Mauritius Lychee and wind break enclosure

[puglvr1]

I planted this Mauritius lychee tree last Feb. it was the only variety I could find at the time and it was marked down so I decided to try growing Lychee one more time ( I lost 2 beautiful ones 2 years ago). One of the things that lycheesonline mentions is how important windbreak is for the newly planted and young tree, so I built this not so attractive but functional enclosure. With March around the corner which seems to be a pretty windy month for me. Its grown nicely in the 12 months I've had it. Now if I can just keep mean old Jack frost away...I'd be thrilled!

Here's a quote from lycheesonline about the importance of of a wind break if planted in an open area...

" No Wind:

Perhaps the single greatest enemy of developing lychee trees is wind. When a lychee puts out new growth these new leaves are very tender and delicate. Even a moderate amount of wind (> 15mph) will damage these new branches and leaves. Lychee trees that are well protected from the wind will grow extraordinarily well.

When a tree flushes with new growth it is utilizing stored energy, in the form of sugars, starches and electrolytes, from the tree. If this new growth is destroyed or damaged when the tree is relatively small there is little reserve left to regenerate further replacement growth. A small tree planted in a wind-exposed field may experience severe growth retardation by a factor of several years."
http://www.lycheesonline.com/Growing_Best_Practices.cfm

Taken right after planting Feb. 2011


I had to enlarge the area a little...it has outgrown its space. You can see its growing nicely. I also lightly "pugged" the top and did some tipping. It was getting too tall and lanky. I threw the cuttings on top for mulch. Which reminds me I also have to get more mulch to add to the top of the soil.


Enclosure complete...double layer Burlap and shade cloth on the back side...NOT the best looking but its functional,lol...



Lets a LOT of sunlight in but should shelter the newly formed leaves hopefully.
 

[lycheeluva]

wow Pug!, great growth in just one year. im sure u will be thrilled with the flava. shame u didnt get any blooms this year. the tree is certainly big enough to support fruit. did u not have any cooler temps this winter?

[bsbullie]

By tip pruning it you may have eliminated the chance for fruiting.  As it is still pretty small, I would let it grow.  A Mauritius will want to grow in a somewhat sprawling shape.  It may start lanky but it will fill in as she goes.  If you want it to fruit, I would not prune it in the winter time.

[puglvr1]

Thanks LL! Actually, I've had a pretty warm winter also...BUT, I've also had about 3 or 4 nights of freezing temps (29-32 degrees)...but overall an above winter for most of it. I'm not sure why it didn't bloom this year...we've had temps below 60 degrees at night for weeks and weeks I'm hoping to taste some fruits  hopefully next winter.


Hi Bsbullie, the reason I decided to tip prune it now is because I didn't have any blooms at all. I had new growths only...most of the tips I tipped or cut off did have some new growths...No blooms unfortunately (...I figured now might be a good time to start keeping the height under control. Thanks for the tip...I will definitely not prune it next winter in hopes of getting some blooms next year.


Nancy

[fruitlovers]

All the lychee orchards here start their young trees inside of hog wire cage lined with 30% to 50% shadecloth on outside, but open at the top, and then staked down with rebar.
Oscar

[puglvr1]

Good to know I'm doing something right Oscar...thanks!

Here's a picture of the lanky growth I lightly pugged...it had some cold damage anyways from the last freeze, so I might as well prune it off.



Off topic, is anyone else having issues posting pictures? It took me several tries to post this picture. It goes through all the motions (downloading)...looks like everything is working...but, when its done there is NO URL there...just  "blank". This has happened to me at least 3 different times...what am I doing wrong?

Nancy