Author Topic: Lychee Bloom S. Fla. 2016 (Read 18405 times)

Sleepdoc · « **on:** February 20, 2016, 11:33:59 AM »

My Sweetheart Lychee is going into full bloom. No activity from my Mauritius or Brewster.

Anyone else seeing lychee bloom ?

Jani · « **Reply #1 on:** February 20, 2016, 12:27:22 PM »

Yup, Mauritius is going into a completely full bloom....sweetheart is getting ready to shoot up something, just have to wait a bit to see what it is, but I suspect bloom and not flush...

I think I got pretty fortunate that my lychees have been completely dormant since september/October and didn't flush during the wet and warm December and January...and seems that the last couple cold snaps did the trick!

Cookie Monster · « **Reply #2 on:** February 20, 2016, 12:52:53 PM »

My mauritius is going into full bloom -- started off as a flush that turned to bloom. My sweetheart has scattered blooms started. With the cold Feb we've been having, it should be a good lychee year.

murahilin · « **Reply #3 on:** February 20, 2016, 12:57:52 PM »

Cool.

My Mauritius is starting to push but it's too early to tell if it's blooms.

bsbullie · « **Reply #4 on:** February 20, 2016, 02:16:44 PM »

Sweetheart = vegetative

gnappi · « **Reply #5 on:** February 20, 2016, 02:50:18 PM »

Quote from: bsbullie on February 20, 2016, 02:16:44 PM

Sweetheart = vegetative

Prognosticating? As it happens you're probably accurate. I'm buying a new meat smoker, I wonder if lychee wood is any good for smoking?

Cookie Monster · « **Reply #6 on:** February 20, 2016, 03:27:12 PM »

Are you sure? Blooms can start out as vegetative and turn to bloom. Any pictures?

Quote from: bsbullie on February 20, 2016, 02:16:44 PM

Sweetheart = vegetative

mangokothiyan · « **Reply #7 on:** February 20, 2016, 03:34:51 PM »

Both Mauritius and Sweetheart are starting to push in my yard too. Hoping it will be flowers and not growth. I know it is odd timing, but my Mauritius bloomed for the first time, partially, in June/July last year.

gnappi · « **Reply #8 on:** February 20, 2016, 03:39:54 PM »

My sweetheart has lots of growth but can't tell yet what it is but I'm holding out little hope. I trimmed off all the greenery on this one to get a clear pic

Cookie Monster · « **Reply #9 on:** February 20, 2016, 04:46:56 PM »

Keep your eye on the leaf axils. That's where your blooms will come from. It looks like there some growing occurring at the axils. Keep your eye on those. There's another cold burst coming in a few days that could help.

gnappi · « **Reply #10 on:** February 20, 2016, 05:04:37 PM »

Quote from: Cookie Monster on February 20, 2016, 04:46:56 PM

Keep your eye on the leaf axils. That's where your blooms will come from. It looks like there some growing occurring at the axils. Keep your eye on those. There's another cold burst coming in a few days that could help.

Well if it does in fact bloom, it will be safe from the fire pit or the smoker. I wouldn't be sure if my cold night "Ice treatments" where I dropped 20 pounds of ice around the roots or Robs advice to not trim it last year (or both) that got it going. Till then I have few hopes.

cbss_daviefl · « **Reply #11 on:** February 20, 2016, 05:36:37 PM »

Awesome!

Many of my small trees have vegetative with flowers growing out of the leaf axils (kaimana, sweet heart, mauritius).

Olan is the only tree that has a single full bloom but the tree is stunted and still under 3ft tall and last year all the fruit aborted.

bsbullie · « **Reply #12 on:** February 20, 2016, 06:06:06 PM »

Quote from: Cookie Monster on February 20, 2016, 03:27:12 PM

Are you sure? Blooms can start out as vegetative and turn to bloom. Any pictures?

Quote from: bsbullie on February 20, 2016, 02:16:44 PM
Sweetheart = vegetative

What I was s a ying is that mine just went through a full vegetative flush in January. No chance for flowers.

Sleepdoc · « **Reply #13 on:** February 20, 2016, 08:20:09 PM »

This is the first time my Sweetheart Lychee has flowered like this. In previous seasons, it has only produced a few panicles , setting sparse crops. Far underperforming my much younger Brewster, and quite disappointing overall.

I have lost track how long it has been in ground, but I would guess 7 - 9 years. Maybe a combination of age and weather contributing to the current bloom. Whatever the reason, I have to say I am quite pleased with the current bloom

.

bsbullie · « **Reply #14 on:** February 20, 2016, 08:23:18 PM »

Quote from: Sleepdoc on February 20, 2016, 08:20:09 PM

This is the first time my Sweetheart Lychee has flowered like this. In previous seasons, it has only produced a few panicles , setting sparse crops. Far underperforming my much younger Brewster, and quite disappointing overall.

I have lost track how long it has been in ground, but I would guess 7 - 9 years. Maybe a combination of age and weather contributing to the current bloom. Whatever the reason, I have to say I am quite pleased with the current bloom .

The grower I know in Loxahatchee swears by the "10 year rule" for Sweetheart and Hak Ip to go into production.

Cookie Monster · « **Reply #15 on:** February 20, 2016, 09:16:25 PM »

OK. That sounds logical. Mine has been in ground for roughly 5, maybe 6 years. It does look like it could be a sparse bloom though. The big one at fruit and spice park seemed to set giant crops pretty regularly. I can wait for another 4 years. I've already given my mauritius 9.

Quote from: bsbullie on February 20, 2016, 08:23:18 PM

The grower I know in Loxahatchee swears by the "10 year rule" for Sweetheart and Hak Ip to go into production.

Jani · « **Reply #16 on:** February 21, 2016, 07:28:10 AM »

My sweetheart produced in its 4th year (got it as a 3 gallon) which was last year, and is going into a much much fuller bloom than last year...

HMHausman · « **Reply #17 on:** February 21, 2016, 07:57:27 AM »

I was pleasantly surprised to find bloom on at least one of my lychee trees yesterday. It was on one of the trees that we call Hak Ip (see prior discussions/threads regarding probable improper ID of this variety). Inflorescences contain leaves. This is not unsual because of the ambivalent weather conditions we have had here in South Florida for a winter/dry season that has been anything but either of those thus far this year.

New growth/possible bloom, but too early to ID is showing on Mauritius.

puglvr1 · « **Reply #18 on:** February 21, 2016, 10:43:18 AM »

Though I'm not in S. Fl ...

My Mauritius is blooming (4th time since I planted it) ...had 2 early morning frost this month. Fingers crossed it didn't do any harm to the blooms.

Just so happens today I planted it 5 years ago

...It has bloomed every year except the first year I planted it due to me pruning it the wrong time of the year.

Jani · « **Reply #19 on:** February 21, 2016, 12:28:21 PM »

Can someone please remind me, generally, what to do with watering once a tree has bloomed?

Sleepdoc · « **Reply #20 on:** February 21, 2016, 04:42:26 PM »

Quote from: Jani on February 21, 2016, 12:28:21 PM

Can someone please remind me, generally, what to do with watering once a tree has bloomed?

According to UF

"Young trees should be irrigated regularly to facilitate tree establishment and growth. Once trees begin to bear (3 to 4 years after planting), trees should be irrigated regularly from flowering through harvest. Research from other regions has suggested that mild drought stress during the fall (September or October) and early winter enhances flowering in late winter or early spring"

Jsvand5 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 21, 2016, 07:09:31 PM »

No blooms for me yet but no vegetative growth either. Hopefully when they decide to push it will be blooms. My trees actually made it up here in ocala unprotected this year. Didn't even get any significant leaf burn. Looking at the extended forcast it seems like the freezes may be done unless we get unlucky in March.

PurpleAlligator · « **Reply #22 on:** February 22, 2016, 10:28:42 AM »

I have 4 of 6 trees flowering. I'm pretty sure they are Mauritius. They were already mature when I moved here and are likely 15+ years old. Last year I had problems with fruit splitting and the birds getting them. I'll make sure to water them a lot while fruiting and putting up some silver strips to keep birds away.

LarryG · « **Reply #23 on:** February 22, 2016, 08:33:54 PM »

My Hak IP/Sweetheart, Sweet Cliff, and Kwai Mai Pink are still in dormancy so I'm still hopeful. I was surprised last week to see my 20 year old Mauritius in bloom (see photo), since this tree only blooms every 3 or 4 years, whereas my Hak Ip/Sweetheart trees (two of each) have had fair to good bloom for each of the past 10 seasons.

puglvr1 · « **Reply #24 on:** February 25, 2016, 09:42:16 AM »

As far as watering a 5 year old blooming lychee tree goes...does once a week watering with a hose for 30 minutes sound good? Too much too little?

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Author Topic: Lychee Bloom S. Fla. 2016 (Read 18405 times)