How to get lychee to flush in Jan/Feb in So Cal?

[Meo]

My little lychee (unknown variety) is about 2.5 ft tall and 2.5 ft wide, has been in the ground for over 1 year.  It has been flushing every 2-3 months all year long, and right now it's flushing really nicely.  Is there anything i can do to help it flush about end of Jan, when it's probably coldest in SoCal (avg around 60F in day time) ?  Otherwise, i wont get any flower.  I guess that's ok too sine its a young tree and it needs to grow.

Thanks

[boxturtle]

let it do it's thing the tree is still too young to fruit my tree is 6 x 6 and been in ground for 2 years now. i made the mistake of letting it fruit after the 1st year and lost 2 flushes for that year.  I got a total of  12 or so fruits. So it's not worth it letting it fruit early.   i wont let it fruit this upcoming year either.  when your tree gets big enough you need to figure what variety it is to know when the fruit usually ripen and prune the tree at that time.  People calling it resetting the clock for your tree.  Also withhold nitrogen end of summer/ early fall depending on the variety.   We are about a month or two behind florida. 

[fyliu]

Yes, be careful about fertilizing and watering right now. You want to have a good flush of new growth after the harvesting time. But it should stop growing and enter a state of dormancy after that. Withhold fertilizer and water after that. If it rains, cover the ground with plastic sheets. If new leaves grow out, pinch them off. Keep pinching until the growth become flower buds. Leaf growth is pale green, flower growth is darker stubbier.

[boxturtle]

http://www.lycheesonline.com/HowToGetTreeToFruit.cfm

[Meo]

Thanks guys!!!hope this crazy heat won't kill my young leaves ;(

[Guayaba]

In the past I had similar problems getting small lychees to flush growth at proper times. This year is the first time I have had my Mauritius lychee put on a fourth flush in one year, it usually finishes growing in October and stops growing until mid to late winter. I think now that it has decided to be a tree instead of a shrub, it will follow a proper schedule. I stop fertilizing in September and don’t start again until late January. This first flush of new growth (either stems or flowers) occurs at the proper time of year in late winter, if I follow this schedule. I am not sure if it is due to its young age, but my Sweetheart only puts out three growth flushes and is difficult to keep on schedule like the older Mauritius. I think in time the Sweetheart will mature and follow the proper schedule.

Mauritius Lychee starting to become a small tree




Sweetheart Lychee

[spaugh]

Beautiful trees

[Guayaba]

Beautiful trees

Thanks! Maybe in a year or two they will look as good as your cados.

[fyliu]

I think you have to do somethings to make it work. In SoCal, we have our wet season in the winter and dry season in the summer. It's the opposite of southern China, where lychees are from. They have relatively dry fall and winter when the plants naturally go dormant.

[hellosf]

In the past I had similar problems getting small lychees to flush growth at proper times. This year is the first time I have had my Mauritius lychee put on a fourth flush in one year, it usually finishes growing in October and stops growing until mid to late winter. I think now that it has decided to be a tree instead of a shrub, it will follow a proper schedule. I stop fertilizing in September and don’t start again until late January. This first flush of new growth (either stems or flowers) occurs at the proper time of year in late winter, if I follow this schedule. I am not sure if it is due to its young age, but my Sweetheart only puts out three growth flushes and is difficult to keep on schedule like the older Mauritius. I think in time the Sweetheart will mature and follow the proper schedule.

Mauritius Lychee starting to become a small tree




Sweetheart Lychee

Bob - How old are your trees, they look great!

[boxturtle]

wow super nice! big green leaves with no brown tips!  what's your secrete?

[Guayaba]

In the past I had similar problems getting small lychees to flush growth at proper times. This year is the first time I have had my Mauritius lychee put on a fourth flush in one year, it usually finishes growing in October and stops growing until mid to late winter. I think now that it has decided to be a tree instead of a shrub, it will follow a proper schedule. I stop fertilizing in September and don’t start again until late January. This first flush of new growth (either stems or flowers) occurs at the proper time of year in late winter, if I follow this schedule. I am not sure if it is due to its young age, but my Sweetheart only puts out three growth flushes and is difficult to keep on schedule like the older Mauritius. I think in time the Sweetheart will mature and follow the proper schedule.

