Lychee Bloom 2020

[Squam256]

Lucky. You guys actually get nighttime temps below 60F. We're lucky to get a couple dozen chill hours a year.

The ideal lychee growing area in FL keeps moving northward. At present, I think it's somewhere around the Jupiter area. I was told that 30+ years ago, Homestead had adequate chill hours.

Even 10 - 15 years ago, Broward lychees did reasonably well.

My sweetheart is in full bloom. Last it was loaded this tree has been in the ground 6 years.
Simon, Leo loss his Brewster And sweetheart in the front yard?? That Brewster was loaded every year.

I actually think the sweet spot for lychee is considerably north of that now (or at least further inland).

Also wouldn’t be surprised if back yard mangos start to become more common in areas like St. Augustine. If it’s not freezing regularly there’s no reason for them not to.

Our high was 90F today. Lol.

[strkpr00]

My 14+ year old mauritius gives me 20 to 40 lychees per year.

The 10 or so year old sweetheart has been a better bloomer (prolly 20% bloom each year), but fruit set and retention is terrible. I've been told that even the slightest drought stress will cause them to abort fruits and / or fail to set. And fruit set happens during the driest part of the year usually.

I'd tear them out, but I like the shade.

Our Mauritius flushed growth. Yawn.

I was told lychees have a lazy root system and to put a sprinkler under the tree and water heavily once a week. This is my first year doing just that. it was also suggested to cut nitrogen as good producers had low nitrogen in the leaves.
A neighbor said fruit trees up North that are poor producers are beat with a chain to an inch of its life, so I did that this year and girdled 30% of the branches after the trunk showed signs of healing, over half of this 15 year old Mauritius tree is flowering.
I did this because only after a hurricane did it produce like it should.

[Cookie Monster]

Tough love

My 14+ year old mauritius gives me 20 to 40 lychees per year.

The 10 or so year old sweetheart has been a better bloomer (prolly 20% bloom each year), but fruit set and retention is terrible. I've been told that even the slightest drought stress will cause them to abort fruits and / or fail to set. And fruit set happens during the driest part of the year usually.

I'd tear them out, but I like the shade.

Our Mauritius flushed growth. Yawn.

I was told lychees have a lazy root system and to put a sprinkler under the tree and water heavily once a week. This is my first year doing just that. it was also suggested to cut nitrogen as good producers had low nitrogen in the leaves.
A neighbor said fruit trees up North that are poor producers are beat with a chain to an inch of its life, so I did that this year and girdled 30% of the branches after the trunk showed signs of healing, over half of this 15 year old Mauritius tree is flowering.
I did this because only after a hurricane did it produce like it should.

[Cookie Monster]

Yah, I was looking at chill hour maps last night, and I think you're right. That would be nuts if the mango line moved up to St Augustine!

I actually think the sweet spot for lychee is considerably north of that now (or at least further inland).

Also wouldn’t be surprised if back yard mangos start to become more common in areas like St. Augustine. If it’s not freezing regularly there’s no reason for them not to.

Our high was 90F today. Lol.

[JoeP450]

Think more people need to start planting lychees from seeds so we can someday gain new naturalized cultivars vs planting the same 10 air layered cultivars. Have a 5 year old seedling in ground and a new one started from last seasons crop, will keep the forum updated in 10 years how this works out 😂 🤷‍♂️

-joe

[JoeP450]

Two things to think about: the development of low chill peaches, and also flying fox’s “anomaly” Jabo which has shorter juvenile period and precocious flowering, has good genes that can be bred into into new hybrids, but this would have never been discovered without planting seeds.

Joe