Growing a medlar at home
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A fruit loquat at home!
Alas, this plant is southern, heat-loving, but it can still heroically endure frosts of up to -20 C, therefore, in regions where it is not very cold, welcome to the open ground, and in the center of Russia and to the north you can only grow it in closed ground.
The medlar tree is quite decorative, and it's no wonder, because the plant belongs to the most beautiful and extensive family of Rosaceae.
Aroma and flowering medlar
Flowering medlar is in April and can stretch for up to a month. During the flowering period around the tree there is a sharp smell of bitter almonds. The fruits ripen in June, at first they are bright yellow, then brown, have a different shape, but more often a shape similar to the fruit of a fleshy dogrose. The fruits of the medlar are very juicy and fleshy, and their taste resembles an apple, apricot and strawberry.
The leaf blades of medlar are not very wide, but rather long, in shape resembling those of “our” willow, but they are much more beautiful - shiny above, dark green, as if laminated and pubescent, and lighter on the underside. The flowers are also pleasant in appearance, they have a rich yellow color and are arranged in panicle I inflorescences.
Exotics at home
Each of us, probably, saw the fruits of medlar in the market or in a store, but not everyone knows that in an ordinary room of an apartment or a private house you can grow medlar without any difficulty. for example, lemons, and receive fruits. This is possible due to the complaisant "nature" of this plant; it feels equally well both in the ground open in southern countries and in the greenhouse, apartment or house of cold countries. Medlar easily propagates, grows actively, and only two years after planting an annual seedling gives the first fruits.
Reference by topic: Planting medlar - how, where and when is better and more correct?
How to propagate a loquat
The easiest way is to propagate a loquat, of course, with seeds. All you need is to buy fresh medlar fruit at the market or in the store, remove the seeds from it, rinse them under a stream of cold water and immediately sow them into the ground. Surprisingly, almost all seeds give sprouts, their germination is close to 100%. Seeds do not need any additional processing, unless, if the fruits lay for a long time on the shelf of the store, it is recommended to soak the seeds for 15-20 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
It is better to sow seeds in specially prepared soil, it should consist of two parts of leaf humus, part of peat and sand, as well as turf land. Seeds need to be planted quite deeply - by 3,5-4 cm, these are the conditions for germination.
Picks are very afraid of the seedlings, their root system is very fragile, so it is recommended to sow immediately in individual pots or cups, so if you transplant, then only with a clod of earth, and you can even use peat-humus pots, then transshipment is not required. To make the seeds come up quickly, put a pot
See also: Medlar fruit - growing
Tree or bush
Already 22-24 days after germination, the plant will acquire three pairs of true leaves. As soon as you see this, you will need to decide what you want to see in the room - a tree or bush. If it’s a tree, then you don’t need to touch anything yet, but if it is a bush, you will need to pinch the crown of the seedling.
The formation of the tree should be done about six months later, then it will also need to pinch the top, otherwise you will hardly have enough height to cover the tree in the room. Contain this plant in the light, in the open, only the maximum number of fruits will be tied up.
Everything is simple
The Mushmule does not need pollinators, it pollinates on its own, that is, the fruits do not need cross-pollination and, therefore, you can only plant one plant, and even in the room you will always have succulent fruits. The loquat is characterized by stable and abundant fruit bearing. The only downside is that with too much fruit on the plant, they are very small, so if you want to receive larger fruits, then cut off some of the flowers or ovaries.
Watering the medlars at home
For watering, use soft, settled water, or thawed snow. Water temperature should be slightly higher than the temperature in the room where the plant lives. About 2-3 times a week, it is necessary to spray all the leaves with the same water. Once a month, the plant will need to arrange tropical rainfall - that. who has showers, it’s clearly lucky, watering in winter should be minimized, you can even cover the soil with sphagnum, moistening it.
Illumination lamps
As we have already mentioned, a loquat in the room in April is blooming, and the fruits ripen in June. In April, as is known, in Russia it is quite dark, the day is very short, it can have a detrimental effect on flowering, therefore, do not damage the light bulbs that need to be placed on the southern side (by placing higher) at a young age medlars and from the south and west when the plant will become an adult.
Vintage medlar
To harvest the medlar should not proceed immediately after staining the fruit, during this period their flesh has excessive tartness, and wait until the period when the fruits begin to bore, then most of the astringency will disappear and sweet will come to replace it. In general, the loquat will suit those who have free space, extra time and the desire to have a real green friend, who can decorate the room, and give tasty and useful fruits.
See also: How to grow a loquat
Growing medlar - tips
- Do not forget about feeding, of course, not in winter, but in the summer.
- Here, in fact, any organic material, especially wood ash and humus, will do.
- In the flowering period, often loosen the soil, it is better every day, at this time the roots need a lot of oxygen.
- Those who have experience in growing medlars in the room are strongly advised to ventilate the room more often during this period or even take out the culture on an open balcony.
- Care for a loquat is not difficult, but the plant will not forget about itself.
- Perhaps the main thing in leaving is moisture abundance, the soil in the container where the culture will grow must always be moist, drying out is not permissible. Otherwise, the inevitable discharge of foliage, fruits, flowers.
© Author Nikolai Khromov. Photo by the author.
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