What is everyone doing with their lychee trees?

[Julie]

How is everyone handling the lychee erinose mite in Florida?  I love my lychee tree so much - 9 years old and fruited for the first time last summer - I'd be so sad to get rid of it but also realistically lychees don't fruit every year, with climate change I might never get another lychee harvest, and it will be a hassle/expense to spray frequently a large tree.

[johnb51]

I don't think we should be overreacting to the problem, and that includes Florida Department of Agriculture.

[Julie]

What do you mean by that?

[Gulfgardener]

Are your trees airlayered and it still took 9 years?  You could always move up here in the panhandle   No mite, cold enough for bloom, and soon to be warm enough to put in ground. I understand the concern though. I think we'll get it under control. It will just take some time.

[Galatians522]

We were very spoiled here in Florida with how easy it was to grow lychee in the past. I believe Israel and South Africa are the only two major lychee producers without the mite. Brazil's lychee production has dropped 80% since the mite was introduced in 2010. Australia seems to be able to deal with it well enough. China apparently uses Chlorpyrifos to nuke the critters (this would likely not be acceptible to American consumers--nor would it even be legal at this time). Only time will tell how Florida will be able to deal with it.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.growables.org/information/TropicalFruit/documents/MiteErinoseTREC.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjejLf3m_f4AhVBRjABHeQqC3o4FBAWegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw1eQ_3qY-u18OE1Rew_iLES

There does seem to be some difference in resistance among varieties. A recent study in Brazil listed Bengal as highly susceptible. Mauritius was the least susceptible.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.scielo.br/j/rbf/a/SPw3Rm3cpSwfbWSDYjjNQLb/%3Flang%3Den&ved=2ahUKEwjejLf3m_f4AhVBRjABHeQqC3o4FBAWegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw2PLFHazNMJzvQx37K5htgd

Regarding screen, mites are small enough to pass through the mesh that is currently used for citrus. On the positive side, birds and bees are vectors for the mite so keeping them out would reduce innoculum in all likelihood. This may be one reason Australia has lower numbers of infestation--most commercial lychee groves are covered in bird netting to keep bats and tropical birds out. Unfortunately, bees can also vector the mite but lychee is insect pollinated so the chances of getting a decent crop without bees are negligible. If you expose the flowers to bees, you risk mite infestation. Based on all these musings, I think the best option we currently have is to keep the tree short and spray all foliage and branches regularly with sulfur. Bear in mind that we are probably at the highest level of pest pressure currently. As people who do not care cut down their trees or the trees die naturally innoculum will be reduced. Also, natural predators and diseases may arrise that could help keep the population in check.

[Julie]

Are your trees airlayered and it still took 9 years?  You could always move up here in the panhandle   No mite, cold enough for bloom, and soon to be warm enough to put in ground. I understand the concern though. I think we'll get it under control. It will just take some time.

Yes because I didn't have a cool enough winter until the winter before last summer.  The mite will likely spread to North FL though if it isn't there yet.

[Gulfgardener]

I doubt it. As far as I know, I'm the only one with lychee trees in my local area.

[Julie]

I doubt it. As far as I know, I'm the only one with lychee trees in my local area.

I truly hope for you that it doesn't.

[johnb51]

What do you mean by that?

My tree hasn't been infected yet so I'll wait and see.  As far as the ag dept, I don't think they should go around chopping down trees like they did with citrus.

[Julie]

What do you mean by that?

My tree hasn't been infected yet so I'll wait and see.  As far as the ag dept, I don't think they should go around chopping down trees like they did with citrus.

I'm so glad your tree hasn't been infected yet.  I know two people who have lychee here in Miami who say their trees aren't affected yet.  Obviously chopping down trees on homeowners property involuntarily is crossing the line.

[pineislander]

I'm here at the epicenter of LEM on Pine Island. Though this year wasn't a good one, last year looked pretty good.
Interesting that Brooks Tropicals, a major US tropical fruit grower, actually just planted a 10+ acre Lychee grove down the street from me. Several hundred trees. They spent a huge amount of time and money removing a palm farm, laser leveling the plot, setting up drainage swales and put up individual shade cloth to the west of every tree. They haven't quite completed the plot but it is 80% done.

[Julie]

I'm here at the epicenter of LEM on Pine Island. Though this year wasn't a good one, last year looked pretty good.
Interesting that Brooks Tropicals, a major US tropical fruit grower, actually just planted a 10+ acre Lychee grove down the street from me. Several hundred trees. They spent a huge amount of time and money removing a palm farm, laser leveling the plot, setting up drainage swales and put up individual shade cloth to the west of every tree. They haven't quite completed the plot but it is 80% done.

That's crazy, I guess that means they believe LEM isn't a deterrent.  They know a lot about spraying groves and have the equipment for it.

[Johnp18261]

I have 3 lychee trees and one of them just got infected 3 days ago. I just cut down all the branches with leaves and sprayed it with sulfur. Hopefully it wont infect my other lychee trees. Horrible

[roblack]

Aside from some seedlings that popped up from eaten fruit, I've never grown lychee. Given the issues discussed, decided a while back to not grow lychee. Was able to find fruit readily in my neighborhood, with roadside sellers offering bags at around $5/lb. Fruit was good, so even less of a reason to grow my own.

