Medlar is an evergreen or deciduous fruit plant from the Pink family. It belongs to the subfamily Yablonevye and is also found under the names lokva, sheses and eriobotria. Plants live in subtropical regions in the southeast and south of Asia (from Japan to Abkhazia). In the homeland, the fruits of medlar are known to everyone. They are very appreciated for their taste and healing properties. But in the more northern regions, few people know about this plant, since the fruits are practically unsuitable for transportation. In fact, it is not so difficult to grow medlar in the garden and even at home.
Botanical Description
Medlar is a perennial tree or large shrub 4-8 m high. Annual growth is most intense at the age of 7 years. Life expectancy reaches 50 years. The root system is highly branched, it is located close to the soil surface. The branches are covered with a smooth dark brown, almost black, bark. Young shoots have a reddish-gray color and felt pubescence.
Large whole leaves of an elongated or oval shape are pubescent or glabrous. The leathery surface is quite hard to the touch. Between veins foliage wrinkled, swollen. The length of the plate reaches 30 cm, and the width is 8 cm. The leaves have a uniform dark green color.
Flowering begins in spring (April-May) or fall (October-November). In the axils of the leaves of young or last year's branches, dense panicles bloom with cream or white flowers 1-2 cm in diameter. Each corolla has 5 free petals, 2-3 ovaries and up to 40 stamens. The flowers exude a pleasant sweet aroma with hints of almond.
A few weeks after flowering, the fleshy fruits of an oval, pear-shaped or rounded shape ripen. Their diameter is about 6-8 cm. In the center there are 1-5 fairly large seeds with a hard brown skin. Fruits contain yellow or orange juicy pulp. The medlar berry is edible. It has a sweet and sour taste and at the same time looks like an apple, pear and strawberry. The peel of the fruit is thin and easily damaged, therefore they are often consumed fresh, not stored and not transported.
Types of Medlar
A very modest clan of medlar has only 3 species. Of these, 2 are used in gardening.
Medlar Japanese. The plant in the form of a sprawling tree up to 8 m in height has rather thin branches covered with dark bark. Oval foliage up to 25 cm long and 7-8 cm wide has a pubescent leathery surface. Leaflets grow on small petioles. Paniculate inflorescences bloom in September-October at the ends of shoots. They consist of white or yellowish flowers with a diameter of 1-2 cm. The thermophilic variety does not tolerate negative temperatures. By the end of spring, fruits of a rounded or pear-shaped form ripen. They are located in clusters of up to 12 pieces. The berries have a juicy, fragrant flesh and bright yellow skin. Varieties:
- Tanaka - orange-yellow pear-shaped fruits with pinkish flesh and sweet and sour taste;
- Champagne - yellow fruits with fleecy skin and delicate pulp;
- Sayles - apricot-like fruits weighing up to 80 g;
- Frost - a variety for home and greenhouse sets large red-brown fruits without astringency.
MedlarCaucasian or Crimean. Deciduous plant in the tropics can grow up to 8 m in height. Its smooth, highly branched shoots are covered with dark green oval leaves 8-15 cm long and 3-4 cm wide. In autumn, the foliage turns red. In May, white flowers bloom. The fruits ripen in the fall. They have a rounded shape and a reddish-brown color. Inside there is a small amount of seeds. Before the onset of frost, the pulp is tart, sour and hard, and then becomes soft and sweet. The species is winter-hardy and suitable for open ground in a temperate climate.
Breeding methods
Medlar can be grown in two ways:
- from bone;
- vegetatively.
In the southern regions, planting is carried out immediately in open ground, otherwise seedlings should be previously grown. Before planting, they try not to extract the seeds from the fruit, since dry seeds quickly lose their germination. They must first be scarified and then soaked for 2-3 days in warm water. After that, they are distributed in boxes of wet sand or sawdust. For 2 weeks, the container is placed in the refrigerator, and then returned to the warm room for the same period. Alternation is repeated for three months. Then the seeds are planted in pots with sandy peat soil to a depth of 3 cm. Without such preparation, germination can continue for up to a year.
Shoots appear after 30-40 days. Plants with 3-4 leaves dive, pruning the root. Medlar seedlings develop quite quickly and do not require additional care. Landing is preferably carried out while maintaining a lump of earth, so as not to damage the fragile roots. If instead of a tree you need to get a shrub, pinch the top. Flowering and fruiting begins from 4-5 years of life.
Caucasian loquat can be propagated by layering. To do this, on the lower branch in the autumn they damage the bark and press the shoot to the ground. It is fixed and sprinkled with soil. Layering is regularly watered. The rooting process is not fast, a full-fledged rhizome will develop only after 2 years. Separation of layering and transplantation is carried out after the leaves fall.
