Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

✍️ From seed to fruit. How to grow Loquat from seeds, step-by-step guide. Part 2: after germination

Continued from previous posts⤴️

• 🍑 4. Transplanting Seedlings

• ▫️When to Transplant: Once seedlings reach about 2-4” (5-10 cm) in height.
• ▫️Transplanting and fertilizing: Move each seedling to its own pot and add controlled release fertilizer (Green Magic is the best), or use liquid balanced fertilizer Sunshine Boosters after 1-2 weeks once the seedlings establish.
• ▫️Watering. Keep soil in a pot slightly moist but not soggy
• ▫️Temperature. Keep seedling warm - above 70F (21C), and protect from extreme heat over 90F (35C) . For small plants, avoid freezing temperatures during winter. As the seedlings get bigger, they get higher drought-, heat- and cold tolerance. Established Loquat trees (2-3 years and older) may take light freezing temperatures.
• ▫️Planting in the ground. You can plant the seedling in the ground when it reaches 2-3 ft tall (50-100 cm) in frost-free areas. During chill winter nights, young seedlings can be cold protected until established.

• 🍑 5. Sunlight Requirements

• ▫️Light Exposure: Loquat established seedlings thrive in full sun but can tolerate partial shade. Start seedlings in bright shade and protect from afternoon hot sun to avoid leaf burn. Once seedlings are established and new growth appears (2-4 weeks), gradually move them to full sun.
• ▫️Why adequate sunlight (full sun) is important:

- promotes healthy growth
- helps to avoid fungus and insect problems
- is critical for future flowering and fruit production

🍑 6. Fruit production

• ▫️Loquat seedlings start producing seed within 3-4 years from seed, providing adequate sunlight, warm temperatures and regular irrigation.
• ▫️Grafted Loquats start producing right away or the next year
• ▫️Fruit will develop over the winter and ripen from March through May depending on location

🛒 Shop Loquat Trees and enjoy fresh fruit benefits

📚 Learn more:

• 🟡about #Loquat
• 🟡A young Loquat tree is fruiting
• 🟡Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes. # 10: Loquat Tree
• 🟡Loquat – the Symbol of Prosperity
• 🟡Learn more about Loquats
• 🟡10 best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes

🎥 YouTube video about Loquat
📁 Overlooked fruit: tasty Loquat recipes (PDF)

#Food_Forest #Loquat

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✍️ From seed to fruit. How to grow Loquat from seeds, step-by-step guide. Part 1: planting seeds

• 🍑 1. Harvesting and Preparing Seeds

• ▫️Harvest: Select ripe Loquat fruits (when they are bright yellow color) and remove 1-3 seeds from each.
• ▫️Clean: Rinse seeds thoroughly in cool water to remove all fruit residue. Like with every fruit seeds, any pulp leftover may prevent germination and/or cause rot of the seeds.
• ▫️Storage: If not planting immediately, wrap seeds in a damp paper towel and store in a vented container with moist sawdust or moss (to avoid drying out) at room temperature (if stored a few days) or at 40F if stored for over a week. Seeds can remain viable for up to 3-6 months. Refrigerating the fruit doesn't harm the seeds, although may take seeds longer to germinate. If the seeds are slightly dry, soak them in water overnight.

• 🍑 2. Planting Seeds

▫️Container: Use a pot with a good drainage.

• ▫️Soil: Fill with well-draining, soilless potting mix (no compost or top soil). Perfect seed germination mix is Abundance Mix: peat moss (or coconut fiber) - 80%, perlite - 10%, small pieces of pine bark - 10%.
• ▫️Depth: Plant seeds 1" deep. Place them horizontally.
• ▫️Spacing: Multiple seeds can be planted in one pot or tray (with drainage holes); space them adequately. You can use so called “community pots”, then separate the seedlings once they reach 2-4" in height.

🍑 3. Germination Conditions

• ▫️Light: Place the pot in a bright, warm area with temperatures at least (and above) 70F . The warmer, the faster the germination. We germinate seeds in a "hot house" where temperatures can reach 100F.
• ▫️Moisture: Keep the soil consistently moist but not wet.
• ▫️Germination Time: Loquat seeds germinate within 2-4 weeks.

Continued in next post ⤵️

🛒 Shop Loquat Trees and enjoy fresh fruit benefits

#Food_Forest #Loquat

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🐉 How to grow Dragon Fruit

• 
  🌵 Selenicereus megalanthus - Yellow Pitaya, Dragon Fruit Palora, is the best tasting Dragon Fruit in the world that is not only sweet, it has a great flavor (unlike most pitayas that are pretty watery).
• 
  🌵This particular species of Dragon fruit doesn't mind regular water and rains but is also drought-tolerant. Watch a short video how to grow it:

📱

📚 Learn more:

• · Planting your own Dragon Fruit plantation
• · Do-It-Yourself Support Structure for Dragon Fruit
• · Grow Your Own Exotic Dragon Fruit Garden
• · Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: Dragon fruit
• · What does Dragon Fruit Flower look like?
• · Why you need to grow your own dragon fruit
• · Do red, white and yellow Dragon fruit taste differently?
• · What to do with a lot of Dragon Fruit

🛒Grow your own Tasty Dragon Fruits

#Food_Forest #How_to #Dragon_Fruit

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🌈 Why Mallika Mango is stealing the spotlight in small gardens

Mallika mango is a top-tier Indian dessert mango with rich flavor, zero fiber, and condo-friendly size. It is a semi-dwarf mango from India known for its deep orange, fiberless flesh and intense sweetness with citrus and melon notes. The fruit is harvested mature-green and ripens off the tree at room temperature, reaching peak flavor after 2 to 3 weeks. Small but highly productive, Mallika is ideal for containers and prized for its flavor, disease resistance, and reliability. Best eaten fresh, but also excellent for juice and dried mango slices.

