What is the best lychee?

[nullzero]

I only have room for 1 lychee atm, I am going with Hak Ip personally. Its rated as a good fruit, reliability seems to be decent.

[LEOOEL]

Gunnar429, Nullzero, I have 'HakIp' and I do recommend it. From a personal experience, it does like the full sun, just like most lychee trees. The flavor is sweet, refreshing and addictive. So, restraint may be required, thoughts of eating all the fruit on the tree nonstop may come to mind.

If Pine Island Nursery recommends 'Kwai Mai Pink,' then which one is best, 'Kwai Mai Pink' or 'Mauritius?' Does anyone have experience growing 'Kwai Mai Pink' lychee fruit in South Florida?

[fruitlovers]

Gunnar429, Nullzero, I have 'HakIp' and I do recommend it. From a personal experience, it does like the full sun, just like most lychee trees. The flavor is sweet, refreshing and addictive. So, restraint may be required, thoughts of eating all the fruit on the tree nonstop may come to mind.

If Pine Island Nursery recommends 'Kwai Mai Pink,' then which one is best, 'Kwai Mai Pink' or 'Mauritius?' Does anyone have experience growing 'Kwai Mai Pink' lychee fruit in South Florida?

It's safe to say that ALL lychee trees need full sun. Any part of the tree that is shaded is not going to produce fruit. So make sure you give them plenty of growing space.
Here Kwai Mi Pink (usually called Bosworth 3, or B3 for short) is one of the most reliable bearers. It needs very little chill to set fruit. So i'm pretty sure it would be a reliable bearer in southern Florida. Mike T has also posted that B3 is a reliable bearer in tropical parts of Australia. Not everyone likes it, but i do. Added bonus of B3: it is a very later bearing variety so it will extend your lychee enjoyment.

[Coconut]

Thanks Oscar I will plant a bostworth 3 for the wife after I chainsaw our unproductive Emperor  of 20 years.

[LEOOEL]

Top Tropicals Nursery is promoting the 'Sweetheart' lychee as the best lychee in the State of Florida, USA. I would love to see an honest comparison of the pros and cons between the 'Sweetheart' lychee and the 'Mauritius' lychee.

[fruitlovers]

Top Tropicals Nursery is promoting the 'Sweetheart' lychee as the best lychee in the State of Florida, USA. I would love to see an honest comparison of the pros and cons between the 'Sweetheart' lychee and the 'Mauritius' lychee.

PIN was also billing Sweetheart as best tasting lychee, at least when i visited them several years ago.

[simon_grow]

Thanks Oscar I will plant a bostworth 3 for the wife after I chainsaw our unproductive Emperor  of 20 years.

You may want to try scarifying the trunk of your emperor as well as girdling it next winter to see if you can shock it into fruit production. Is your tree growing too vigorously?
Simon

[fruitlovers]

Thanks Oscar I will plant a bostworth 3 for the wife after I chainsaw our unproductive Emperor  of 20 years.

You may want to try scarifying the trunk of your emperor as well as girdling it next winter to see if you can shock it into fruit production. Is your tree growing too vigorously?
Simon

You shouldn't girdle the trunk, only the branches, and even then only some of the branches, not all. Otherwise you can put too much stress on the tree and kill it.

[Mike T]

Girdling is a pretty questionable practice as it may increase yield on the branch but the branch often declines, dies or get prone to fungal problems afterwards.I know I have posted about lychee varieties a bit before but kwai mai pink and Mauritius are the 2 recommended commercial types here (of over 25) for warmer areas. They need less chilling and are reliable bearers. Mauritius is favoured by many consumers as it has a better acid/sugar balance (more acid),richer lychee flavour and a rose water quality as well as being larger. Kwai mai pink is still popular and more widely grown and transports better. Reliability of production seems to be a common problem for many varieties. People seem to agree that planting varieties in the climate that most suits them really helps reliability and fruit quality. I bet kai mai pink and Mauritius planted in areas too cool and better suited to 'cooler lychees' would struggle with quality and productivity.

[Coconut]

Girdling is that not a polite way for saying strangling.  This old soldier is not strangling anyone; for fruit under stress is utterly tasteless.  Ever taste pen up stress out fresh chicken, taste better when chicken is free range, a happy life.  My fruit trees if they don't produce with that free range life style I give them, a chainsaw is their fate.

