The Tropical Fruit Forum
Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: bradflorida on April 09, 2017, 07:16:27 PM
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Curious if anyone has had lychee fruit set this season.
I have (4 years in ground) sweetheart, emperor, ohia, and kaimana trees.
Sweetheart flowered profusely but almost all of the pinhead-sized fruit has fallen off.
A Brewster lychee tree in town had very light fruit set and the fruits are maybe thumb sized.
I didn't follow any practices such as pruning new growth flushes from October through early December, or withholding irrigation beginning in September.
Anyone had luck this year?
Brad
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I have a 4 year Sweet Heart and Brewster. My Sweet Heart did the same as yours lots of pea sized fruit. But about 90% of them have fallen off. This is the first time that it has flowered. My Brewster has lots of flowers. No fruit set yet. I have a 4 year Mauritius that produced fruit for the first time last year but nothing so far this year.
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Photos wub be nice
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Hak ip is holding. Some flowers on Ohia
Doesn't look like a great lychee year though looking around here
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chilling and water redirection are synergistic for lychee fruiting. there was a group that looked at the importance of combining he two and what order to do it, its a scholarly article, can't recall all the details though.
it seemed like Florida didn't get enough chill. how was California this year?
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I have a total of 1 branch on 3 trees flowering now with no signs of future flowering.
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My sweetheart's flowers opened up about a week ago. It's strange how panicles showed up almost two months earlier then last year but matured later this year. By this time last year I already had baby lychees.
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chilling and water redirection are synergistic for lychee fruiting. there was a group that looked at the importance of combining he two and what order to do it, its a scholarly article, can't recall all the details though.
it seemed like Florida didn't get enough chill. how was California this year?
My Mauritius had a few flower panicles, but all the flowers dropped about a week ago. If water reduction is key to good flowering, then the extra rainfall we had in January and February would not have helped. We did get a good chill, about 160 hours and my Santa Rosa plum loved it and has set fruits all over. I think my lychees are too young to flower well, the Mauritius has only been in the ground for two years from a 15 gallon, and the sweetheart and Emperor were planted from 3 gallons about the same time. The trees are now growing vigorously, so I have to hope for next year.
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Girdling a tree can help with fruit retention and applications of specific fertilizers at specific stages of growth of the fruit have also shown to help with fruit retention. I posted articles many years ago but don't remember where.
Simon
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Girdling a tree can help with fruit retention and applications of specific fertilizers at specific stages of growth of the fruit have also shown to help with fruit retention. I posted articles many years ago but don't remember where.
Simon
There are many "old tricks" that supposedly can help lychees. Personally, I wouldn't recommend girdling the yree, beating with a bat, choking with a come-along or any other abusive treatment.
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I'd agree if they were just old tricks but the techniques were actually developed by the agriculture industry if I recall correctly. One of the publishings was from Australia, I think. I'll see if I can still find some of them.
Simon
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I can't seem to be able to open this document http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do;jsessionid=5BA0CBA15F95B57483ED7B2ACF43A30F?request_locale=en&recordID=AU19950149264&sourceQuery=&query=&sortField=&sortOrder=&agrovocString=&advQuery=¢erString=&enableField= (http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do;jsessionid=5BA0CBA15F95B57483ED7B2ACF43A30F?request_locale=en&recordID=AU19950149264&sourceQuery=&query=&sortField=&sortOrder=&agrovocString=&advQuery=¢erString=&enableField=)
This article talks briefly about cincturing. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305032560_Improving_flowering_and_fruit_quality_in_litchi (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305032560_Improving_flowering_and_fruit_quality_in_litchi)
There are many articles regarding the use of Plant Growth Regulators and Lychee fruit retention but I am trying not to post those as I feel it is too risky for hobbyist growers.
