Author Topic: Lychee grafting experiments  (Read 10284 times)

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #25 on: March 31, 2018, 01:23:51 PM »
The tops to both my innarched seedlings are starting to push new growth. They were actually already pushing before i innarched and I purposely waited until I saw active growth before grafting but the good news is that the branches continued to push new growth that hasn’t dried up yet. In the innarching process, I cut 1/3 to 1/2 the diameter of the branch off before joining and binding the branches and sometimes the injury causes new growth to dry up. It’s still way too early and I’m still skeptical about the success of these grafts but at least things are looking good so far.






Simon

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #26 on: May 18, 2018, 01:36:32 PM »
The parafilm on the innarch graft is starting to crack along the Union so I know the callous must be forming and healing over. I decided to cut a notch above the graft on the seedling and also cut another notch below the graft on the Emperor in order to divert energy away from my future cuts. You can see the lighter color notches directly above and below the grafting tape.





Simon

Lionking

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #27 on: May 21, 2018, 09:20:36 PM »
Simon,

I am new to the Lychee growing so this might be a question that has been asked.
Are the Florida Lychee trees ok to grow out here in So. cal or is it better to purchase a California grown Lychee.

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #28 on: May 22, 2018, 12:31:38 AM »
Hey Lionking,

The Lychee trees from Florida grow perfectly fine here. Mauritius, Brewster, Sweetheart and Hak Ip do well here but Emperor can have issues growing in our high pH soils and high pH city water.

I’m going to see if I get better growth of Lychees when they are innarched onto seedling rootstocks.

Simon

Lionking

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #29 on: May 22, 2018, 07:43:39 PM »
Thanks Simon,

Looking forward to reading your results on your experiment..... good luck!

Ariel

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #30 on: May 23, 2018, 02:15:09 AM »
I am performing in Israel, a lychee longan grafting experiment with all varieties I can find here.

A commercial nursery performed a smaller experiment and the success rate, as told me was 50% in such grafts.

An old US report from 1948 clearly specified that both lychee and longans have special anatomy that limits types of grafts.

Propagation of lychees by cuttings is easily done with 88% pf success as told me by one nursery. Others propagate by airlayers.

There were 300 hectares of lychees in Israel and 200 were pulled out by angry growers

It seems that micorhyza is important in various high pH soils here, and the heat and other drying conditions kill it.

Will be happy to show results next year and keep in touch here.

Ariel Shai

Israel

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #31 on: May 23, 2018, 12:39:43 PM »
Ariel, a couple members here have successfully grafted Lychee onto Longan rootstock, see this link:
http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=315.0

Simon

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #32 on: June 18, 2018, 06:44:25 PM »
Here’s a quick update on my Emperor Lychee innarched onto seedling rootstocks. Notice that I already notched the Emperor and the seedling. I then snapped the branches. I’m about ready to completely sever the connections.





Simon

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #33 on: June 21, 2018, 08:23:15 PM »
I finally did it and severed the final connection. Hopefully they can take this heat wave. I’m putting them in partial sun for the next couple weeks to get them acclimated to full sun. You can see that the union has healed up very cleanly.









Simon

Lionking

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #34 on: June 22, 2018, 12:25:49 AM »
Nice job Simon.  Glad to see and read that everything is going well.
And thanks for the info on Florida Lychee trees.
I purchased a Brewster from Palms and More in Fort Lauderdale.  So far the tree is doing great.  It did get a little shipping and transplant from pot to ground shock but i am now  Starting to see new growth.

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #35 on: June 22, 2018, 09:46:44 PM »
Thanks Lionking,

Here’s what the union looks like with the tape completely removed







Simon

Lionking

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #36 on: June 23, 2018, 12:41:11 AM »
The unions healed up nicely.
Please keep us updated as time goes bye. 
Your experiment success will be helping a lot of us with the way we grow lychee trees.

marklee

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #37 on: June 23, 2018, 02:25:38 AM »
Looks good Simon, I think I'll try some of the varieties I have and put them on the seedlings I have.

