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Hi, I'm hoping to pick my first longans in the coming weeks. Kohalas are almost ready, the others (Biew Kiew, Choopo and Haew) seem to be several weeks behind the kohalas. I'm quite happy to have them both. While lychees are tastier, more meaty and with a sharper flavor, in my location, longans mature later than lychees, so they are not directly competing. Moreover, longans are far easier to grow than lychees. I find lychees very temperamental trees.
Quote from: siafu on September 22, 2012, 07:21:04 PM Hi, I'm hoping to pick my first longans in the coming weeks. Kohalas are almost ready, the others (Biew Kiew, Choopo and Haew) seem to be several weeks behind the kohalas. I'm quite happy to have them both. While lychees are tastier, more meaty and with a sharper flavor, in my location, longans mature later than lychees, so they are not directly competing. Moreover, longans are far easier to grow than lychees. I find lychees very temperamental trees.Longans aren't easier to grow than lychees, they are just easier to get them to fruit. I think longan is a more widely adapted plant. Lychees more fussy about exact climate to stimulate flowering. Also with longan there is the magic bullet: potassium chlorate. It's possible though that some day similar solution will be found for the lychee.
Longans aren't easier to grow than lychees, they are just easier to get them to fruit. I think longan is a more widely adapted plant. Lychees more fussy about exact climate to stimulate flowering. Also with longan there is the magic bullet: potassium chlorate. It's possible though that some day similar solution will be found for the lychee.
Quote from: fruitlovers on September 23, 2012, 01:54:01 AMLongans aren't easier to grow than lychees, they are just easier to get them to fruit. I think longan is a more widely adapted plant. Lychees more fussy about exact climate to stimulate flowering. Also with longan there is the magic bullet: potassium chlorate. It's possible though that some day similar solution will be found for the lychee.fruiloversWould you please share the trick how to get longan fruit my relatives have longan trees, but most of them get very little fruit or nonesometimes they have flowers, but won't produce fruit. Or they will become fruits but will fall at the very early stageThank you so muchJF----Thank you for sharing. Your fruit trees are always very impressive.
Quote from: fruitlovers on September 23, 2012, 01:54:01 AMQuote from: siafu on September 22, 2012, 07:21:04 PM Hi, I'm hoping to pick my first longans in the coming weeks. Kohalas are almost ready, the others (Biew Kiew, Choopo and Haew) seem to be several weeks behind the kohalas. I'm quite happy to have them both. While lychees are tastier, more meaty and with a sharper flavor, in my location, longans mature later than lychees, so they are not directly competing. Moreover, longans are far easier to grow than lychees. I find lychees very temperamental trees.Longans aren't easier to grow than lychees, they are just easier to get them to fruit. I think longan is a more widely adapted plant. Lychees more fussy about exact climate to stimulate flowering. Also with longan there is the magic bullet: potassium chlorate. It's possible though that some day similar solution will be found for the lychee.Isn't a more adaptable plant the very definition of a easier plant to grow?For me, Longans are easier because they much more vigorous than lychees; more tolerant of wind conditions; and, they seem to hold fruit easier than lychees. Lychees can bloom heavily and in the end produce just an handful of fruits or none.
Quote from: VyVy on September 23, 2012, 11:05:05 AMQuote from: fruitlovers on September 23, 2012, 01:54:01 AMLongans aren't easier to grow than lychees, they are just easier to get them to fruit. I think longan is a more widely adapted plant. Lychees more fussy about exact climate to stimulate flowering. Also with longan there is the magic bullet: potassium chlorate. It's possible though that some day similar solution will be found for the lychee.fruiloversWould you please share the trick how to get longan fruit my relatives have longan trees, but most of them get very little fruit or nonesometimes they have flowers, but won't produce fruit. Or they will become fruits but will fall at the very early stageThank you so muchJF----Thank you for sharing. Your fruit trees are always very impressive.I am not Oscar but I believe if you read his second after the sentence you bolded that is what he is referring to. Here in Florida it is the same...Lychees not only naturally tend not to provide a "true" full crop every year consistently but they are also very fussy in producing with respect to the weather condition during the blooming/setting season. Longans on the other hand do not seem to have the particular requirements and they tend to set fruit not only every year but they more adaptive in that they will bloom and set fruit regardless of the climate (they do not have the "strict" climate conditions that a lychee have).