...not sure what's going on with all the growers, but I haven't noticed one roadside seller of lychee in the neighborhood this year.

[dwfl]

I'm here at the epicenter of LEM on Pine Island. Though this year wasn't a good one, last year looked pretty good.
Interesting that Brooks Tropicals, a major US tropical fruit grower, actually just planted a 10+ acre Lychee grove down the street from me. Several hundred trees. They spent a huge amount of time and money removing a palm farm, laser leveling the plot, setting up drainage swales and put up individual shade cloth to the west of every tree. They haven't quite completed the plot but it is 80% done.

That's crazy, I guess that means they believe LEM isn't a deterrent.  They know a lot about spraying groves and have the equipment for it.

They can spray but it also means they know LEM has and will continue to wipe out many trees/production and there will be more demand and less supply for the fruit.

[Julie]

I'm here at the epicenter of LEM on Pine Island. Though this year wasn't a good one, last year looked pretty good.
Interesting that Brooks Tropicals, a major US tropical fruit grower, actually just planted a 10+ acre Lychee grove down the street from me. Several hundred trees. They spent a huge amount of time and money removing a palm farm, laser leveling the plot, setting up drainage swales and put up individual shade cloth to the west of every tree. They haven't quite completed the plot but it is 80% done.

That's crazy, I guess that means they believe LEM isn't a deterrent.  They know a lot about spraying groves and have the equipment for it.

They can spray but it also means they know LEM has and will continue to wipe out many trees/production and there will be more demand and less supply for the fruit.

Yes.  Exactly, good point.  For them it's cheap to keep LEM at bay with spraying (they are already spraying 99.9% of trees with a chemical concoction anyway), but some farmers and home growers don't have that capacity.

[Julie]

I have 3 lychee trees and one of them just got infected 3 days ago. I just cut down all the branches with leaves and sprayed it with sulfur. Hopefully it wont infect my other lychee trees. Horrible

So sorry! Keep maintenance spraying and pruning your trees.  A one time treatment will not be the answer since the infection never fully goes away.

[Julie]

Aside from some seedlings that popped up from eaten fruit, I've never grown lychee. Given the issues discussed, decided a while back to not grow lychee. Was able to find fruit readily in my neighborhood, with roadside sellers offering bags at around $5/lb. Fruit was good, so even less of a reason to grow my own.

...not sure what's going on with all the growers, but I haven't noticed one roadside seller of lychee in the neighborhood this year.

We can't grow everything with limited space, so you have to make cuts.  I've fit 27 trees on a 1/3 of an acre and I may have to remove some down the line.  The reason is because (1) lychee need more chill hours during the winter and due to climate change we don't have as cold winters as we used to (2) LEM has wiped out many trees here.  I think LEM infection is pretty much guaranteed here though I know 2 people who say they don't have it (I keep telling them to check their trees but they say they look fine.)

[chrobrego]

I'm praying that it doesn't come to Central Florida. I have several lychee trees across several varieties that fruit every single year here (our cold snaps are great for flowering) -- with the exception of Brewster which is the odd man out. The Fl Dept of Ag seems to be doing diddly squat lately to try to eradicate it. I've read that they've run out of money to service infected residential trees. I wonder if systematic insecticides might work?

[Galatians522]

I'm praying that it doesn't come to Central Florida. I have several lychee trees across several varieties that fruit every single year here (our cold snaps are great for flowering) -- with the exception of Brewster which is the odd man out. The Fl Dept of Ag seems to be doing diddly squat lately to try to eradicate it. I've read that they've run out of money to service infected residential trees. I wonder if systematic insecticides might work?

Unfortunately, I saw a map that indicated the mite had been obsetved in the Orlando area. If you don't have many lychee trees in your area, the risk is lower, though.

[chrobrego]

I was just at Truly Tropical in Delray buying mangos and they are apparently contemplating removing all of their lychee trees. They said it was a pain to continually spray sulfur after every flush and you still get the mite. What the heck is the FL Dept of Ag doing about this? 

[Galatians522]

I was just at Truly Tropical in Delray buying mangos and they are apparently contemplating removing all of their lychee trees. They said it was a pain to continually spray sulfur after every flush and you still get the mite. What the heck is the FL Dept of Ag doing about this?

Not a whole lot. Actually, it is too late to do anything at this point--the mite has spread beyond our ability to control. Based on what I have seen, they appear to be focusing their resources on hemp production.

[Johnp18261]

Yeah I have 3 lychee trees and one of them got it so I chopped it and got rid of it so it won't affect my other trees.

[Galatians522]

Yeah I have 3 lychee trees and one of them got it so I chopped it and got rid of it so it won't affect my other trees.

Unfortunately, your other trees probably have it, too. You just haven't noticed it yet.

[850FL]

Somebody mentioned growin them in the panhandle and I agree but hardy enough varieties need to be found. I have a few seedlings lychees that made it this last hard freeze low of 19F and almost 2 consecutive days frozen, although I can't conclusively say it wasn't some 'microclimate' areas of the yard that helped them though. However there were a lot of others right beside the ones that lived, that died.
For example..