Fruit Medlar - what is this tree, care

Medlar is an evergreen or deciduous tree, depending on the species. The culture has long been considered purely decorative, and only recently acquired the official status of edible fruit. In various sources, it can be found under the name lokva, shesek, eriobotria, which is also correct. In nature, this plant grows in the subtropics of Southeast Asia, where it is known to everyone.

Medlar - what is this tree

Having seen the fruits of this tree for the first time, many ask the question: what kind of plant is this? This culture belongs to the Rosaceae family and is a close relative of the quince.

You can grow this plant at home or in the garden.

Its homeland is considered to be Japan, China and India, where medlar grows in mountainous areas in the form of dense bushes. From there, the plant spread to Italy, Australia, Israel, the United States and the entire Black Sea coast. And at the same time, each country gave it its own name. But the main name "medlar" is Turkish.

A short description of what it looks like

A cultivated loquat is a tree that grows up to 8 m in the presence of favorable conditions.The plant has a spreading crown with a diameter of 3-4 m.

The root system of this culture is superficial, branched. The branches are covered with dark gray bark. Young shoots initially have a reddish tint and tomentose pubescence.

The leaves of the medlar are large, oval in shape, reaching 30 cm in length and 8 cm in width. The plates are dark green, solid, The surface is leathery, hard to the touch, slightly wrinkled between the veins. With the arrival of autumn, the leaves turn orange with a reddish tint.

The fruits of the medlar are pear-shaped or rounded, depending on the species. They reach 6-8 cm in diameter. When ripe, they turn yellow or orange. Inside each are large seeds from 1 to 5 pieces, covered with a tough dark brown skin. Juicy edible pulp is located around them. Its taste is sweet and sour and resembles a combination of pear, apple and strawberry.

When ripe, the skin of the fruit becomes thinner, therefore it is easily damaged. This feature does not allow to store the medlar for a long time and transport it fresh.

Useful properties of the fruit

Medlar, what is this fruit? The fruits of this exotic tree are distinguished by their balanced chemical composition. They contain a whole complex of vitamins of group B, A, C, E, K, PP and a large amount of minerals. In addition, exotic fruits contain:

• organic acids;
• Sahara;
• tannins;
• pectins.

It is not recommended to use medlar during pregnancy and lactation.

Medlar is a fruit that has a beneficial effect on the human body. Its use has been proven in diseases of the organs of vision, since beta-carotene is present in the berries.

Other useful properties of medlar:

• normalizes the work of the digestive system;
• removes sand and stones from the kidneys;
• cleanses the body of toxins, toxins;
• replenishes the lack of vitamins;
• lowers blood sugar;
• prevents the development of heart attack, stroke;
• reduces the likelihood of cancer.

Varieties of fruit tree

Having figured out what this is medlar, you should familiarize yourself with what types of wood are used in gardening. This southern culture comes in 3 types, but only 2 of them have gained widespread popularity. These include the Japanese medlar, as well as the German or in another way the Abkhazian. Both varieties are shade-tolerant, not demanding on the composition of the soil and easily tolerate drought. But there are also differences between them.

Japanese medlar

Japanese medlar is an evergreen tree 3-5 m high, but there are exceptions up to 8 m. The shoots and branches of the plant are densely covered with a reddish-gray edge. The leaves are large, oblong, up to 25 cm long and about 8 cm wide. The upper surface of the plates is glossy dark green, on the reverse side it is grayish with pubescence.

In this species of medlar, the fruiting period is radically different from other garden trees. Fruits begin to ripen in late May - early June. Their shape can be pear-shaped or round. On the branches, the fruits are collected in bunches. The weight of each varies from 20 to 100 g, the size is about 7 cm.

The Japanese culture prefers warm climates and rocky terrain. At a temperature of -15 degrees, the plant dies. Therefore, it is possible to grow Japanese medlar only in the southern regions or as a houseplant.

The fruits of the Japanese medlar are similar to apricots.

On the basis of the Japanese medlar, it was possible to develop varieties and hybrids that are distinguished by high taste of fruits and a pleasant aroma. The most popular ones:

• Tanaka;
• Silas;
• Champagne;
• Morozko;
• Early red;
• Montreal;
• Thales.

German medlar

The German medlar is often called Abkhazian, Caucasian or Crimean. This species is considered more decorative, but deciduous. The height of the tree does not exceed 3 m. The plant is characterized by unpretentiousness to care and increased frost resistance. The fruit ripens in November.

For the full growth of a tree, a warm winter and a cool summer are needed. Therefore, this variety can be grown outdoors in temperate regions.

The taste of the fruit of the German medlar is sweetish, but tart. Therefore, in order to improve it, it is recommended to remove the rounded fruit from the tree after the first frost or put it in the freezer for several days.

Growing medlar from a bone at home

Having familiarized yourself with what a medlar is and what a plant looks like, you should find out how it can be grown at home.

To do this, when the fruit ripens, remove the bones from it and carry out scarification. You need to do this procedure just before planting. To do this, it is necessary to violate the integrity of the outer shell from different sides with sandpaper or a file. And then lower the bones for 35 hours in water at room temperature.

For planting, you will need to prepare a soil mixture of peat, humus, leafy earth and sand, taking the components in an equal volume. You should also prepare pots with drainage holes 15 cm high.

Algorithm of actions when landing:

1. Lay expanded clay on the bottom of the container in a layer of 1-1.5 cm.
2. Fill the rest of the volume with a nutritious mixture, pour.
3. Bury the seeds 1-2 cm into the soil.
4. Sprinkle with earth, level the surface.
5. Cover the container with foil and place in a dark place with a temperature of +23 .. + 25 degrees.

