First, shaping and pruning potted loquat, to control the overall height and number of branches of the tree, dwarfing and shaping loquat. If left to grow, if you want to cut it into small trees the next year, the trees will be weak and withered, and the branches will not grow. Trimming and plastic surgery will take about three years to complete.
After the first year of planting, when the trunk grows to more than 50 cm, cut off the stem to promote the germination of new buds. The sprouted new shoots should grow at 30~50cm, and the new shoots below 30cm should be smoothed. However, the new shoots sprouting more than 30cm should be left in the same place first, and the rest branches should be pruned in the second year after planting.
The selected branches should have strong growth potential, and the other branches should not grow in the same direction. There should be a certain distance between branches and make them into a semicircle tree. According to the actual sprouting situation of loquat, 2~3 branches should be left as the main branches (if the branches are not ideal, they can be selected in the later growth, or adjusted by pulling, supporting and hanging), and the rest branches should be cut off from the base. In the third year, on the main branch, 1~2 branches were selected and cultivated as auxiliary main branches.
Note: For pots under 6 gallons, two sets of branches are enough (the bigger the pot, the more branches can be left). After that, in the annual pruning management, it is to maintain and update this tree. As for the overall height of the tree, according to the size of different pots, it is generally 3~4 times the height of the pots. Moreover, after loquat has been bearing fruit for several years, when pruning every year, new branches near the trunk should be left as preparatory branches for updating new main branches in the next few years.
Second, soil and water fertilizer management 1, moisture: loquat tree is a tree species with less water demand and underdeveloped roots. If the drainage is not smooth, it will rot easily. But if it is too dry, the leaves will lose the water source after transpiration and absorb the water stored in the roots, leading to the death and withering of the roots.
There is no need to water too much in growth management, just keep it dry properly. When some parts of the soil surface are dry, water should be added. During the fruit expansion period and the new shoot growth period of loquat, it is necessary to water, so it is necessary to keep the soil moisture (loquat trees need not be watered if the soil moisture content is not lower than 60%).
2. Fertilization: Before the loquat is put into the pot, first put the base fertilizer, and the unfruitful loquat tree can be fertilized twice a year. New buds appear in March, and autumn fertilizer is applied in September to supplement the nutrients needed by loquat. Apply 3~ 10g organic granular fertilizer around the plant.
The topdressing of loquat trees entering the fruiting stage is mainly based on the growth of the plants, and it is not necessary to topdress at every stage. For example, before flowering, if loquat grows well or has few buds, topdressing will be done at this time, which will lead to falling flowers and fruits because of its flourishing leaves. If the tree is not growing well or there are many flower buds, it is necessary to apply fertilizer once to supplement nutrients. Another fertilization is when loquat fruit expands. At this time, it is usually necessary to topdressing plant ash or ternary fertilizer containing more potassium fertilizer to promote the growth of young fruits (potassium can increase the sugar content of loquat fruits). After the fruit is picked, it needs to be fertilized again to supplement the consumption of loquat trees.
3. Soil: When loquat does not bear fruit, the pot soil can be temporarily not changed, and the bearing loquat trees need to be changed once every 1 year. The purpose of replacement is mainly for two reasons.
First, after years of growth, the roots of loquat grow more, and in a limited space, the roots begin to grow around the pot. If this phenomenon lasts too long, it will cause root-soil separation and root aging. Moreover, too many roots will make the soil gap smaller, the air will not circulate, the ability of roots to absorb water and fertilizer will begin to decline, and the growth of loquat will become slow or withered.
Second, the original soil fertility has also begun to decline, which can no longer meet the nutrients needed for flowering and fruiting, and it is necessary to change the soil. Loquat replacement is suggested to be completed in autumn (August-September), when loquat harvesting coincides with the small peak of its root growth. First, prepare scissors and nutrient soil. It is suggested that the small pots should be replaced by large pots in the early stage, which is more conducive to loquat bearing more high-quality fruits.
Reduce the amount of watering before changing the soil, and dig out the loquat when the soil is a little dry. Appropriate amount of organic fertilizer should be added to the new soil put into the new basin bottom as the base fertilizer. Then dig out a part of the soil at the lower part of the bearing soil group, so that the roots are exposed and the surface soil should not be touched. Check the condition of the root system. Cut off the roots that are too long, diseased, slender and aging, then cut off a few roots at the bottom, and then put them back in the soil for replanting. After changing the soil, water it, put it in a cool place for a few days, and then move it to a sunny place to grow.
Third, other precautions, such as in different planting areas, need to pay attention to the local climate, loquat flowers are frozen at MINUS 6℃, and young fruits will be frozen at MINUS 3℃. If the local temperature drops to 0℃, move to a warm place for protection. But you can't always put it in a place where the sun can't shine. You can move out when the sun shines during the day and move back at night.
Moreover, loquat fruit is not resistant to high temperature, except for the early-maturing fruit in the south, which will be harvested in February-March, the fruits in other places are harvested in April-June. At this time, if the temperature exceeds 35℃, loquat will always be exposed to the hot sun, and the fruit will easily shrink and fall off, and the branches and bark will also be sunburned in the sunny direction. Therefore, under the scorching sun, it is necessary to properly shade the sun; In addition to shading, it should also be noted that water evaporates too quickly at high temperature, and the soil is too dry, which leads to dehydration and drying, so it is necessary to keep the soil moist at this stage.
Loquat has many flowers, so it needs to be thinned, and the number of fruits per branch should not exceed 10, in order to produce better quality fruits. As for pests and diseases, potted loquat generally need not worry, the only thing to pay attention to is cancer. This disease is usually brought by seedlings or scions. Therefore, when selecting seedlings, try to choose regular seedling merchants, and the roots of seedlings should be developed without pests and diseases. Don't buy seedlings without quarantine certificate.
Conclusion: Potted loquat bears fruit for a long time, which not only depends on the propagation mode of seedlings, but also needs to be well managed. Fruits can be harvested in 3 ~ 4 years after grafting, and the seedlings grow for a long time. Good growth management will enable plants to pass the young tree stage and enter the flower and fruit stage faster.