Well spoken Mike T warm species it is that appropriate for my climate, Mauritius Sweet Heart Lychee; you are mine. Originally I planted this Emperor Lychee for my Boca Princess Wife, she want a fruit that as big tasting and bold as her diamond.  It sure got big in my front yard, 20 years slavery to this Emperor Lychee tree, produce many admiring loyal subjects in my Gated Community; for its nominal 30 broad feet height, beautiful healthy shiny, leaves that siren in Hurricane Wilma. Even my NAZI HOA Board grandfathered it in (it royal highness was never approved by the Geriatric Board in my landscape permit).  I stealthy snuck it in, thank God we got a lot of cataracts on the Board with one feet in the casket.

This Menorah Emperor Lychee tree became a Kosher symbol as my Rabbi neighbor borrow the minuscule bearing fruits at night & bless the tree for more fruitful bounty when I am busy hunting burmese python in the everglade.

Under its majestic shadow, a celebrity gathering place for well heel & super connected four legged pamper pooches & their two legged parents; marking & making night soil deposit banking 24/7/52 with reckless abandon and utter disregard for my well groom Emperor Lychee. Emperor Lychee I thank you for 20 years of attracting neighborhood gossips, all the canines in the neighborhood you seem to attract & bring me fleas & four years of fruit out of twenty, its time for your Hindu cremation. Disclaimer; no animals or gossiping neighbors were harm by this story; Emperor Lychee  wood will be use to roast this family xmas goose dinner. Amen

[fruitlovers]

Girdling is a pretty questionable practice as it may increase yield on the branch but the branch often declines, dies or get prone to fungal problems afterwards.I know I have posted about lychee varieties a bit before but kwai mai pink and Mauritius are the 2 recommended commercial types here (of over 25) for warmer areas. They need less chilling and are reliable bearers. Mauritius is favoured by many consumers as it has a better acid/sugar balance (more acid),richer lychee flavour and a rose water quality as well as being larger. Kwai mai pink is still popular and more widely grown and transports better. Reliability of production seems to be a common problem for many varieties. People seem to agree that planting varieties in the climate that most suits them really helps reliability and fruit quality. I bet kai mai pink and Mauritius planted in areas too cool and better suited to 'cooler lychees' would struggle with quality and productivity.

It is ofcourse better in long run to use lychee cultivars that are suitable for the climate in which they are grown. But i don't think there is any danger to the tree if correctly girdled. This is a technique that is commercially used and is not found to have any detriment to the trees.

[simon_grow]

Yes Oscar I should have said to girdle a branch and not the trunk. Girdling will not cause the release of cortisol in trees like it does in animals. I have not heard of any reports that indicate that fruit from girdled trees taste worst than non girdled trees. I have a friend that has a 20 foot tall szygzium, not sure about spelling, that never fruited in about 10+ years and the tree finally fruited the year that his father scarrified the trunk.
Simon

[nch]

Not to hijack the thread, but regarding girdling, is it better to cut a full circle around the branch or cut around the branch so that the beginning and the end of the circle don't meet? Also, what's the minimum diameter of a branch, or it doesn't matter? Thanks. My Sweetheart is blooming, but there are only female flowers.

[simon_grow]

I've never girdled Lychee before, only read about it but I believe you are supposed to girdle all the way around in order for the energy generated by the leaves to Not reach lower down the tree. Girdling should occur on one of the main branches. If you have 4 main branches, you can perform it on one or two branches. I'm not positive but I believe 1/4 to 1/2 of the main branches can be girdled in alternating years. I would assume you can girdle any diameter branch but it would make sense that the larger branches that are minimum of 2 inches in diameter would be more productive.

Sweetheart Lychees start their bloom cycle with mostly Female flowers and then as the females start dying, some males will start showing up. One most of the males start dying, females may start showing up again, at least that is the pattern of flowering here in SoCal. If you girdle, your tree may hold more of the fruit that is set but I do not know that girdling will give you some male flowers.
Simon

[nch]

Thanks, Simon.

[fruitlovers]

Yes Simon has it right. You should cut with a saw all the way around. Another method i've used which i find easier is to use a tight wire, like tourniquet, and cut wire once the branch starts flowering. You shouldn't girdle more than 25-30% of the tree at once. Girdling is similar to putting air layers on a tree. You can often see airlayers fruiting due to stress effect. Neither airlayering nor girdling will damage the tree if done right. Small branches will fruit when girdled, but it's much better to go after larger branches, more fruit and less work.

[JFranco]

Hi!

