The MGS Forum
Gardening in mediterranean climates => General Cultivation => Topic started by: david glen on January 05, 2012, 10:54:59 PM
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My loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) was planted about 2 years ago. The soil is poor but it does relatively well in these parts (Tarragona). It's a "domestic" tree here, usually just one specimen along with the fig tree planted near the house.
My plant is still spindly but from its 5 or so branches it's flowering profusely. The splendour looks foolhardy.
My question is: if I cut off the flowers now before they develop into fruit will the tree's limbs benefit ? Will the energy blocked from the fruiting process be diverted into body building? Is it worth it? If it is worth it, then would it be even better to pinch out the flowers as soon as they appear?
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David I do not think there is a right answer. If you want early fruits then leave them on and ..........as they say.........enjoy. However if you wish to have a stronger tree then remove all the flower buds asap.
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I would say if the tree is looking healthy and growing away well let it fruit. You could of course compromise and only remove some of the flowers to reduce the possible amount of fruit. Or as with grapes if you get a lot of fruit set and you think its too much for the plant thin them out at that stage and end up with a few decent fruits! Just ideas, you may have already made your move?
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There will also a natural balance by which the plant will spontaneously discard all the fruit it can not care for.
The plant will keep on growing for years and at the same time produce more viable fruit each year.