Afforestation and Rural Development with Carob
The carob tree is a species that has been used as both animal feed and food source in the Mediterranean countryside for centuries and can survive with little input. In recent years, the tree is not only for its fruit; It is seen that it has started to be mentioned together with rural development titles such as reforestation of degraded areas, providing additional income to forest villagers and branding of local products.
Read MoreMale, Female and Hermaphrodite Carob Trees
Some carob trees do not bear any fruit, while others fill them with pods every year. The main reason for this is that carob is largely a dioecious species: male, female and hermaphrodite flowers are mostly found on separate trees. The male tree does not produce pods, but it provides pollen for female trees to bear fruit.
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Grafting Techniques in Carob Tree
The way to establish a productive garden in carob and to get economical products from wild trees in nature is through grafting. About half of the trees grown from seeds are male and do not produce any pods; the fruit characteristics of the female ones vary from tree to tree. Thanks to grafting, male or wild trees that produce poor quality fruit can be transformed into a known and productive variety.
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Carob Sapling Selection and Sapling Certificate
Carob is a long-lived tree; The choice of saplings made when establishing a garden determines the yield, fruit quality and operating cost of the garden for decades. It takes both time and effort to correct the mistake of the garden established with a sapling of the wrong sex, unknown variety or weak root structure.
Read MoreVillage Life and Traditions During the Carob Harvest Season
In many villages on the Mediterranean coast, late summer and early autumn are the time for the carob harvest. Branches shaken off with long poles, nets laid under trees, pods collected one by one and labor under the hot sun are familiar images of this season. Carob is not just a product in these villages; it is part of a culture that extends from grafted wild trees to molasses, from beekeeping to local names.
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Differences between Delice (Wild) Carob and Grafted Carob
A significant part of the carob trees growing on our Mediterranean coasts are ungrafted, that is, wild or "delice" trees as they are popularly called. The pods of these trees are usually thinner, smaller and less fleshy; on the other hand, their seed ratios are often higher than grafted varieties. Grafted trees, on the other hand, stand out with their larger, fleshier and more sugary pods.
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