Quote from: bsbullie on September 23, 2012, 11:25:59 AMQuote from: VyVy on September 23, 2012, 11:05:05 AMQuote from: fruitlovers on September 23, 2012, 01:54:01 AMLongans aren't easier to grow than lychees, they are just easier to get them to fruit. I think longan is a more widely adapted plant. Lychees more fussy about exact climate to stimulate flowering. Also with longan there is the magic bullet: potassium chlorate. It's possible though that some day similar solution will be found for the lychee.fruiloversWould you please share the trick how to get longan fruit my relatives have longan trees, but most of them get very little fruit or nonesometimes they have flowers, but won't produce fruit. Or they will become fruits but will fall at the very early stageThank you so muchJF----Thank you for sharing. Your fruit trees are always very impressive.I am not Oscar but I believe if you read his second after the sentence you bolded that is what he is referring to. Here in Florida it is the same...Lychees not only naturally tend not to provide a "true" full crop every year consistently but they are also very fussy in producing with respect to the weather condition during the blooming/setting season. Longans on the other hand do not seem to have the particular requirements and they tend to set fruit not only every year but they more adaptive in that they will bloom and set fruit regardless of the climate (they do not have the "strict" climate conditions that a lychee have).I don't think this is true at all Rob. Longans also have definite requirements in order to fruit consistently. It's a well known fact that Kohala is an irregular bearer. Here it hardly ever bears well, and i've heard that in Florida it also doesn't fruit well every year. So longans also have tropical and sub tropical types. That is one reason varieties like Diamond River are promoted in tropical areas, because they will fruit consistently there, whereas most longans being sub tropical types will not.
I have an on going debate with a close friend about the realtive desireability of longan vs. lychee. He prefers longan and says, "Most Chinese prefer longan over lychee." I have no evidence to refute this. He has done some travel in China, I have not. He acts like his preference for longan over lychee somehow is demonstrative of his superior palate. To which I politely say, "Hogwash!" I have posted about this previously asking for some input from some of our member who may be Chinese or have more extensive contact with the Chinese community. Every Chinese person I speak to says they like both and that it is difficult to pick one over the other. But I have not nearly questioned enough folk to constitute a statistical sample. I love a good longan, but it doesn't compare to a good lychee in my book. Could I hear from some Chinese please to settle this once and for all?
Quote from: HMHausman on September 22, 2012, 03:41:23 PMI have an on going debate with a close friend about the realtive desireability of longan vs. lychee. He prefers longan and says, "Most Chinese prefer longan over lychee." I have no evidence to refute this. He has done some travel in China, I have not. He acts like his preference for longan over lychee somehow is demonstrative of his superior palate. To which I politely say, "Hogwash!" I have posted about this previously asking for some input from some of our member who may be Chinese or have more extensive contact with the Chinese community. Every Chinese person I speak to says they like both and that it is difficult to pick one over the other. But I have not nearly questioned enough folk to constitute a statistical sample. I love a good longan, but it doesn't compare to a good lychee in my book. Could I hear from some Chinese please to settle this once and for all?Harry, if you want ammunition, point to all the work being done to produce super new cultivars of Lychee, as opposed to Longans. The Chinese wouldnt go to those lenghts for an inferior fruit.
Rob, yes you are right that longans are less finicky than lychees. BUT longans are still finicky never the less. If you don't have the right cultivar in the right place they may never or hardly ever fruit. Why do you think potassium chlorate is so widely used on longans? It's not because they are regular bearers! In some places without potassium chlorate you will hardly ever see a longan.
This year lychees were costing less than longan for a while. I would say for similar quality fruit the longan is more expensive here this year. They're 1.29/lb now but they're very unfresh. The $4 ones were similar quality to the $2.xx lycheeThis happened in china too where they converted lots of land to lychee and now it's not worth spraying or fertilizing.
Any way to determine the type of long an from the fruit once it is planted?