Light

Grow in full sun to part shade. It does best in zones 8-11. This means that much of California is perfect for growing these tangy-sweet small fruits, as well as much of the south or southeastern part of the United States.

Often, loquats are grown as a shade cover for patios, and they can be shaped into espalier patterns. If placed in the right location, you may be able to get a little shade on your loquat tree during the hottest portions of summer, which can be beneficial to the tree’s growth.

It is possible to grow loquats in containers. These will remain small and compact and can be placed outdoors when the weather is optimal and moved inside under a bright grow light when the temperatures are too cold.

Water

In the first year after planting a new tree, it’s important to water more heavily than you would otherwise. Water three to four times a week for the first two weeks, and then gradually reduce the watering frequency until it’s become established.

As a general rule, loquat trees planted in the ground will do well if local rain totals are between 20-45 inches per year. At the lower end of that range, it can benefit from additional watering at certain periods of time.

When the blossoms begin to swell into fruit in the spring, give it a long, slow seeping of water. This can be done with a drip hose, allowing the moisture to slowly seep through the soil around the tree’s roots. Stop if the water begins to run off.

Repeat this process another few times as the fruit begins to ripen to ensure it’s sweet and juicy, but only if you’re not having regular rain then. If you’re getting plenty of rain, additional water will not help.

During the heat of the summer, a weekly deep and slow watering will help your Japanese plum tree withstand the scorching rays of the sun. This is most important during weather that is 95°F (35°C) or hotter. Again, a drip hose is very useful for this purpose, as it avoids splashing water around.

Mulching around the base of your loquat tree during the summer months is also beneficial, as it keeps moisture in the ground where the tree uses it.

In their native Asian environments, loquats thrive in much more humid conditions than they would in desert California or the southwestern half of the United States. Some cultivars have been developed that do well in lower-humidity conditions.

Soil

Your loquat tree prefers well-draining soil, but it is less picky than some plants about soil makeup as long as it’s not salinated. The pH level of the soil is not much of a concern, as loquats grow well in both acidic and alkaline soils.

I recommend thoroughly loosening the soil in a four to five foot circle around where you’re planting your tree, going down at least 18″ below the soil surface. You can amend your soil with compost at this time if desired.

Poor drainage can cause your tree’s roots to struggle. If your soil is too clay-like, you may have to amend a wider area to provide good runoff. Your loquat will not like being in standing water for very long!

Temperature

Surprisingly sensitive to temperature, they can be grown as ornamentals in areas with temperatures as low as 10°F (-12°C). However, the fruit and flowers will fall off the tree at temperatures below 30°F (-1°C), making it impossible for it to bear fruit.

If grown as a container plant in small form, you have the option of moving it indoors when the weather is too cold to protect the fruit and flowers.

Hot weather also becomes a problem. In temperatures of over 95°F (35°C), they suffer leaf scorch and may have difficulties growing. To alleviate these difficulties, it’s essential to provide supplemental watering during the hot summer months.

Fertilizer

A slow-release granular fertilizer suitable for fruit trees will work just fine. Aim towards varieties intended to nourish apples, quinces, or pear trees, as these are closely related. If you don’t have access to a fruit tree fertilizer, you can use a standard lawn fertilizer provided that it doesn’t have any weed preventative or weed killers mixed in.

The first year, three applications of fertilizer spread throughout the year should suffice, but wait until the tree has become somewhat established before doing the first fertilizing. You want the roots to penetrate the soil mass deeply before you start giving it additional nutrition.

In subsequent years, a good rule of thumb is to measure the diameter of the tree’s trunk. One pound of fertilizer per inch of trunk diameter is a good annual fertilizer rate, but space out feedings so it’s applied gradually over the course of the year and water it in well when applied.

When fertilizing, try to fertilize in a four-foot ring around the tree’s base. This allows the nutrients to penetrate to a wider area, and the roots are more easily able to absorb them as needed.

Maintenance

Loquats grown in the ground need little more than an annual April trimming to help ensure light can penetrate into the center of the tree canopy. Cosmetically prune to keep them in a particular shape if desired. Remove dead branches to keep the tree healthy, as well.

It is quite possible to use the espalier fruit tree method. Espalier pruning will be much more regular, but new growth tips will be carefully maintained to ensure that the tree can produce fruit.

Container-grown loquat trees can grow up to two feet per year. Pruned them more often to train them to a smaller, more compact size.

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by grafting. However, ones grown from seed take much longer to become established and are not as reliable at producing fruit as grafted loquat trees from established rootstock.

