Plant Doctor Archive

Loquat not fruiting

I BOUGHT a loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) two years ago and it gave me nice fruit in the first year in October. But last October I didn't get any fruit, just new leaves, and some old leaves turned yellow and dropped off. Are loquats selfpollinating or do I need to get another one for good fruiting?

LOQUATS are usually self-pollinating, so a single plant should yield fruit. Your tree has probably put on lots of new root growth since planting and the aboveground parts are most likely going through a growth phase, too, during which few flowers and fruit will be produced. This may continue for several years, so be patient. I am sure the tree will eventually settle down and produce fruit.

Loquats do drop some of their older leaves in early spring, so there's nothing to worry about there unless whole branches lose all their leaves, in which case there may be root disease problems.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH.