Spring is just around the corner, but the medlar leaves its leaves drooping. Brown leaves are often the result of frost damage. Now you need to have a sure instinct so that the bush sprouts again. But frost damage can be prevented with proper care.
How do you treat frost damage to loquats?
Frost damage to loquats is manifested by brown, dried leaves. Remove these and observe the extent of the damage. In spring, cut back shoots that do not sprout and fertilize the plant. You can prevent this with garden fleece, potash fertilization and good winter care.
Impacts and harmful images
As evergreen shrubs, loquats require water even in winter. The liquid evaporates through the leaves. The evaporation effect is even stronger in direct winter sun. If the deeper layers of soil freeze during long frosts, the roots cannot absorb water. The plant gets drought stress.
Frost damage is manifested either by spotty discoloration on the leaves or by completely brown and dried leaves. The longer the frosty temperatures last, the more intense the drought stress becomes. If there is a severe lack of water, buds dry out. Young shoots and branches can die.
Pruning measures and care
Remove the dried leaves and observe the extent to which the drought stress manifests itself. If you don't notice any growth on the shoots over the course of spring, remove them. You can recognize dead branches because the wood under the bark is no longer fresh green but brown. Loquats tolerate cutting very well and are known to sprout from old wood. A radical cut back into the old wood is often the only solution after frost damage. To support new growth, you should fertilize the plant.
Prevention
Fertilize the plants in spring. Loquats use the nutrients for growth. Preparations for winter begin in mid-June. The tissue matures and hardens. Late fertilization with nitrogen leads to new shoots, which means that the fresh shoots can no longer harden until winter. They are soft and more susceptible to frost damage. Instead, give your plant a potash fertilizer made from wood ash in August (€14.00 on Amazon). This measure supports the trees in maturing their shoots. Only plant loquats in spring and not in autumn. This gives the young plants enough time to build up root mass and develop their shoots.
How to protect shrubs in winter:
- Laying garden fleece over the bush
- Spread fir branches and brushwood on the ground
- water abundantly before the onset of winter
- Place potted plants in a protected place
