Author Topic: 2021 Lychee Season  (Read 15970 times)

Weboh

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #25 on: January 29, 2021, 11:28:38 PM »

My 5 year old Hak Ip is about to bloom for the first time. It flowers every year but never a full bloom. I had a vegetative growth flush start at the end of November, so I tipped it the first week of December before the cold fronts came. This is the first year I've pruned in hopes of this happening.

There's also a big 25+ year old tree and a smaller 15 year old tree about to bloom in my neighborhood. It's definitely been cold enough, we've had twice the amount of chill hours from last year. My best friend in pinellas park has a 20+ year old tree I'll check on tomorrow. I feel like this will be a good year for lychee
Good to hear an update from someone else in St. Pete! I guess I haven't been paying as close attention to all the trees around town as I thought. I guess it's just all the ones that I go to for lychees that aren't blooming; I have two neighbors I normally get lychees from, but neither of their trees are flowering this year, nor is my potted emperor lychee. If you guys end up having any extra this year, I'd be glad to take some off your hands.  :)

Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #26 on: January 29, 2021, 11:41:12 PM »
According to that article, lychee buds form 4-6 weeks after pruning.
Here in Southern California our coldest month is February.
We should prune our lychee on New Year Day.
New buds would form in mid February.
The cold trigger the buds into flower buds.

We should try this next year.

Which month is coldest in FL?

mattyboydesigns

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #27 on: January 30, 2021, 06:02:47 AM »
According to that article, lychee buds form 4-6 weeks after pruning.
Here in Southern California our coldest month is February.
We should prune our lychee on New Year Day.
New buds would form in mid February.
The cold trigger the buds into flower buds.

We should try this next year.

Which month is coldest in FL?

Overall, January is our coldest month. I tipped it on December 5th and by the first week of January it was starting to push, so 5 weeks here. I got all my info from http://www.lycheesonline.com/HowToGetTreeToFruit.cfm and the idea to tip in December from https://hilo.hawaii.edu/panr/writing.php?id=254
Good to hear an update from someone else in St. Pete! I guess I haven't been paying as close attention to all the trees around town as I thought. I guess it's just all the ones that I go to for lychees that aren't blooming; I have two neighbors I normally get lychees from, but neither of their trees are flowering this year, nor is my potted emperor lychee. If you guys end up having any extra this year, I'd be glad to take some off your hands.  :)
The neighbors definitely don't eat all of thiers. The big old tree makes close to a thousand fruit so a lot go to waste. Depending on how much I get I'll share, if not I'll talk to the neighbors for you.
« Last Edit: January 30, 2021, 06:04:35 AM by mattyboydesigns »

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #28 on: January 30, 2021, 07:19:57 AM »
I am very familiar with lycheesonline. I also have the Hawaiian article about December pruning of Kiamana and another from the Florida horticultural society that recommends Fall pruning (Aug/Sept) for south Florida lychee bloom. In the Florida article they tried pruning trees in November as well and experienced reduced flowering from that treatment. This is probably why Rob says that December pruning is a no-no.

Batten's research is what explains it all. I suspect that the reduced bloom from the November pruning in south Florida was because of weather conditions that year (I.e. when cold occured in relationship to the forming flushes). The difficulty actually lies in applying Batten's advice. Trying to hit a window of 3 cold days during approximately a 1 week period (when the buds are in the proper stage) that will occur in as little as 4 or as long as 6 weeks away is easier said than done.

mattyboydesigns

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #29 on: January 30, 2021, 03:06:38 PM »
I am very familiar with lycheesonline. I also have the Hawaiian article about December pruning of Kiamana and another from the Florida horticultural society that recommends Fall pruning (Aug/Sept) for south Florida lychee bloom. In the Florida article they tried pruning trees in November as well and experienced reduced flowering from that treatment. This is probably why Rob says that December pruning is a no-no.

Batten's research is what explains it all. I suspect that the reduced bloom from the November pruning in south Florida was because of weather conditions that year (I.e. when cold occured in relationship to the forming flushes). The difficulty actually lies in applying Batten's advice. Trying to hit a window of 3 cold days during approximately a 1 week period (when the buds are in the proper stage) that will occur in as little as 4 or as long as 6 weeks away is easier said than done.

Is it truly that difficult though? Considering January is our coldest month than that is the month we are shooting for to get flower induction. Depending on the year, the end of December can be hit or miss for cold weather so one would probably shoot for the second to third week of January. By that time we are getting cold fronts once and sometimes twice a week. February can be cold but we start to get more of a south flow and we start our warm up. The cold fronts don't drop down far enough and the cold spells become shorter with longer warm up periods.
 
This is the big tree in my neighborhood, loaded with flowers
Smaller neighborhood tree

Tree at a local botanical garden. This one has a mixed, mainly vegetative flush. By the looks of the growth I feel this is where my tree would be in the cycle. Hardening off a vegetative growth with minimal flowers appearing just like in years past.


