Author Topic: 2021 Lychee Season  (Read 15977 times)

Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #100 on: May 09, 2021, 11:30:30 AM »
Cold is 1 way to trigger flowering.
There are others.

You could grow a few in big pots.
In winter move the pots into the garage, or a big shed.
Run A/C for 3 days.
You could move a few mango in there too.
Not much cost to stimulate flowering.


Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #101 on: May 09, 2021, 11:35:06 AM »
Any one spraying lychee to retain fruits?
Which chemicals are you spraying?

I’ll try citrus fertilizer with boron soon.
I sprayed Citrus Nutritional Spray by mistake so I need to wait.

bsbullie

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #102 on: May 09, 2021, 12:00:50 PM »
Cold is 1 way to trigger flowering.
There are others.

You could grow a few in big pots.
In winter move the pots into the garage, or a big shed.
Run A/C for 3 days.
You could move a few mango in there too.
Not much cost to stimulate flowering.

So they have cold in Hawaii?

Its more than just "cold" to make them fruit (proper pruning at the right time, nutrients, water, etc.).  Also, different varieties tend to fruit better than others.  Mauritius and Brewster are way more consistent and heavy bearers here in SFla.
- Rob

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #103 on: May 09, 2021, 02:05:20 PM »
Joe, nice fruits, what type are they?

I think the side away from the sun usually will not have as much fruits as the side that get full direct sun. My large Brewster seems to have the most fruits on the south and west side and very little on the north side. My tree is large enough that nothing blocks the sun (branches above roof). My tree is only finishing with bees pollinating the flowers and some small fruits are visible on the panicles. Looks like I will have many fruits this year.

Interesting take as the side with least fruits is north side 🤔, this is sweet heart.


-joe

All of the early blooming lychees exhibited the same condition in our grove this year with the most fruit being set on the sunny side of the tree. Later blooming cultivars (such as Brewster) did not have an issue with this and set fruit all over the tree. A few Sweet Hearts that bloomed later (or had a second bloom) set normally. Last year our Sweet Hearts set all over the tree. This makes me to think that the issue was caused by the abnormally cool weather we had durring the bloom. My theory is that this reduced the viability of the pollen and caused no fruit to set even though the bloom was phenomenal and nutrient levels were the same as last year. This seems supported by the fact that it was most pronounced on cultivars that have a high percentage of  shriveled seeds (and consequently a lower pollen viability) such as Sweet Heart.

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #104 on: May 09, 2021, 02:27:30 PM »
I found another lychee tree loaded with fruit in the vicinity (North Broward County/2-3 mi. from ocean), so that makes two.  Was the cold we experienced last winter the main reason for these trees setting fruit as I'm wondering what to expect in future years?

I would say yes. Research from Don Batten in Australia indicates that there is no substitute for cold/cool weather at the right time. I have never seen a lychee bloom off season. The confusion comes from the fact that lychee trees do not accumulate chill hours like a peach for example. For the flush to switch to bloom the cold must happen at the right time. If another factor could induce bloom, Asia would have been producing off season lychee for thousands of years just the way they do with longan.

Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #105 on: May 25, 2021, 01:57:13 AM »
Leaves on my Florida Hak Ip are light green.
My Brewster has darker leaves.

Any idea on what FL Hak Ip is?

mattyboydesigns

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #106 on: May 25, 2021, 04:30:05 PM »
Leaves on my Florida Hak Ip are light green.
My Brewster has darker leaves.

Any idea on what FL Hak Ip is?



I would say my leaves are fairly dark. These are about 2 months old. They lose their gloss when they get a little older and look a little darker.

Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #107 on: May 27, 2021, 02:31:55 AM »



1 in pot 1 in ground.
No where near black leaf like yours.

mattyboydesigns

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #108 on: May 27, 2021, 09:53:56 AM »
Super sweet And huge, above 20 brix now. Very small percentage of chicken tongue seeds, most are fully formed. I thought Hak Ip was suppose to always have chicken tongue seeds?


Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #109 on: May 28, 2021, 05:17:29 AM »
That looks like an oddly shaped Brewster to me. Are most of the fruit more oval?

bsbullie

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #110 on: May 28, 2021, 06:50:21 AM »
That looks like an oddly shaped Brewster to me. Are most of the fruit more oval?

Besides shape, skin texture is off for Brewster.