Which varieties have the bigger cold resistance? The nursery I am thinking to buy from has 'Kaimana', 'Tai so', 'Early Large Red', 'Suey Tong', 'Fay Zee Siu' and 'Kwai Mai Pink'.

Thank you,

Joćo

[andrewq]

Sweetheart Lychees start their bloom cycle with mostly Female flowers and then as the females start dying, some males will start showing up. One most of the males start dying, females may start showing up again, at least that is the pattern of flowering here in SoCal. If you girdle, your tree may hold more of the fruit that is set but I do not know that girdling will give you some male flowers.
Simon

in Texas, I have seen the same order (female, male, then some female) for my 2 or 3 Sweethearts each year i've let them flower. Recently purchased Mauritius and Emperor and will keep notes for this winter.

[SoCal2warm]

Mauritius is the most reliable producer of fruit. Some say that Mauritius has a very slight cinnamon-like taste. If you only have enough room for 1 tree and you really want a crop every year, Mauritius is probably the best variety for you. This variety is rather small, both the fruit and tree size.
I've read conflicting opinions about the taste of the Mauritius variety. Apparently the flavor has a noticeable difference from the other lychee varieties, kind of slightly sub-acid taste. Some people have said the flavor is very good to excellent, even that it is their favorite lychee variety they have tasted. Other people have said it is the only lychee variety they don't like.

Emperor has the largest fruit size, up to 1½ to 1¾ inch diameter, but its flavor is a little bland/insipid compared to other lychee varieties.

No Mai Tsze is supposedly the best tasting, but has small fruit size and is not the most reliable at producing fruit every year.

Brewster is an all-around good variety, but not really exceptional in any single category, the tree of this variety can grow quite tall so it may not be as suitable for small yards. This is the most common commercial variety in America, and I think the fruit exterior of Brewster has a more attractive appearance than the other varieties, smooth and bright red.

Kaimana is supposed to be an all-around good variety, with great taste and large fruit size, combined with a 'chicken tongue' seed so the fruit contains more edible meat. From what I have seen, Kaimana can get pretty large fruit sizes also, and may possibly contain more edible meat than the Emperor variety (it has a smaller seed). This variety would be a lot more popular if its fruit production were more reliable. From what I have read, there will be many years where it will not produce.

Some lychee connoisseurs are real fans of Hak Ip, but others think the taste of this variety is too "medicinal". It is prized for the firm texture of its flesh and the lack of juiciness.

Mauritius, Emperor, and Hak Ip are "mountain-type" varieties, so the trees do not grow as big and may have slightly more cold and drought tolerance than other lychee varieties (though all lychees need consistent water in dry climates).

[simon_grow]

Mauritius is the most reliable producer of fruit. Some say that Mauritius has a very slight cinnamon-like taste. If you only have enough room for 1 tree and you really want a crop every year, Mauritius is probably the best variety for you. This variety is rather small, both the fruit and tree size.
I've read conflicting opinions about the taste of the Mauritius variety. Apparently the flavor has a noticeable difference from the other lychee varieties, kind of slightly sub-acid taste. Some people have said the flavor is very good to excellent, even that it is their favorite lychee variety they have tasted. Other people have said it is the only lychee variety they don't like.

Emperor has the largest fruit size, up to 1½ to 1¾ inch diameter, but its flavor is a little bland/insipid compared to other lychee varieties.

No Mai Tsze is supposedly the best tasting, but has small fruit size and is not the most reliable at producing fruit every year.

Brewster is an all-around good variety, but not really exceptional in any single category, the tree of this variety can grow quite tall so it may not be as suitable for small yards. This is the most common commercial variety in America, and I think the fruit exterior of Brewster has a more attractive appearance than the other varieties, smooth and bright red.

Kaimana is supposed to be an all-around good variety, with great taste and large fruit size, combined with a 'chicken tongue' seed so the fruit contains more edible meat. From what I have seen, Kaimana can get pretty large fruit sizes also, and may possibly contain more edible meat than the Emperor variety (it has a smaller seed). This variety would be a lot more popular if its fruit production were more reliable. From what I have read, there will be many years where it will not produce.

Some lychee connoisseurs are real fans of Hak Ip, but others think the taste of this variety is too "medicinal". It is prized for the firm texture of its flesh and the lack of juiciness.

Mauritius, Emperor, and Hak Ip are "mountain-type" varieties, so the trees do not grow as big and may have slightly more cold and drought tolerance than other lychee varieties (though all lychees need consistent water in dry climates).

No Mai Tsze is still my favorite variety I have tasted so far but it's only available( fruit) in China and Hong Kong where I tasted it. The one at Exotica was sour and the taste and look was not the same as in China and Hong Kong. No Mai Tsze is not a small fruit, it is a medium-large fruit. Smaller than Emperor, Sweetheart, Fei Zhi Siu butvlarger than the average Mauritius and Brewster.

I've harvested some pretty large Brewsters on large established trees.

Emperors pick up a lot of Terroir, more so than other varieties I've tasted. Some years and from some trees, the fruit is kind of bland and a bit sour. Other fruit I have tasted were exceptional with excellent sweetness although this variety has weak Lychee(Rose) flavor. Most my sampling of Emperors were from Lycheesonline.com back when they were still able to ship to SoCal, they can't anymore. My friend had a tree that produced excellent fruit but the tree is a bit picky with soil and died out of the blue. Emperor has a unique shape to the fruit which reminds me of a walnut, maybe because of the pronounced line it gets on its shell. It also bends at a sharp angle where it attaches to the branch, not all fruit. Some Sweetheart/FZS can get as big or bigger than Emperors and vice versa.

Brewster has exceptional taste, in my opinion. I attribute the exceptional taste to the amazing smell and pronounced Lychee(Rose) flavor of this variety. This variety is also very sweet and has low acidity when harvested fully mature. This variety will turn almost fully red but may not be at its peak flavor until after it has been fully red for a period of time but this depends on temperature and amount of sun. The worst thing about this variety is the absolutely huge seed.

There is a Brewster strain that Leo Manuel is growing that has a high percentage of chicken tongue seeds however but we need to track the tree over multiple years to see if this trend continues. If it does, this Brewster selection, for lack of a better term, can be an excellent choice for Lychee connoisseurs. Leo's Brewster fruits pretty regularly although it does go through the normal patterns of low production after a bumper crop year. Brewster is also a good grower and can get tall which makes harvesting difficult.

Kaimana grows well here and the fruit is good quality with great size and relatively small seed. It is a relatively new variety here in SoCal so large trees are few and far between. Quang over at Ongs Nursery has a small medium tree planted in the ground and is currently holding fruit and told me it fruits pretty regularly for him. The Lychee(rose) flavor and aroma are relatively weak for this variety but the texture is great with more firmness.

Kwai Mai Pink or Bosworth 3 is a good tasting variety for those that like sweet fruit with not too much other flavor. It has very low acidity and the fruit is relatively small and prone to attack by fungus. It is supposed to fruit regularly.

Simon

[andrewq]

his profile states he is in zone 10b. Are there cultivars that prefer warmer climates?

 I think here or gardenweb there was a thread about lychees in Jamaica and there was discussion about how different cultivars may be required for regions with different hours of chill.

[Orkine]

Mauritius is the most reliable producer of fruit. Some say that Mauritius has a very slight cinnamon-like taste. If you only have enough room for 1 tree and you really want a crop every year, Mauritius is probably the best variety for you. This variety is rather small, both the fruit and tree size.
I've read conflicting opinions about the taste of the Mauritius variety. Apparently the flavor has a noticeable difference from the other lychee varieties, kind of slightly sub-acid taste. Some people have said the flavor is very good to excellent, even that it is their favorite lychee variety they have tasted. Other people have said it is the only lychee variety they don't like.

Emperor has the largest fruit size, up to 1½ to 1¾ inch diameter, but its flavor is a little bland/insipid compared to other lychee varieties.

No Mai Tsze is supposedly the best tasting, but has small fruit size and is not the most reliable at producing fruit every year.

Brewster is an all-around good variety, but not really exceptional in any single category, the tree of this variety can grow quite tall so it may not be as suitable for small yards. This is the most common commercial variety in America, and I think the fruit exterior of Brewster has a more attractive appearance than the other varieties, smooth and bright red.

Kaimana is supposed to be an all-around good variety, with great taste and large fruit size, combined with a 'chicken tongue' seed so the fruit contains more edible meat. From what I have seen, Kaimana can get pretty large fruit sizes also, and may possibly contain more edible meat than the Emperor variety (it has a smaller seed). This variety would be a lot more popular if its fruit production were more reliable. From what I have read, there will be many years where it will not produce.

Some lychee connoisseurs are real fans of Hak Ip, but others think the taste of this variety is too "medicinal". It is prized for the firm texture of its flesh and the lack of juiciness.

Mauritius, Emperor, and Hak Ip are "mountain-type" varieties, so the trees do not grow as big and may have slightly more cold and drought tolerance than other lychee varieties (though all lychees need consistent water in dry climates).

So I have both a Mauritius and an Emperor.  They have never fruited in the same year for me.  My memory of the Emperor fruit is more pleasant than of the Mauritius.  I also recall more tiny seeds (chicken tongue) in a bigger fruit.  I must get them both to fruit in the same year and compare.  Bottom line though, I liked them both and happy to have them both.  Now just to get my emperor to fruit more than once every 3 to 4 years (looks like this year is one of those years).  I expect fierce competition with the birds.

[LEOOEL]

"Early Large Red...not sure of the heritage.  Tends to be similar to Mauritius....also a consistant bearer."

The above quote is saying a lot, IMO! I hope it's not a 'Mauritius' by another name. May I ask if you've noticed any differences between 'Early-Large-Red' and 'Mauritius?' Are their corresponding ripening seasons also the same or do they vary?

I have yet to try Calcutta, Groff, Salathiel, Hanging Green (well, not sure about this one as I did try a green skinned variety in NY's chinatown.....it was not a very good lychee and so, based on the reputation of this storied cultivar I am assuming that either it wasn't Hanging Greeen or was not truly representative of it), No Mai Tze, Yai So or B-3.  Have tried to grow No Mai Tze, but never got a tree to any size before untimely death. My current fruiting trees include Brewster, Mauritius, Kaimana, Kwai Mai Pink (Bosworth 3), Bengal, Hak Ip, Early Large Red, Garnet, Peerless, Ohia, and Farwell Ranch (probably Mauritius seedling) Also growing but have never fruited Seymour, Red Ohia, and I am still going to throw Sweeheart into this category.  My trees have technically fruited but poorly and not in a way that has been represetative of their reputation (possibly read "hype).  This cultivar is on double secret probation at my house. I have had a large fruiting Emperor.....but it died loaded with fruit one year.......I assume at the hands of some root destroying pathogen based upon how the fruit and leaves never dropped as the tree died.

My additional taste/flavor comments are:  Kwai Mai Pink......excellent flavor but my trees lack vigor.  Ohia........excellent last year, better than I ever remembered previously.  Bengal......large fruit....equally large seed......good flavor, very prolific year in and year out.  Mauritius......was really excellent last year.......can fall from excellent to the very good category in some years, but if you like a bit of tart along with your sweet, this is one to consider.  Peerless....a probable Brewster seedling.....similar to Brewster....but more consistant crops.  Early Large Red...not sure of the heritage.  Tends to be similar to Mauritius....also a consistant bearer.  Hak Ip.......great lychee for those that like the strong, somewhat medicinal taste of lychee.  I do get that after taste referred to by Squam.  The size of the fruit, smallness of the seed and consistant production makes me over look this after taste. Kaimana is large fruited, generally small seeded with a very unique floral flavor.  Was a bit off this last year in taste and more so in production but usually is a consistant bearer at my house. With regard to Emperor.....when my tree was fruiting, it was doing so heavily and consistantly.  The taste of the fruit does tend to be somewhat more bland than other cultivars.  But, the sheer size of the fruit and its late season (consistantly the last lychees of the season at my house) makes this a must have.

Harry

[Mike T]

If I were to express my opinion using Australian names for cultivars (based on Cantonese pronunciation) and rank cultivars according to flesh yield. taste (especially rich or rose flavour) and generally how much I enjoy them,I would put fai zee sui and tai so (Mauritius) at the front of the pack. I find haak yip disappointing, bengal the worst of all due to scant flesh and kwai mai pink (Bosworth 3) of ordinary sugar and water flavour. I never tried a good indian lychee variety. Souey tung is pretty average. wai chee is ok.no mai chee (salathiel) is pretty good and sum yee hong (yook ho pow) is very good and very large.

[andrewq]

"Early Large Red...not sure of the heritage.  Tends to be similar to Mauritius....also a consistant bearer."

The above quote is saying a lot, IMO! I hope it's not a 'Mauritius' by another name. May I ask if you've noticed any differences between 'Early-Large-Red' and 'Mauritius?' Are their corresponding ripening seasons also the same or do they vary?

Is it the 'Early Big' lychee? appears to be a novel cultivar from Taiwan

https://fruits.edpsciences.org/articles/fruits/pdf/2015/05/fruits140110.pdf