Mauritius Lychee starting to become a small tree




Sweetheart Lychee

Bob - How old are your trees, they look great!

Thanks for the complement! The Mauritius is about 3 years old planted as a small 15 gallon, and the Sweetheart is about 2 years old and planted from a three gallon.

[Guayaba]

wow super nice! big green leaves with no brown tips!  what's your secrete?

Part of the success may be due to the trees being planted in raised planters. I also mulch them three times a year and keep up a good fertilizing and water schedule. They have really grown well this year with the Mauritius putting on about 30 inches of new growth.

Here are some photos of the raised planter that is open to the ground in the bottom.

[andrewq]

let it do it's thing the tree is still too young to fruit my tree is 6 x 6 and been in ground for 2 years now. i made the mistake of letting it fruit after the 1st year and lost 2 flushes for that year.  I got a total of  12 or so fruits. So it's not worth it letting it fruit early.   i wont let it fruit this upcoming year either.  when your tree gets big enough you need to figure what variety it is to know when the fruit usually ripen and prune the tree at that time.  People calling it resetting the clock for your tree.  Also withhold nitrogen end of summer/ early fall depending on the variety.   We are about a month or two behind florida.

on young trees blooming, do you prune as soon as you see the panicle or wait for something else until you prune? do you tip prune only the panicle of also further back?

i tried pruning after seening the flowers this year and feel like the tree waited forever to put out a vegetative growth

[boxturtle]

what fertilizer do you use and what's your schedule?

wow super nice! big green leaves with no brown tips!  what's your secrete?

Part of the success may be due to the trees being planted in raised planters. I also mulch them three times a year and keep up a good fertilizing and water schedule. They have really grown well this year with the Mauritius putting on about 30 inches of new growth.

Here are some photos of the raised planter that is open to the ground in the bottom.

[boxturtle]

I usually wait until fruit is pea size to prune or when weather warms up whatever comes first and usually 2 sets of leaves back

let it do it's thing the tree is still too young to fruit my tree is 6 x 6 and been in ground for 2 years now. i made the mistake of letting it fruit after the 1st year and lost 2 flushes for that year.  I got a total of  12 or so fruits. So it's not worth it letting it fruit early.   i wont let it fruit this upcoming year either.  when your tree gets big enough you need to figure what variety it is to know when the fruit usually ripen and prune the tree at that time.  People calling it resetting the clock for your tree.  Also withhold nitrogen end of summer/ early fall depending on the variety.   We are about a month or two behind florida.

on young trees blooming, do you prune as soon as you see the panicle or wait for something else until you prune? do you tip prune only the panicle of also further back?

i tried pruning after seening the flowers this year and feel like the tree waited forever to put out a vegetative growth

[Guayaba]

what fertilizer do you use and what's your schedule?

wow super nice! big green leaves with no brown tips!  what's your secrete?

Part of the success may be due to the trees being planted in raised planters. I also mulch them three times a year and keep up a good fertilizing and water schedule. They have really grown well this year with the Mauritius putting on about 30 inches of new growth.

Here are some photos of the raised planter that is open to the ground in the bottom.

I have been using Dr. Earth for fruit trees over the last year for fertilizer and I have been placing fresh worm castings on a couple of times per year. I  also mulch them with my own compost as least one time per year, or when I have enough I am not using on other trees. I typically fertilize in late January and then every two to three months with a final application in late September or early October.

[boxturtle]

Bob,

this one? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SU1CE8/ref=asc_df_B002SU1CE85246462/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B002SU1CE8&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193150648923&hvpos=1o6&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10124885133729876760&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031590&hvtargid=pla-362798853327

[Guayaba]

Bob,

this one? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SU1CE8/ref=asc_df_B002SU1CE85246462/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B002SU1CE8&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193150648923&hvpos=1o6&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10124885133729876760&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031590&hvtargid=pla-362798853327

Yes, that is the fertilizer I used this year other than the Dr. Earth "Flower Girl" 3-9-4. I am not sure the bloom fertilizer worked when I used it in January because I only had a couple of panicles.

[boxturtle]

awesome thanks Bob!