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| Andy's loquat |
Q. I planted a five gallon loquat in my front yard three months ago in April . It seemed to be taking just fine at first. A few weeks ago I noticed that the older leaves were beginning to turn brown and the newer leaves seem to be shriveling up. When I purchased it I was told it was OK to plant in full sun.
During this heat I drip water it every two days. I estimate it receives about six gallons per watering. I check the soil regularly to make sure the soil is not drying out. Any thoughts.
Attached are some photographs.
-Andy
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| Closeup of Andy's loquat |
A. Andy,
As you found out Loquat will not like it in rock mulch in full sun. It will do all right in full sun in a mixed planting with lots of other greenery around but it will actually do better in a more protected location.
If you can put it in an area with protection from late afternoon sun and surround by other plants it will perform better. Loquat does tend to get borers easily if heat stressed.
I built a 5' x 5' 1 1/2" Schedule 40 PVC temp pergola. Hang couple of 4' wide roll sheets of burlap over them and secure with tie wraps. Besides the top let about 2 - 3' hang over each side (east-west shade). Holds up to wind well and provides decent dappled shade. 4 loquot species responded well and recovered from pretty bad sunburn (but not as bad as yours).
ReplyDeleteNeed 4 corners:
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/product/pvc-fitting-lb-3-way-connector/hobby-diy
4 x 10' long PVC pipe
As the sun moves this can be gradually moved to keep in summer shade.
I had winds flip them once and responded by buying end caps and permanently adhering them to the legs (which are not adhered). Fill legs with a bit of sand or pebbles to weight them down.
It occurred to me a different design that might be cheaper would be a 5/8" or 3/4" PVC slid down 1/2" 6' rebar driven 2' into the ground. This will form a 4' brace inside the PVC pipe, anchoring it to the ground and reinforcing the pipe so it won't snap and the rebar won't bend. I haven't tested this idea yet.
Also instead of burlap shade cloth should work too.