Suitable Lychee for So Cal, Kaimana, Sweet Heart, Ha Kip, or Brewester?

[behlgarden]

there are spread out posts here but nothing that talks about all in one place.

I have had bad luck with Lychees with dieback. Trying to give another shot. Lots of folks are growing Kaimana, Sweet Heart, Ha Kip, or Brewster here in So Cal.

Want to know their opinion on these varieties, production, and quality of local grown here. It will help me decide it. Also Ha Kip and Sweet Heart I heard are same?

[andrewq]

don't forget Mauritius and emperor.

the growing conditions (wind, sun, soil, etc) may be more important than the cultivar you choose though.

[boxturtle]

the only one im not sure about is kaimana but all the others does pretty well.  I have friends in el monte and diamond bar which is in zone 9b and im in garden grove zone 10b.  I think secret is in buying at least a 15 gallon old saying go big or go home.

[simon_grow]

Kaimana is growing and fruiting ok in SoCal, Ongs nursery has a good sized one planted into the ground. Mauritius is the strongest grower here but it's my least favorite Lychee. Mauritius is also the variety that seems to grow well even when other varieties experience die back.

There may be some disease similar to Laurel Wilt disease that is killing off un established trees. Sweetheart is an excellent tasting variety with chicken tongue seeds but it tends to produce much less than both Mauritius and Brewster. I used to hate Brewster but after tasting Leo's Brewster with high percentages of chicken tongue seeds, I decided to plant one. Brewster is also a great cross pollinator for Sweetheart.

I am not sure if anyone has done the genetic testing on sweetheart and Hai Ip yet. Leo has both varieties and I'll report back on similarities if he gets fruit on both this year.

Simon

[behlgarden]

thanks all. Yes, I tasted Leo's brewsters, they were amazing. I planted one last year and it died. I have Ha Kip in ground and currently in bloom, plant is small and had dieback early on, now seems stable.

[simon_grow]

I just found this: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=17117.msg216973#msg216973

The sample size was small in 2015 so I need a larger sampling:)

Simon

[boxturtle]

lol simon i too want to have a wider taste samples from a friends mature ha kip and my own sweetheart there was a huge difference in size and shape.  My sweetheart is still young tho.  But fruit was bigger and sweeter with no herbal taste.  His had that after taste like the store bough ha kip.... As a kid I never knew that there was different varities but always remember that sometimes I didn't like lychee and something they were super good.  As soon as I knew I liked Mauritius and disliked ha kip.  Now for me Sweetheart is my favorite just because the fruit is bigger and the seed smaller.  Taste wise the two is the same. 

[BestDay]

Die back on lychee in California?  I didn't know that was an issue. All I know is my Brewster is growi gong like a weed with a partial bloom this year.

Bill

[boxturtle]

Sweetheart is a no brainer beautiful tree big and tasty fruit with majority chicken tongue seed.  The hard part is finding a cross pollinator don't have too but it's known to help.  It took me awhile to pick a second lychee tree but it came down to two varieties Hak ip or Mauritius.  Fortunately I was able to taste both and liked Mauritius more.  Since you already have Hak ip  I say a sweetheart should do well.   I'm in 10B tho.  First year I babied it.  Watered it a ton...wind and frost protection and all

[Viking Guy]

Excalibur is adamant that Sweetheart and Hak Ip are exactly the same.

That said, the most precocious I have and healthy is the Mauritus.  I am very happy with this lychee.

[behlgarden]

thats good to know. My small Ha Kip is holding fruits. I would probably go with Brewester.

[gozp]

They have 10 plus feeet brewster at mimosa nursery.... of all varieties lychee trees i saw this is the biggest and nice branching... tho, i decided to go with sweetheart...

[andrewq]

They have 10 plus feeet brewster at mimosa nursery.... of all varieties lychee trees i saw this is the biggest and nice branching... tho, i decided to go with sweetheart...

Wow. What size container was it in? What was the price (curious)?

[gozp]

Originally $350, Mimosa Nursery have them on sale for $245 for the month of April 2017.

They were on a 20 gallon pot. These lychees have the tag of PIN Nursery from Florida.

The owner wanted to get rid of everything thats huge for make room for others.