Simon
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My Mauritius has some fruits...the winter here was above normal and I thought I would have a light crop but it looks to be similar to last years crop so far that is...many of these will still drop like they always do but my biggest obstacle are the "critters" and birds. I've tried netting, clam shells and owls...nothing helps :'(
(https://s22.postimg.cc/9ufu6i1v1/IMG_3321.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/9ufu6i1v1/)
(https://s22.postimg.cc/6ov8gaj8t/IMG_3320.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/6ov8gaj8t/)
(https://s22.postimg.cc/a9r3zinsd/IMG_3318.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/a9r3zinsd/)
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Pug:. We had decent results on a lychee tree by tieing holographic tape pieces onto the branches to deter the birds, and a rabbit sized have a heart trap under the tree for squirrels.
Brad
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Thanks Brad! I'll look into the bird tape :)...way too many squirrels here not sure one trap will do the job Lol...
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Hi Pug, if your tree is in the open field (not along a fence; wall or house), then this might work for you:
https://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Ranch-Products-SQRTO-Squirrelinator/dp/B0046VJ8RU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1491955545&sr=8-4&keywords=squirrel+trap (https://www.amazon.com/Rugged-Ranch-Products-SQRTO-Squirrelinator/dp/B0046VJ8RU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1491955545&sr=8-4&keywords=squirrel+trap)
Note: Need to deal with disposing the live critters
or:
https://www.amazon.com/Farnam-Just-One-Bite-Bar/dp/B002SAQ7ZM/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491955771&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=rat+poison+last+bite (https://www.amazon.com/Farnam-Just-One-Bite-Bar/dp/B002SAQ7ZM/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491955771&sr=8-2-fkmr1&keywords=rat+poison+last+bite)
Those are not my original idea, but I think our Hero member Cookie Monster "endorsed" them highly somewhere on another post. Good luck!
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Curious if anyone has had lychee fruit set this season.
I have (4 years in ground) sweetheart, emperor, ohia, and kaimana trees.
Sweetheart flowered profusely but almost all of the pinhead-sized fruit has fallen off.
A Brewster lychee tree in town had very light fruit set and the fruits are maybe thumb sized.
I didn't follow any practices such as pruning new growth flushes from October through early December, or withholding irrigation beginning in September.
Anyone had luck this year?
Brad
ME.. :(
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Only partial bloom on Mauritius
(https://s9.postimg.cc/7pkookcuj/IMG_0131.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/7pkookcuj/)
Sweetheart growth only
(https://s9.postimg.cc/qj6hlkb2j/IMG_0132.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/qj6hlkb2j/)
Mauritius more growth
(https://s9.postimg.cc/qkgfezcwb/IMG_0133.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/qkgfezcwb/)
Little emperor should hold this year
(https://s9.postimg.cc/hqu4bmfbf/IMG_0134.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/hqu4bmfbf/)
Heung Lai mostly male flowers so far, good for pollenating my emperor.
(https://s9.postimg.cc/ihmuhehor/IMG_0138.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/ihmuhehor/)
Emperor flowers
(https://s9.postimg.cc/tihzmf9xn/IMG_0139.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/tihzmf9xn/)
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Samu, Lol...that's a LOT of squirrels in that trap!! Not sure if we are allowed to trap them and relocate them?! But thanks for the links :o). My trees are in the back yard along with many trees from my neighbors also. My neighbor has a TON of Oak trees so that's where the majority of the squirrels live...we will never get rid of them in my neighborhood to make it worse we have a State Park about a half mile from me. They are inundated with squirrels and raccoons. Its a losing battle :'(
Fruit4me...Congrats on your blooms are you in Cali or FL?
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My sweetheart from Champa nursery flowered even only in the ground for 6 months.
I,m not planning to keep any of the fruit sets since it is too small tree.
(https://s10.postimg.cc/9i8drfg2d/IMG_0915.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/image/9i8drfg2d/)
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that looks huge for a new tree. how big was the tree before you planted it and how have you been getting it to grow so well?
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Fruit4me...Congrats on your blooms are you in Cali or FL?
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Thanks Puglvr1! I'm in Southern California.
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Most of the flowers on my trees have turned brown and died
The only thing left are some tiny fruits on the sweetheart tree. They're half the size of a pea, but I don't expect them to hold this late in the season.
Brad