Author Topic: Longan trees too close, what's next?  (Read 2332 times)

kc_moses

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Longan trees too close, what's next?
« on: September 20, 2018, 07:27:19 PM »
So, I have two Longan trees that's too close to each other, the left one is Biew Kiew and the right one is Kohala:


They are about 1.5ft apart:


So let me explain how this happen:
Early 2017 I planted the Kohala (right) and it was the only Longan tree I grew. Then when Hurricane Irma came, I dug it out and move into my garage. After the hurricane, I put it back into the ground. I didn't know Longan doesn't like to be moved so it never recover well, and at some point it only had 3 leaves on the tree, and the trunk were dry and brittle. I thought it's not going to make it.

Fast forward to early 2018, the Kohala still didn't recover. I was at the nursery and saw the Biew Kiew. I think Biew Kiew taste better? Anyway, I bought the Biew Kiew, put it into the ground next to the Kohala thinking that the Kohala will die in the summer so didn't bother to dig it out. As of right now, they both grew really well and the Kohala bounce back become more flush than the Biew Kiew.

My question is, if I leave them the way it is, would it be okay? For how long before the trunk of each tree will hit each other? If I really really really have to scarify one tree, which one do I keep? I don't have any more space in my yard for the extra longan tree.

DSotM

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2018, 08:31:19 PM »
I’ve seen avocado and mango thrive in the same planting hole. Both reaching 30 ft+. I think as long as the proper care is taken to make sure they’re getting the water and food they need they’ll be fine. I may very well be wrong, though.

Finca La Isla

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2018, 09:17:10 PM »
Maybe it will be ok.  Perhaps you could prune and shape as if they were one tree, see what happens.
Peter

achetadomestica

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2018, 11:35:27 PM »
I am probably the wrong person to answer this because I like longans so much.
I would dig one up and put it in a separate place. Longans get huge and they need some space.
I would think if you dig a large rootball either tree should be fine but you could put the one you
dig up in a 7 gallon pot in the shade for a couple months.  A good longan will produce
allot of fruit and one tree could produce more then enough fruit. I had two kohalas produce heavy this
year and I was able to cut off clusters and give them to people and still had more then I could eat.I prefer
kohala over Biew Kiew. But I have a Biew Kiew also. They are suppose to fruit at different times but the
Biew Kiew is still small. Everyone I gave the kohalas really liked them. I have 5 trees and just airlyered an
unidentified tree so now I have 6 trees I may be the wrong person to give my opinion.

spaugh

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2018, 12:02:07 AM »
Since you already dug it up once, may as well do it again.  It should probably have 15ft+ spacing.
Brad Spaugh

knlim000

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2018, 01:14:09 AM »
If it was me, I would just leave it. do not disturb the roots.

kc_moses

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2018, 10:30:36 AM »
I am probably the wrong person to answer this because I like longans so much.
I would dig one up and put it in a separate place. Longans get huge and they need some space.
I would think if you dig a large rootball either tree should be fine but you could put the one you
dig up in a 7 gallon pot in the shade for a couple months.  A good longan will produce
allot of fruit and one tree could produce more then enough fruit. I had two kohalas produce heavy this
year and I was able to cut off clusters and give them to people and still had more then I could eat.I prefer
kohala over Biew Kiew. But I have a Biew Kiew also. They are suppose to fruit at different times but the
Biew Kiew is still small. Everyone I gave the kohalas really liked them. I have 5 trees and just airlyered an
unidentified tree so now I have 6 trees I may be the wrong person to give my opinion.

I'm too afraid to dig them out as it will stress the tree just like when Irma came last year. Besides, I don't have any place else in the garden to put the extra tree as you said they grow big. This spot in my hard would allow tree to get to 20ft and that's what I plan to maintain the tree height at.

Since you have both Biew Kiew and Kohalas, how reliable and productive is the Biew Kiew?

kc_moses

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #7 on: September 21, 2018, 10:36:17 AM »
I slept over the decision. I think I'm going to keep both trees where they are, but I need to prune them so that the lateral branch do not run into each other in the middle. When they get to 10ft tall, if it's not manageable to keep both trees, then I will kill the one that doesn't taste good enough or not producing enough. The plus side is, if they get big and when there is a strong hurricane coming, I can tie both trees together so they's hugging each other, probably better chance to survive?

These are less than 2 years old tree, should I expect them to get fruit in another 2 years or longer? I believe these are from seedling, not air layer.

achetadomestica

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2018, 11:00:21 AM »
The Biew  Kiew I have eaten the seed was large and the kohala has much more flesh. My Biew Kiew
is a couple years old and only had a couple clusters with a few fruit. I found a tree this year in an abandoned
house on a river. It was loaded with huge fruit. I talked to the neighbor and he said the owner came by once a
week to mow and it took a month to finally talk to him. He thought it was a lychee and didn't know what type it is.
It had the biggest sweetest fruit I have ever eaten and he never waters or fertilizes it. He said every year it has fruit.
He also let me airlayer it and I think I was successful. My brother had a seedling and it never fruited over 10 years but
I have heard of people getting seedlings to fruit in 5? My longans did fine throughtout Irma and a 25' oak went down.
Allot of my trees were affected but not my longans? You never know where the little tornados are going to hit?

kc_moses

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #9 on: September 21, 2018, 12:02:27 PM »
Thanks! I'm going to lower my expectation, let's hope my longan will fruit in 8 years.

Orkine

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #10 on: September 23, 2018, 08:20:45 AM »
I have a pair grown about that close together.  Lychee not Longan.
I believe at the time I had read somewhere that you could plant two trees n the same hole to get more out of your yard.  In hindsight I would have preferred to have separated them but both are grown and both set fruit.
You will have to prune and manage the trees especially is one is more vigorous than the other.

snowjunky

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Re: Longan trees too close, what's next?
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2020, 08:47:29 PM »
Longan and Lychee and probably many other fruit trees would produce bigger and sweeter fruit if grown close to a river.