My tree again

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #30 on: January 30, 2021, 04:10:31 PM »
I would not say that it is difficult (especially in a year like this where we have had consistent cold but not freezes), just that the laws of probability come into play. In the warmer parts of the state they can't guarantee 1 cold front a week. In the colder parts of the state, there is also the chance that you may lose your flush to a freeze (just as happened to our swethearts 2 years ago). The trees that were still dormant at the time were unaffected and went on to bloom normally. Also, in a situation like you were in where the tree was flushing at the wrong time, there is nothing to lose by pruning. Pruning also has the benefit of putting the whole tree on the same cycle (rather than a mixed flush and bloom like your pic from the botanical garden). If you get bloom its pretty much all bloom; if its growth it will all be growth.

boxturtle

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #31 on: January 30, 2021, 11:15:23 PM »
According to that article, lychee buds form 4-6 weeks after pruning.
Here in Southern California our coldest month is February.
We should prune our lychee on New Year Day.
New buds would form in mid February.
The cold trigger the buds into flower buds.

We should try this next year.

Which month is coldest in FL?

Seanny my sweetheart started blooming the same time when this thread was started .  It's a 6 year old tree and will be the 1st year I will let it fruit.  Wish me luck I do see some vexation growth mixed in with  flower panicles  but not alot.

« Last Edit: February 01, 2021, 04:44:55 PM by boxturtle »

Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #32 on: January 31, 2021, 12:34:18 AM »
My friend's 10 year old Sweetheart had full bloom last year.
He got 0 fruits.

Good Luck!

sc4001992

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #33 on: February 01, 2021, 01:38:30 AM »
My Brewster looks good for this year, plenty of flowers. Last time I had over 75 lbs, hope I get the same this year.









beicadad

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #34 on: February 01, 2021, 02:44:09 PM »
My Brewster looks good for this year, plenty of flowers. Last time I had over 75 lbs, hope I get the same this year.








Your lychee tree is amazing. Hope I get some fruits from my sweetheart this season. If not, I will consider whacking it for another variety!

Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #35 on: February 01, 2021, 03:17:44 PM »
Don’t wack it.
Plant another variety nearby.
Pick one that flower a week earlier or later to get overlapping of male and female flowers.

Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #36 on: February 01, 2021, 03:24:44 PM »
Only found a pair that are good for cross pollination so far.



sapote

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #37 on: February 01, 2021, 08:06:34 PM »
I need some lychees in my life this year.
Surprisingly, here in small-town Tennessee, our Kroger grocery store had some excellent Melissa's branded lychees last year.
Hoping for a repeat

You could fly a drone over the farm and steal some lychee. Seriously I wonder when this will happen to my yard.

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #38 on: February 01, 2021, 08:39:45 PM »
Only found a pair that are good for cross pollination so far.



That is a very interesting chart. Floridian is what the Israelis call Brewster. They have been shown to be identical by DNA analysis. I would presume that any lychee that had a different fruit cycle would assist with polination since the general pattern of male bloom, followed by female bloom, followed by hermaphrodite bloom wold hold true.

beicadad

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #39 on: February 02, 2021, 03:12:30 PM »
Don’t wack it.
Plant another variety nearby.
Pick one that flower a week earlier or later to get overlapping of male and female flowers.

I don’t have space for another variety. I have a couple of grafted Brewster scions that took but they are so small compare to the rest of the tree. If I don’t have good fruit set I want to severely cut back sweetheart and graft other varieties.

Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #40 on: February 02, 2021, 05:08:59 PM »
Graft some Mauritius to get perfect cross pollination like in that chart

I feel like buying a Brewster and a Mauritius.

canito 17

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #41 on: February 02, 2021, 05:33:47 PM »
Hi all
Friends in Florida Atlantic Coast tell me that big litchi trees never bloom. Litchi is very impredecible even if you have more tropical varieties. I have a special rambutan from Borneo that taste like brewster and produce almost 1000 pounds .


johnb51

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #42 on: February 03, 2021, 12:37:45 AM »
Hi all
Friends in Florida Atlantic Coast tell me that big litchi trees never bloom. Litchi is very impredecible even if you have more tropical varieties. I have a special rambutan from Borneo that taste like brewster and produce almost 1000 pounds .

impredecible: I had to look that up! (UNPREDICTABLE)
John

canito 17

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #43 on: February 03, 2021, 01:43:47 AM »
ooooh some times I use Spanglish. Thanks for your time spent .My mother was an ENGLISH teacher .I will
give her all your post .I'll let you know !

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #44 on: February 03, 2021, 07:23:40 AM »
Hi all
Friends in Florida Atlantic Coast tell me that big litchi trees never bloom. Litchi is very impredecible even if you have more tropical varieties. I have a special rambutan from Borneo that taste like brewster and produce almost 1000 pounds .


Ram-beautiful!

Tropheus76

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #45 on: February 03, 2021, 11:08:30 AM »
I have nothing on my 3 trees. Not even signs of new growth yet.

Seanny

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #46 on: February 03, 2021, 05:42:17 PM »
My 4 trees are flowering and flushing.
It rained a couple of times in the last month.

You watered your trees lately?

Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #47 on: February 03, 2021, 05:55:12 PM »
I have nothing on my 3 trees. Not even signs of new growth yet.

Don't give up hope quite yet; there is still time. The latest I have seen bloom set here in central Florida is in March.

mattyboydesigns

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #48 on: February 23, 2021, 08:55:46 PM »
How are the trees looking everyone? My Hak ip is starting to have flowers open here and there, just waiting on the big show. The big old tree down the block is a complete knockout. I'll snag some pictures in a couple days when the flowers start bursting.





Galatians522

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Re: 2021 Lychee Season
« Reply #49 on: February 23, 2021, 09:33:41 PM »
I would say that better than 90% of the trees here in Highlands County are blooming. I've never seen a year like this.