🛒 Shop Mango varieties

📚 Previous posts: #Mango_Rainbow - varieties you should try

#Food_Forest #Mango #Mango_Rainbow

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💖 How long until I get fruit from my Lychee tree?

• 🍓 Is your Lychee tree ever going to fruit? Yes!
• 🍓 A Lychee tree grown from an air-layered plant (Litchi chinensis) can start flowering and setting fruit right away, with good crops to be expected within 3 to 5 years, but don’t expect fruit every season. Lychees are often alternate bearers, meaning they may produce a heavy crop one year and little to none the next. Factors like variety, weather, and the tree's health affect this cycle.
• 🍓 Lychees cannot be reliably grown from seed or grafted, as seedlings lack the necessary mycorrhizal environment found under mature trees. For best results, always start with a quality air-layered tree from a trusted source.

🛒 Shop Lychee varieties

📚 Learn more:

• 🔘 Why my Lychee tree is not producing fruit and why I can't grow a Lychee tree from a seed?
• 🔘 How to grow a Lychee tree and have a reliable crop. Practical Guide to Growing Lychee.
• 🔘 What are the best varieties of Lychee Tree?
• 🔘 The best fruit in the world: how to grow your own Lychee tree.

🎥 In the video: This Lychee Mauritus tree (very productive variety) was planted last year, and already has fruited; this is the second year crop.

#Food_Forest #Discover

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😏 What fruit smells like roses

📱

🛒 Plant your Rose Apple, smell the roses and be happy!

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts

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🍀 What is better than Spinach

📱

🛒 Shop Longevity Spinach

#Food_Forest #Remedies

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How to have your own FREE fresh Noni juice year round

Many people have heard about the mysterious and miraculous Noni fruit, yet few know exactly what it is. This odd-looking fruit grows on a beautiful tropical tree from Polynesia - Morinda citrifolia, that actually belongs to a Coffee family! The Noni fruit, also called Cheese Fruit for its special odor, has unique health benefits. It is said that this plant food is to be used when we are feeling really ill or really old... Do you want to know how to have your own FREE fresh Noni juice year round?
📱

#Food_Forest #Remedies

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🌰 Where do almonds come from? From the prettiest red-leaved tree with health benefits!

• 📝 Most commercial almonds come from the Prunus dulcis tree, a close relative of Peach Tree, native to the Middle East and South Asia. However, Tropical Almond (Terminalia catappa), also called Indian almond or Sea almond, produces a similar nut in tropical regions.
• 
  📝 The Tropical Almond tree puts on a spectacular fall display rarely seen in evergreen tropical regions. As a deciduous tree, it sheds its large, glossy leaves in a burst of color - shifting from green to brilliant shades of red, orange, and especially bright mauve. This fiery transformation sets it apart from most tropical trees. At the same time, the almond-like fruits ripen, making this tree not only a visual showstopper but also a source of delicious, nutritious nuts.

🌰 Health benefits of Tropical Almond:

• 
  ✅ Rich in omega-3 fatty acids - supports brain and heart health.
• 
  ✅ High in protein and healthy fats – helps build and maintain muscle and energy.
• 
  ✅ Strengthens bones and teeth – due to its calcium and phosphorus content.
• 
  ✅ Improves eye health – thanks to antioxidants like vitamin E.
• 
  ✅ Reduces inflammation – naturally anti-inflammatory.
• 
  ✅ Supports liver and digestive health – traditional medicine uses the leaves for liver diseases, diarrhea, and dysentery.
• 
  ✅ Used as an aphrodisiac – in some traditional systems.

Tropical Almonds can be grown in the ground or containers and are tolerant of heat, drought, and salt, making them great for tropical and coastal gardens.

🛒 Plant the Tropical Almond Tree with mauve fall color

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover #Fun_Facts

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals

🌰 Where do almonds come from? From the prettiest red-leaved tree with health benefits!

• 📝 Most commercial almonds come from the Prunus dulcis tree, a close relative of Peach Tree, native to the Middle East and South Asia. However, Tropical Almond (Terminalia catappa), also called Indian almond or Sea almond, produces a similar nut in tropical regions.
• 
  📝 The Tropical Almond tree puts on a spectacular fall display rarely seen in evergreen tropical regions. As a deciduous tree, it sheds its large, glossy leaves in a burst of color - shifting from green to brilliant shades of red, orange, and especially bright mauve. This fiery transformation sets it apart from most tropical trees. At the same time, the almond-like fruits ripen, making this tree not only a visual showstopper but also a source of delicious, nutritious nuts.

🌰 Health benefits of Tropical Almond:

• 
  ✅ Rich in omega-3 fatty acids - supports brain and heart health.
• 
  ✅ High in protein and healthy fats – helps build and maintain muscle and energy.
• 
  ✅ Strengthens bones and teeth – due to its calcium and phosphorus content.
• 
  ✅ Improves eye health – thanks to antioxidants like vitamin E.
• 
  ✅ Reduces inflammation – naturally anti-inflammatory.
• 
  ✅ Supports liver and digestive health – traditional medicine uses the leaves for liver diseases, diarrhea, and dysentery.
• 
  ✅ Used as an aphrodisiac – in some traditional systems.

Tropical Almonds can be grown in the ground or containers and are tolerant of heat, drought, and salt, making them great for tropical and coastal gardens.

🛒 Plant the Tropical Almond Tree with mauve fall color

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Discover #Fun_Facts

🟢 Join 👉 TopTropicals