Ventilate the container daily and remove any accumulated condensation. Medlar seeds germinate in 25-30 days. When friendly shoots appear, move the container to a bright place and lower the temperature to +18 degrees. This will help slow down the growth of the aerial part and activate the growth of the root system.

When the seedlings get a little stronger, they should be adapted to external conditions. To do this, open them for the first time for 30 minutes, and with each subsequent day increase this interval by another 1 hour. After a week, the seedlings can be completely opened.

As soon as the height of each plant reaches 5 cm, you need to plant them in separate containers. To do this, you will need to prepare containers with a diameter of 10 cm and a nutrient mixture similar to that used when planting the seeds. In the future, it is necessary to control the level of humidity, avoiding overflows.

With proper care, medlar bears fruit at home

How to grow medlar in the garden

For open ground, the German medlar is suitable, since it is characterized by increased frost resistance. For planting, you should choose 2 or 3-year-old seedlings with a height of 30-40 cm. You can buy them in nurseries.

This southern plant can grow anywhere in the garden as it is shade-tolerant. For full development, it is necessary to maintain a distance of 1.5-2 m from other tall crops. Medlar is not demanding on the composition of the soil, but needs a neutral level of acidity.

Features of planting and subsequent care

For planting, you need to dig up the site in advance and add humus at the rate of 10 kg per 1 sq. m. In this case, you should carefully remove all the roots of perennial weeds. For the medlar, you should prepare a planting pit 80 cm deep and wide. Lay a layer of broken brick or crushed stone on the bottom.

Procedure:

1. Sprinkle the drainage with nutrient mixture and make a slight elevation in the center.
2. Put a seedling on it, spread the roots.
3. Sprinkle with earth, compact the soil at the base.
4. Water the seedling abundantly.

The next day, mulch the trunk circle with humus or peat, which will prevent the roots from drying out.

Medlar, regardless of the species, does not require complex care. It is enough to moisten the soil as the top layer of the soil dries out, but to prevent moisture stagnation. At the same time, it is important that during the flowering period the plant does not experience a lack of moisture, since the future harvest depends on this.

Top dressing must be carried out three times per season.

• First time in the spring. During this period, organic or mineral fertilizers with a high nitrogen content should be used.
• The second and third time - during flowering and fruiting. At this time, phosphate-potassium mineral fertilizers should be used.

Every 2 years, the shoots of the tree must be shortened by 1/3 of the length, which will help improve the branchiness and decorativeness of the plant.

Medlar easily tolerates drought

Propagation of medlar by cuttings

Medlar can be propagated by seeds and cuttings. But the first method does not allow preserving the species qualities of the mother tree. Therefore, the vegetative method is most often used.

For cuttings, you should use last year's shoots. They need to be cut into pieces, each of which should have 2 knots. Remove the leaves completely. Make the lower cut obliquely and dust with any root former.

For planting, prepare a mixture of sand and leafy earth in an equal volume. Fill pots and water well. Bury the cuttings in moist soil up to the first knot, compact the surface.Move the pot to a well-lit, warm place. Rooting occurs in 5-6 weeks. During this time, the soil should be kept slightly damp.

How to replant an adult tree

If necessary, you can transplant an adult medlar tree. To do this, it should be dug out without disturbing the earthy clod on the roots. Then prepare a landing hole 2 times its size. Place the plant in the center, and fill the voids with nutritious soil. At the end of the procedure, water the tree abundantly.

How a tree blooms, a dormant period and an active phase

A medlar seedling begins to bloom for 3 years after planting in a permanent place. The crop is self-pollinated, so only one loquat seedling per site can be grown.

The flowers of this plant are light cream in color. Their diameter is 2.0-2.5 mm. When the buds open, a delicate pleasant aroma is felt.

The Japanese medlar does not have a pronounced dormant period, since the plant belongs to the category of evergreens. And in the Germanic, the active phase begins, like in all fruit plants, with the arrival of spring. And the dormant period in this species lasts from November to February.

The flowers of the medlar are large enough

Medlar in landscape design

This culture is widely used for landscaping areas, as it has a spreading lush crown. Most often, the plant is planted in a row, creating an alley along the garden path or fence.

Medlar also looks good in single plantings against the background of a green lawn.

Growing problems, diseases and pests

According to the description, this southern plant is characterized by increased resistance to pests and diseases. But if the growing conditions do not match, its immunity is significantly reduced.

Common problems.

• Leaf spot. The provoking factor is the stagnation of moisture in the soil. This disease occurs when growing medlar at home. As a result, the leaves of the plant become stained, then turn yellow and fall off. For treatment, it is necessary to transplant the plant and completely replace the substrate.
• Shield. The pest feeds on plant sap. It can be found along the trunk, on the shoots and on the back of the leaves. For destruction, it is recommended to water the plant twice with a frequency of 7 days with Aktara working solution.
• Aphid. The insect infects young leaves and shoots of medlar, creating whole colonies. It feeds on plant sap, which leads to deformation of the plates. For destruction, it is recommended to spray the crown with Aktellik or Inta-Vir.
• A sooty mushroom. This disease occurs against the background of damage by pests that are carriers of spores. You can identify the fungus by the black bloom on the leaves, which interferes with photosynthesis. For treatment it is necessary to treat the plant with "Skorom" and, if possible, wash the leaves.

Damage can be avoided with the help of preventive wood treatments. This will maintain the plant's immunity at a high level.

Today, few of our compatriots grow medlar in the garden, but interest in the plant is growing steadily. In a period of great food abundance, the exotic medlar berry becomes a delicious delicacy that can surprise guests and your family.