Author Topic: Lychee Flowering  (Read 2384 times)

TREESNMORE

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Lychee Flowering
« on: January 15, 2014, 08:49:48 PM »
Lychee are starting to flower in martin county. I was at a farm today that has all kinds of fruit trees I was getting some Jujube fruit for the seed for rootstock. I noticed that the lychees were in flower when I got home checked my trees and they are just starting to flower. How are the trees in Palm Beach and farther south doing. Its has been  wet and warm. Not good for Lychees
Mike

OrganicJim

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Re: Lychee Flowering
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2014, 09:22:42 PM »
My large, 15 gallon pot, is starting to bloom. The smaller one that bloomed last year is no where near ready to bloom yet.  I am noticing some small fruit on my Pickering Mango and it is still pushing out more blooms. Avacodo is just getting ready to bloom. Moved them all into my greenhouse for the next few days.

TREESNMORE

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Re: Lychee Flowering
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2014, 09:00:17 AM »
Sandford that is a little far north for lychees is there any in the ground in your location.
Mike

OrganicJim

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Re: Lychee Flowering
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2014, 10:13:56 AM »
Mike,

There are a number of people that have them in the ground and they are large trees. It is border line here but they will be fine as long as we do not get any of the freezes from the 1980s that killed the commercial citrus industry in Central Florida. There are a number of us that are close to lakes where we hold better temperatures than others.

Jim

SWRancher

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Re: Lychee Flowering
« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2014, 11:42:43 AM »
I remember reading somewhere that when Lychee was first introduced to Florida right after WWII, the main growing area was located outside Oviedo, Florida just south of Sanford.

puglvr1

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Re: Lychee Flowering
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2014, 12:22:29 PM »
I remember reading somewhere that when Lychee was first introduced to Florida right after WWII, the main growing area was located outside Oviedo, Florida just south of Sanford.

Good memory SWRancher!! Found the article you're probably referring to...
http://nichakorn04.blogspot.com/2013/01/lychee-is-most-renowned-of-group-of.html

This paragraph mentions Sanford and Oviedo and Lake Placid as well...

"At first it was believed that the lychee was not well suited to Florida because of the lack of winter dormancy, exposing successive flushes of tender new growth to the occasional periods of low temperature from December to March. The earliest plantings at Sanford and Oviedo were killed by severe freezes. A step forward came with the importation of young lychee trees from Fukien, China, by the Rev. W.M. Brewster between 1903 and 1906. This cultivar, the centuries-old 'Chen-Tze' or 'Royal Chen Purple', renamed 'Brewster' in Florida, from the northern limit of the lychee-growing area in China, withstands light frost and proved to be very successful in the Lake Placid area–the "Ridge" section of Central Florida."

Dangermouse01

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Re: Lychee Flowering
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2014, 12:25:13 PM »
In East coast central FL, my potted Hak Ip is putting out alot of buds right now, the Sweetheart is just starting to come into a flush of something.
Hopefully I dont' break off to many from the Hak Ip later today when I am putting the frost cloth over it for tonight's predicted low-mid 30's.

DM

sunworshiper

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Re: Lychee Flowering
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2014, 08:12:21 AM »
Cool article! I'm in Oviedo. I have an in ground tree that I protect in winter. It is 3 years old, so not yet clear exactly how much protection it needs. But it did survive the unusual cold a couple seasons ago with a shelter. I met an older gentleman at the Orlando tropical fruit club who has grown lychee in ground for many years. He said that his trees are oak sized, and their own canopy provides them shelter during cold. For the coldest winters that would kill even mature trees if unprotected,  he puts a propane heater under the tree and aims to protect 8 feet of trunk, because the tree will then recover and still reform as a nice specimen. He said the trees own canopy holds in the heat of the propane heater. 

jabotica

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Re: Lychee Flowering
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2014, 11:36:55 AM »
HI,Pug-good article,good history. I lost my 10 foot mauritius in jan 09 but in sebring north west of me on
the ridge there large lythees doing well. My son had lychees and longan in OVIEDO near Lukas nursury.
Many lychees on MERRITT iSLAND.Many factors are involed with lyshee growth.