If planting from seed, the seeds need to be fresh. Remove the seeds from the fruit and rinse them well to remove any residue from the inside of the fruit, and plant shortly thereafter. Do not allow them to dry out before planting, and if you must, keep them wrapped in moist paper towels until you can plant.

Grafted loquats are available from a number of nurseries, and I highly recommend going that route as you are guaranteed to have a much more viable fruit tree.

Harvesting

The loquat fruits are rich in vitamin A, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. They’re also low in sodium and saturated fats. Here’s how to harvest the orange fruit properly as well as to store it for your personal use!

Ripe loquats tend to be slightly larger than unripe ones, and will give slightly when gently pressed. Their skin will be a bit darker than unripe ones, which gives you an indication of when to start checking. If left too long on the tree, they will fall off on their own but will be overripe.

It’s easiest to harvest by trimming off the branch tip which the orange fruit is attached, taking down entire clumps of fruit all at once. Try to pick clumps where most of the fruit appears to be ripe to avoid waste.

Slightly under-ripe fruit is still edible, but may be a bit less sweet and juicy. Overripe fruit is soft and mushy, and tends to be excessively sweet.

Storage

While loquats are delicious and well worth growing, they all seem to come ripe at once. And while they’re wonderful for fresh eating, they only last for a few days once they’re ready. There is a definite “eat me now” period for fresh-eating purposes, after which they’re no longer suitable.

Happily, whole fruit can be popped onto a cookie sheet in the freezer and frozen until solid, and then stored in a freezer bag until ready for use. When thawed, it will be soft and a bit mushy, but makes for an excellent syrup or jam material.

You can also preserve your loquats by making jams, jellies, and syrups. As it’s low-acid, you may need to add additional acid for proper canning purposes.

The fruit reputedly also tastes good when pickled, and it’s suitable for making wines and liqueurs. It can be used as a flavoring in secondary fermentation for beer.

Common Problems

Surprisingly, these evergreen fruit trees have very few problems that you’ll need to contend with. Still, let’s go over those problems so you know what to do if they should appear!

Growing Problems

The most common growing problem is leaf tip burn. This causes the tips of the leaves to brown and crisp up during hot periods of the year.

Unfortunately, there’s really no solution for this, as it’s generally caused by heat in excess of 95°F (35°C). The only preventative measure is to ensure that your loquat tree has ample water during heat waves, but even that doesn’t always work.

Tip-burned leaves will eventually drop off the tree on their own and be replaced with new leaves, so the problem will not last forever and is merely cosmetic.

Pests

The two most prevalent pests are scale insects (especially black scale), and fruit flies.

Treat scale insects by application of a horticultural oil spray. The oil will coat the insects and smother them. Regular applications of horticultural oil should prevent the buildup of any further scale plus will act to kill off aphids and their eggs should they appear.

Fruit flies, the other major pest of loquats, are a bit trickier to deal with. The maggots of the fruit fly will burrow into the fruit and cause it to rot and fall from the tree.

Cleaning up fallen fruit before the maggots can emerge will help keep the population low. However, the only real prevention method is to use a fine-meshed bag over the fruit to protect it from fruit fly colonization, and there are also lure traps available that have some effectiveness.

Some forms of caterpillar, particularly the larvae of the codling moth, may also try to infest your fruit. Exclusion bags (the fine-meshed bags I just mentioned) can help prevent them. Spraying of bacillus thuringiensis (BT) will also keep them at bay.

Finally, both birds and deer can become pests. Birds love the fruit and will happily devour any they can reach. Deer nibble on the foliage, finding the new growth and the fruit particularly tasty.

While exclusion bags will help protect your fruit from nibbling by the wildlife, it won’t protect the leaves. If you have a short tree, it might be wise to try to ensure that deer can’t reach it by other means (fences, etc).

Diseases

While not susceptible to many diseases, your loquat tree is at risk of two different forms of blight: fire blight, and pear blight.

In areas which have late spring or early summer rain, or which have high humidity, fire blight is relatively common. Transmitted by bees, it turns young shoots brown and kills off the leaves.

Once the young shoots are infected, remove and destroy them. You will need to cut back infected material well into green and healthy wood to prevent its spread.

Pear blight acts similarly to fire blight, but is only particularly common in California. The same treatment applies, as both are bacterial infections.

Other than that, it can develop fungal leaf spots if airflow cannot easily penetrate the tree canopy. Keeping it pruned to allow light to the center of the tree can prevent most fungal diseases entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions