The Tropical Fruit Forum

Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: buddyguygreen on March 13, 2014, 06:21:37 PM

Title: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: buddyguygreen on March 13, 2014, 06:21:37 PM
I have many Longan trees growing but they get pretty big, Just wondering if i can keep it at about 7-10 feet tall and trimmed like a christmas tree in a way about 6 feet wide without any problems. Any experience.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: fyliu on March 13, 2014, 09:16:27 PM
I don't think you can. Mine grows 4 ft a year and I keep cutting it back. I don't want to cut off too many branches that will give fruits the following year.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: kh0110 on March 13, 2014, 10:27:43 PM
What if you girdle the main branches? I have put this on my to-do list for my 4 ft. longan tree. We'll see!
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: buddyguygreen on March 14, 2014, 12:44:36 AM
It would be difficult to keep small because you would always have to trim it, sounds like an experiment to me. Ill let everyone know how it works out. The space is just very limited here and I figure some fruit is better than none. I figure if people have them in greenhouses than there is a possibility  ;D
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: thao on March 14, 2014, 11:31:17 AM
Maybe you could? This one seems kept about the height you describe, but looks more than 6' wide though? Cây nhản lùn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRelvPXR1QM#ws)
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: nullzero on March 14, 2014, 11:43:06 AM
I am trying something like this. I have the plant pugged back to 1 1/2 ft tall with about a 1 1/2 inch diameter trunk. Its a kohala longan, will update you guys how it turns out. I don't really want the tree taller then 7ft. Going to keep cutting back and see how it turns out. Next cut back is probably end of the year or early next year.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: TnTrobbie on March 14, 2014, 11:50:01 AM
Wow...that is awesome....and tempting.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: simon_grow on March 14, 2014, 12:38:37 PM
I was searching for that video but couldn't find it. You can keep it small but you have to start training it early. If you have a vigorous variety like Kohala, you may want to cut the main trunk back to about 18 inches in order to stimulate very low scaffold branches. When these lower scaffold branches start growing, you want to tip them to form low secondary branches but make sure you tip to an outward facing node.

Some varieties, most varieties, will not grow as vigorously as Kohala. You may want to start with a variety that can be kept smaller easier like Sri Chompoo or Biew Kiew.
Simon
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: buddyguygreen on March 15, 2014, 12:38:39 AM
That has to be the coolest looking longan tree, Im going to try and replicate that exactly. I have a bunch of longan seedlings from longans at the asian market so im not quite sure what variety they are but i'll give it a try. I wonder if i keep it in a 5 or 10 gallon pot and train it in that to keep the roots dwarfed for a couple years then plant it in the ground if that would work. I have many seedlings so i'll try a few different ways to master it ;D. Good tips tho, I'll try a little bit of everything. Thank you
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: fruitlovers on March 15, 2014, 05:33:58 AM
I was searching for that video but couldn't find it. You can keep it small but you have to start training it early. If you have a vigorous variety like Kohala, you may want to cut the main trunk back to about 18 inches in order to stimulate very low scaffold branches. When these lower scaffold branches start growing, you want to tip them to form low secondary branches but make sure you tip to an outward facing node.

Some varieties, most varieties, will not grow as vigorously as Kohala. You may want to start with a variety that can be kept smaller easier like Sri Chompoo or Biew Kiew.
Simon

Yes, it all depends on what variety of longan you are talking about? Kohala gets giant, Diamond River stays very small the others are in between in size. With DR it would be very easy, Kohala very difficult, most others medium difficulty. It all depends also on how often you are willing to prune them (work) to keep them in check?
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: TnTrobbie on March 15, 2014, 03:19:20 PM
Oscar, from your experience, which of the two is more productive? Thanks.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: buddyguygreen on March 15, 2014, 10:34:58 PM
Ive been looking it up and i believe i have the kohala variety, so even tho it may be harder to dwarf Im still willing to try it out with a couple of the seedlings but will definitely look into getting the diamond river variety. Oscar have you tried the diamond river variety and if so is it as good as the kohala, also in your opinion which is the best flavored longan as in sweetest of all variety.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: fruitlovers on March 16, 2014, 02:54:43 AM
Oscar, from your experience, which of the two is more productive? Thanks.

You referring to DR and Kohala? DR fruits a lot faster and is much heavier bearing.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: fruitlovers on March 16, 2014, 02:58:43 AM
Ive been looking it up and i believe i have the kohala variety, so even tho it may be harder to dwarf Im still willing to try it out with a couple of the seedlings but will definitely look into getting the diamond river variety. Oscar have you tried the diamond river variety and if so is it as good as the kohala, also in your opinion which is the best flavored longan as in sweetest of all variety.

DR is not as good as Kohala, but Kohala is a very ERRATIC bearing. Here you are lucky to get it to fruit 1 out of 10 years. Really worthless in my opinion. It needs a lot more cold than we get here. I've heard also in Florida it is not a consistent bearer, maybe 1 out of 3 or 4 years? DR is a very consistent bearer in tropics. Will fruit every single year, often has 2 crops in one year. The preferred commercial variety here is Biew Kiew.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: gunnar429 on December 06, 2015, 01:58:00 AM
any updates from those of you aggressively pruning your longans?
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: Bhkkatemoya on December 06, 2015, 03:34:47 AM
I believe you can.  Check out this Kool tree.

http://youtu.be/gRelvPXR1QM (http://youtu.be/gRelvPXR1QM)
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: Mike T on December 06, 2015, 04:13:12 AM
I am at the warmest fringe where longans can still fruit as they are basically sub tropical. The trees get huge but can be controlled and partly dwarfed by heavy pruning that is more than a haircut.It needs to be structural.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: TropicalFruitHunters on December 06, 2015, 10:57:42 AM
Been growing my Kohala in a container since 2004.  Normally get a good crop from it if I don't screw up the watering.  Mine is an air layer, which I'm sure most probably are.  This was a mail ordered tree so I didn't get to pick it.  It arrived as a very tall tree with some foliage at the very tip.  No matter how hard I pruned it, I could never get any branches to flush below the initial "Y" of the trunk.  Currently in a 45 gallon container.  Wife likes the fruit but is only okay for me.  Takes up a lot of room in the greenhouse.  Attracts scale like no other tree in the GH.  Still debating whether I want to keep it or not.  If planted into the ground, I believe it could be kept manageable for quite sometime.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: druss on December 07, 2015, 05:01:25 AM
Daleys list a dwarf longan, not sure of their definition of dwarf, but apparently its noticably  smaller than normal.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: gunnar429 on December 07, 2015, 12:38:33 PM
Daleys list a dwarf longan, not sure of their definition of dwarf, but apparently its noticably  smaller than normal.
Yeah, I saw that the other day.  Don't think it is available here, stateside.
Title: Re: Can you dwarf a longan tree
Post by: Vernmented on December 07, 2015, 01:19:54 PM
My friend was at Maurice Kong's place and told me about his cambodian dwarf longan. I believe it was a seedling tree. He said it was 5' tall x 8' wide and about 10 years old. I am going to keep my biew kiew pruned back but it is still young so I can't give any first hand experience. I am planning on replacing one main scaffolding branch each year after harvest once it gets around the size I want since it fruits on new wood.