No, Hak Ip do not have all chicken tongue seeds.  They would not be large like Brewster but not chicken tongue like Sweetheart.  Are all fruit shaped like that?  Possibly Kwai Mai Pink?
« Last Edit: May 28, 2021, 06:52:11 AM by bsbullie »
- Rob

bradflorida

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #111 on: May 28, 2021, 08:07:06 AM »
Kaimana

By just seeing one fruit the shape looks like Kaimana. And also Kaimana is ripening right now
Brad

bsbullie

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #112 on: May 28, 2021, 11:31:46 AM »
Kaimana

By just seeing one fruit the shape looks like Kaimana. And also Kaimana is ripening right now

I thought of that, too but its not a popular fruiting variety in Florida.
- Rob

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #113 on: May 28, 2021, 06:28:47 PM »
I have picked quite a few Kiamana. Ours tend to be heart shaped with a fully formed but small seed that gives a high flesh recovery. The peel texture in the picture is actually what makes me think its Brewster. It is the only one I am familiar with that frequently get a brown scruf (not anthracnose) such as is seen in the picture. Although they are mostly oval, Brewster occasionally throws some round fruit. Although we are growing it, I have not had the pleasure of picking Kwai Mai Pink (aka Bosworth 3) but have heard it was fairly small.

bsbullie

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #114 on: May 28, 2021, 07:48:42 PM »
I have picked quite a few Kiamana. Ours tend to be heart shaped with a fully formed but small seed that gives a high flesh recovery. The peel texture in the picture is actually what makes me think its Brewster. It is the only one I am familiar with that frequently get a brown scruf (not anthracnose) such as is seen in the picture. Although they are mostly oval, Brewster occasionally throws some round fruit. Although we are growing it, I have not had the pleasure of picking Kwai Mai Pink (aka Bosworth 3) but have heard it was fairly small.

The Brewster from my friend's farm produce deep red, oval shaped fruit (they have more pronounced spines than those in the picture...and a distinct large seed) and unless left on tree too long, have no blemishes.
- Rob

sc4001992

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #115 on: May 28, 2021, 08:09:54 PM »
.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2021, 09:12:21 AM by sc4001992 »

mattyboydesigns

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #116 on: May 28, 2021, 08:24:31 PM »
Tree was originally purchased in 2016 and put into the ground. It had a yellow tag from Hopkins nursery that said Hak Ip. It's about 10x10 ft right now. This is it's first fruiting and I haven't had any ripe ones yet due to rodents. There's still a dozen on the tree, so I'm hoping I can get some fully colored fruit. Fruit weight is over 30g with the bigger around 45g. Skin gets fairly smooth and pulp is crisp kind of like a grape. Super juicy, sweet as can be and a slight tartness. 19-20.5 brix on all fruit.

It bloomed a little funny as well. First flowers opened in February and had fruit set by March and then more flowers opened and fruit set in April and then more flowers with fruit that fell off at pea size. It also sent out one last small panicle about 3 weeks ago. Only the first two cycles set, so I have the fruit just about ripe and a bunch about thumb size .




Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #117 on: May 28, 2021, 08:28:11 PM »
Rob, I agree with your description for 95% or better of Brewster fruits. As I mentioned above, occationally a tree will put out a few of these round fruits with a large round seed instead of the normal oval one. Strange things happen sometimes. One year we had a Brewster tree in our grove  that produced ALL chicken tongue seeds. We thought we had something special, but the next year it was back to normal and has been that way ever since. More pictures would clear this up.

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #118 on: May 28, 2021, 08:33:12 PM »
Tree was originally purchased in 2016 and put into the ground. It had a yellow tag from Hopkins nursery that said Hak Ip. It's about 10x10 ft right now. This is it's first fruiting and I haven't had any ripe ones yet due to rodents. There's still a dozen on the tree, so I'm hoping I can get some fully colored fruit. Fruit weight is over 30g with the bigger around 45g. Skin gets fairly smooth and pulp is crisp kind of like a grape. Super juicy, sweet as can be and a slight tartness. 19-20.5 brix on all fruit.

It bloomed a little funny as well. First flowers opened in February and had fruit set by March and then more flowers opened and fruit set in April and then more flowers with fruit that fell off at pea size. It also sent out one last small panicle about 3 weeks ago. Only the first two cycles set, so I have the fruit just about ripe and a bunch about thumb size .




