Jane, I so envy you those yummy loquats. In Greece where I grew up I couldn't get enough of them when they were in season.

Oh, Bea they are addictive. I keep waiting to enjoy those fruits.

I never heard of them until we moved here 3 years ago. Had no idea what they were. My neighbor who is Cuban told me they are loquats and delicious. He showed me how to know when they are ripe.

They never make it into the house. I stand outside eating one after another. I keep the hose next to me to spray my hands and arms from all the sticky juice.

They are such a treat!

Jane

Bea, in general, very young trees need every leaf and stem-if green and photsynthetic-that they can have. Thus, pruning is not usually recommended at this very early stage. Plus, believe it or not, lol, plants "know" how to grow. This plant will initiate branching when it's good and ready to, and if it's out in the full sun, that will not be too far into the future. That old idea about messing with the main leader of a tree...needs to go away. Much messed-up tree structure results from cutting the main leader, and while fruit trees are indeed managed a bit differently than say, a shade tree, it still makes sense at this very early stage to leave things well enough alone. (buh dum bum).

+om

If you want a loquat tree for fruit, I would cut it. Eventually nothing will be reachable without a ladder and fruit production won't be maximized. If you want a loquat for shade/appearance and sometimes fruit, let it grow.

Perhaps, but this is a baby. What's the rush-even given your fast Florida growth rates? I didn't say never prune, I said wait until at least it's had some time to regenerate a root system.

+om