Also, I was a Quail gardens today and someone is air layering  a couple of lychees. One is labeled as "Kwai Mi", have you ever heard of that one?

Guanabanus

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #38 on: June 23, 2018, 03:22:03 PM »
Probably the same as Kwai Mai Pink (often with the misnomer, Bosworth #3).  In low chill conditions can be more productive, usually every year, than several other varieties.  Low to medium vigor.  I only observed one tree, between a shell-rock road and a shade-house--- so it got water every night on the shade-house side, and it got lots of Calcium, and drier conditions, on the road-side.
Har

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #39 on: June 23, 2018, 04:19:56 PM »
Hey Mark, I agree with Har but I’m a little confused as well because I’ve heard Kwai Mai Pink being called Bosworth 3. I’ve also heard regular Kwai Mai being called Mauritius. Kwai Mai literally translates into Cinnamon flavor in Cantonese.

The Kwai Mai Pink is a smaller fruit that is sweet and the fruit can get some fungus on it that resembles Anthracnose, maybe it is, but is still highly productive. The Fruit has a weak Lychee/Rose flavor but I still like the fruit because of the lack of acidity.

It may be worth it to try to make sure the tree is not Mauritius before trying to acquire plant material.

Mark, with your huge Lychee tree, I would try to acquire scions from all the top varieties and multigraft your tree assuming air layers of these varieties are not available. Once the grafts take, you can air layer the different varieties.

Simon

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #40 on: July 11, 2018, 11:35:50 PM »
Quick update of my Emperor Lychee innarched onto seedling rootstock. It is pushing a nice small flush. The tree is in a very small tall pot and I need to up pot it but I’m going to wait till the flush hardens first.



Simon

Lionking

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #41 on: July 12, 2018, 12:01:24 AM »
Quick update of my Emperor Lychee innarched onto seedling rootstock. It is pushing a nice small flush. The tree is in a very small tall pot and I need to up pot it but I’m going to wait till the flush hardens first.



Simon


Looking good Simon! 

hellosf

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #42 on: July 20, 2018, 10:42:41 AM »
Very nice, excellent work!

Ethan

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #43 on: July 20, 2018, 11:48:44 PM »
Great job Simon, it'll be interesting to watch it grow and fruit!

simon_grow

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #44 on: July 22, 2018, 08:20:13 AM »
Thanks hellosf and Ethan. I will be doing the same innarching experiment with No Mai Tsze and Hanging Green if I can get a hold of a plant.

Simon

ScottR

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #45 on: July 22, 2018, 10:19:35 AM »
Beautiful work Simon, your tree looks great!

snowjunky

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #46 on: October 29, 2018, 01:25:14 AM »
Would adding sulfur to the soil to lower the pH be as helpful as using RO/rain water?  Adding sulfur would be cheaper and less work.

DurbanDude

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #47 on: October 29, 2018, 04:11:00 AM »
Thanks hellosf and Ethan. I will be doing the same innarching experiment with No Mai Tsze and Hanging Green if I can get a hold of a plant.

Simon

Exotica has No Mai Tsze air layers right now, 2' tall $60

spaugh

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #48 on: October 29, 2018, 02:47:09 PM »
Thanks hellosf and Ethan. I will be doing the same innarching experiment with No Mai Tsze and Hanging Green if I can get a hold of a plant.

Simon

Exotica has No Mai Tsze air layers right now, 2' tall $60

Did you get one?  Post a pic, Im interested if they look decent.  And Mike, seriously look for scales on it.  The plants there often covered in scale. 
Brad Spaugh

Gonzo65

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Re: Lychee grafting experiments
« Reply #49 on: August 17, 2019, 01:56:45 PM »
Hey Simon,
Any updates on how the tree is doing?

Thanks