Well, its not Brewster or Kiamana. Hak Ip could be correct. But in my memory SweetHeart sweetens sooner (while still partly green) as pictured.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2021, 08:38:40 PM by Galatians522 »

Dangermouse01

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #119 on: May 29, 2021, 03:42:02 PM »
Was thinking that this year I was finally going to get a decent amount of fruit from my sweetheart.
While in the yard yesterday I noticed that some of the fruits were starting to show color.
Started looking and discovered that a lot of them have some splitting going on.
Not from over watering, because we have been pretty dry and I don't go out of my way to water.
Would under watering cause fruit splitting, the trees are not showing any signs of stress.

JoeP450

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #120 on: May 29, 2021, 10:53:24 PM »
Rob, I agree with your description for 95% or better of Brewster fruits. As I mentioned above, occationally a tree will put out a few of these round fruits with a large round seed instead of the normal oval one. Strange things happen sometimes. One year we had a Brewster tree in our grove  that produced ALL chicken tongue seeds. We thought we had something special, but the next year it was back to normal and has been that way ever since. More pictures would clear this up.

Very interesting I was opining on this years crop off my sweetheart tree, very few seeds were chicken tongue while most were somewhere in between narrow on top round middle w shriveled tip. Two years ago almost every seed was thin and chicken tongue, tried germinating them and only got one to sprout which later died at a foot tall. This year I sowed probably ~50 seeds between a few 7 gallon pots so will see how many germinate. 🤷‍♂️

-Joe

bsbullie

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #121 on: May 30, 2021, 12:05:42 AM »
Rob, I agree with your description for 95% or better of Brewster fruits. As I mentioned above, occationally a tree will put out a few of these round fruits with a large round seed instead of the normal oval one. Strange things happen sometimes. One year we had a Brewster tree in our grove  that produced ALL chicken tongue seeds. We thought we had something special, but the next year it was back to normal and has been that way ever since. More pictures would clear this up.

Very interesting I was opining on this years crop off my sweetheart tree, very few seeds were chicken tongue while most were somewhere in between narrow on top round middle w shriveled tip. Two years ago almost every seed was thin and chicken tongue, tried germinating them and only got one to sprout which later died at a foot tall. This year I sowed probably ~50 seeds between a few 7 gallon pots so will see how many germinate. 🤷‍♂️

-Joe

Maybe a cross pollination issue?
- Rob

simon_grow

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #122 on: May 30, 2021, 04:59:05 PM »
Was thinking that this year I was finally going to get a decent amount of fruit from my sweetheart.
While in the yard yesterday I noticed that some of the fruits were starting to show color.
Started looking and discovered that a lot of them have some splitting going on.
Not from over watering, because we have been pretty dry and I don't go out of my way to water.
Would under watering cause fruit splitting, the trees are not showing any signs of stress.


Try increasing Potassium and Calcium. Potassium helps with cell division and may decrease fruit splitting.

Make sure you have a thick layer of mulch under your tree and as the tree canopy gets larger, move the sprinklers or whatever you are using to water, further and further away from the trunk and closer to the drip line. Cold pressed kelp/seaweed emulsion has many elements in it including natural plant hormones which may increase harvest and also the quality of your fruit.

Simon

johnb51

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #123 on: May 30, 2021, 05:56:11 PM »
Oh man, sorry.  That totally sucks!
John

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #124 on: May 30, 2021, 07:32:51 PM »
Rob, I agree with your description for 95% or better of Brewster fruits. As I mentioned above, occationally a tree will put out a few of these round fruits with a large round seed instead of the normal oval one. Strange things happen sometimes. One year we had a Brewster tree in our grove  that produced ALL chicken tongue seeds. We thought we had something special, but the next year it was back to normal and has been that way ever since. More pictures would clear this up.

Very interesting I was opining on this years crop off my sweetheart tree, very few seeds were chicken tongue while most were somewhere in between narrow on top round middle w shriveled tip. Two years ago almost every seed was thin and chicken tongue, tried germinating them and only got one to sprout which later died at a foot tall. This year I sowed probably ~50 seeds between a few 7 gallon pots so will see how many germinate. 🤷‍♂️

-Joe

As Rob said, its probably a pollination issue. The weather durring bloom and the pollen source are the two major factors that I am familiar with. In a study that I read No Mai Tsze pollen contributed to a higher number of abortive seeds than the other trees in the study. What you may not have noticed is that the fruit is typically larger when it has a fully formed seed and mostly compensates for the increase in seed size.