Japanese medlar vegetatively better propagated by cuttings. To do this, use last year's shoots with 2 nodes 12-15 cm long. Leaf plates are shortened by half. The slice is treated with wood ash and planted in pots with loose fertile soil to a depth of 4-5 cm strictly vertically. The handle is watered and covered with a film. The room temperature must be maintained at + 25 ... + 27 ° C. Rooting lasts about a month.
Varietal plants are also propagated by vaccination. As a stock you can use plum, pear, hawthorn, quince. The graft is fixed in the cleft or behind the bark.
Outdoor planting and care
Most often, outside the subtropics, German medlar and its varieties are grown in the garden. The plant is trying to pick up the sunniest and most open place. Soils should be light, loose and nutritious (sandy loam chernozem, turf land, loam). A slightly acidic soil with deep water content is best suited.
Since the medlar has a superficial rhizome, a landing fossa with a depth of 50-70 cm will be quite sufficient. It should be a third more than the root system of the plant. Free space is filled with drainage material (expanded clay, crushed stone, gravel). The space between the roots is filled with earth mixed with sand and compost.
Immediately after planting, the plants are fertilized with nitrophosphate or superphosphate. The ground near the trunk is mulched with peat or humus. Although medlar is a dioecious plant, for a better harvest, 2-3 trees are planted nearby to ensure cross-pollination. But to plant an apricot or nut next to it is not worth it. Each copy needs 3-4 m of free space.
Medlar likes regular watering, but a portion of the liquid must be such that it is quickly absorbed into the soil. Also, loosen the soil more often.
The plant has a long vegetation period, therefore, there remains the danger of young shoots not ripening and freezing. To speed up the process, make fertilizer. Young seedlings are fed every 20-25 days, starting from the moment the fruits appear. More mature plants - every 1.5-2 months. As a top dressing, a mullein solution is used, as well as phosphorus and potassium complexes.
To form the crown and stimulate the crop, pruning is carried out regularly, since flowers and fruits are formed on the shoots of 1-2 years of life. You should regularly remove 1-2 old branches and thin out thickened places. Usually cut off 25-50% of the branches.
Medlar almost does not suffer from plant diseases. Sometimes it affects a soot fungus or brown rust. As a prophylaxis in early spring (before the appearance of leaves), the treatment with Bordeaux liquid is carried out (3%). Sometimes on the leaves you can notice a scab or aphid. Bioinsecticides help from them. They are harmless enough and do not accumulate in the fruits.
Growing at home
Japanese medlar has long been used as an ornamental plant for greenhouses, conservatories, and other premises. It is called winterflower. The plant can be planted in a pot or large roller. Young specimens are transplanted every 2-4 years, and eventually only replace the topsoil.
Medlar loves light very much, so it should be placed in the most illuminated place, under direct sunlight. Varieties blooming in winter need additional illumination, otherwise the fruits may not start.
The optimum air temperature is + 18 ... + 25 ° C. In the summer, the pot is exposed to fresh air. It is advisable to protect the plant from drafts and bring it in during cold snap. In winter, it is recommended to lower the temperature to + 2 ... + 5 ° C.
Water the indoor medlar often and abundantly. It is advisable that the soil does not dry out at all. In winter, watering is reduced to prevent dampness and the development of rot. Between irrigation, the soil is loosened.
Since plants live in the tropics, high humidity is important to them. However, frequent spraying is undesirable for pubescent leaves. It is better to place trays with water and wet expanded clay nearby. A warm shower is allowed from time to time.
In April-September, the bushes are fed twice a month with organic fertilizer. It is well bred and poured into the soil.
Indoor plants are often formed in the form of a lush bush, tree or bonsai. To do this, pinch and remove the extra shoots. Lateral branches are formed weakly and only from the sinuses of the upper pair of leaves. The period after ripening and harvesting is best suited for pruning.
Beneficial features
Medlar is that rare plant in which absolutely everything is useful. The fruits contain a large amount of sucrose, fructose, pectins. In all parts there are vitamins, micro and macro elements, as well as tannins and volatile products.
The fruits can be eaten fresh, used to make jam, compote and alcohol. Decoctions and infusions are prepared from leaves and bark. Drugs normalize digestion, fight intestinal infections and colic. During pregnancy, the use of berries allows the female body to get everything necessary for the development of the fetus. They have wound healing, calming, disinfecting properties. Recently, scientists discovered in medlar substances that can slow the development of cancer cells.
However, in everything you need to know the measure. The plant contains a small amount of cyanides, which can accumulate in the body and lead to poisoning. Excessive consumption of fruits, especially unripe, has a laxative effect. Another medlar is contraindicated for people suffering from high acidity of the stomach, gastritis and allergies.
