Author Topic: Largest Airlayer Lychee (Read 8135 times)

fruit4me · « **on:** July 27, 2012, 01:33:39 AM »

Hi all, just wanted to shared pictures of my new lychee airlayer (variety is unknown). A few months back, I meet a nice couple that lives out in Cerritos that owns a really big tree and they agreed to let me airlayer their tree for 2 bills (What a deal!!!). I put on the airlayer on 4/9 and i just chopped it yesterday 7/25. This is the most hugemongous airlayer I've ever done. I forgot the take picture of the root ball (pretty good size root ball with lots of fiberous roots). It's about 8 to 9 feet tall with a nice fat trunk. Trimmed most of the leaves and some taller branches off. It's now potted in a 3 gallon and placed in a 15 gallon to help support the tree from falling. What do you guys think?
Max

Entire tree

Top of tree

Mid-trunk

Bottom trunk

nullzero · « **Reply #1 on:** July 27, 2012, 02:51:12 AM »

Congrats, I wish I had a lychee airlayer that big. Keep us updated how the fruit quality is.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #2 on:** July 27, 2012, 04:09:21 AM »

Fruit4me, there is no doubt that air layers done on larger branches do fruit sooner.

Felipe · « **Reply #3 on:** July 27, 2012, 12:12:24 PM »

This is huge!! LOL

Good luck

simon_grow · « **Reply #4 on:** July 27, 2012, 01:03:39 PM »

I know you said you don't know the variety but have you ever tasted the fruit or did the nice people give you a description of the fruit? I think this is the largest fresh air layer I've seen

Please keep us updated on how your tree performs!
Simon

ReneeFLL · « **Reply #5 on:** July 27, 2012, 01:13:36 PM »

Wow, that is a nice size tree. Great to get one that big. Let us know how it tasts when it fruits.

SWRancher · « **Reply #6 on:** July 27, 2012, 04:54:13 PM »

Wow that is a huge airlayer, you'll be getting fruit very soon after its planted.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #7 on:** July 27, 2012, 06:07:40 PM »

I've done huge air layers like that for people that requested them. Usually it is not practical. Especially if you are going to be mailing them! But for local use it's fine.
BTW, i've also done, at the other spectrum, super tiny air layers, for people that wanted large quantities sent in a very small box.

fruit4me · « **Reply #8 on:** July 28, 2012, 01:34:06 AM »

Thanks to everyone for their responses.

Simon

I was told that last year their tree was fully loaded with fruits. Unfortunately, I met them after their harvest so i didn't get to try the fruit and this year got no fruit. I remember seeing a picture that was posted on craigslist of the fruits looking very similar to a brewster. Shape, size, and color all resembles a brewester, and especially the fully red color. But, the lady tells me that the fruit has small seed so i could be wrong. I'll just have to wait another year to see.

Max

puglvr1 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 28, 2012, 08:46:03 AM »

Congrats on your HUGE size air layer lychee Max!!

" they agreed to let me airlayer their tree for 2 bills (What a deal!!!)"

Sorry, can you tell me how much 2 bills are?!? I tried using Yahoo to find out only to pull up $2 bills,lol...

Thanks!

fruit4me · « **Reply #10 on:** July 28, 2012, 11:42:05 AM »

Hi Nancy, it's two hundred dollars. If it was only $2 bills, I'd be really ripen them off. Ha!
Max

nullzero · « **Reply #11 on:** July 28, 2012, 12:55:00 PM »

What container mix are you using for it fruit4me?

Jsvand5 · « **Reply #12 on:** July 28, 2012, 01:36:12 PM »

Good looking air layer. $200 seems a little steep to me though. I hope it does well for you.

fruit4me · « **Reply #13 on:** July 28, 2012, 04:55:02 PM »

@Nullzero
I'm using mostly peat moss mix in with some perlite and a little bit of dirt. Also, i added small amount of grow mulch.

@Jsvand5
Thanks. Comparing to a thumb size trunk on a sweetheart i bought for $120, I feel like I'm getting a really good deal on this one. It's like the size of my ankle!

Jsvand5 · « **Reply #14 on:** July 28, 2012, 05:03:56 PM »

Quote from: fruit4me on July 28, 2012, 04:55:02 PM

@Nullzero
I'm using mostly peat moss mix in with some perlite and a little bit of dirt. Also, i added small amount of grow mulch.

@Jsvand5
Thanks. Comparing to a thumb size trunk on a sweetheart i bought for $120, I feel like I'm getting a really good deal on this one. It's like the size of my ankle!

Where are you located?

fruit4me · « **Reply #15 on:** July 28, 2012, 05:14:25 PM »

Jsvand5
I'm in San Gabriel Ca

Jsvand5 · « **Reply #16 on:** July 28, 2012, 05:33:01 PM »

That explains it. Plants in CA cost so much more than they are here in FL.

fyliu · « **Reply #17 on:** July 29, 2012, 01:43:17 AM »

Please keep update this thread about anything that comes up with your new tree. Make sure your tree location is not windy. I've made and learned from many mistakes in the past. But if your root ball is large then it should be fine. Anti-transpirant sprays may help. Lychee bark dries up very easily here.

I used to do 5ft airlayers and they've worked well. The root balls were small. They could fit in #1 pots at first.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #18 on:** July 29, 2012, 02:10:44 AM »

Quote from: fyliu on July 29, 2012, 01:43:17 AM

Please keep update this thread about anything that comes up with your new tree. Make sure your tree location is not windy. I've made and learned from many mistakes in the past. But if your root ball is large then it should be fine. Anti-transpirant sprays may help. Lychee bark dries up very easily here.

I used to do 5ft airlayers and they've worked well. The root balls were small. They could fit in #1 pots at first.

Keeping new air layer out of wind is very good advice. Air layers also need filtered sunlight and lots of watering, better yet very frequent misting, as they dry out very easily when just taken off the trees. Sometimes plastic bag tent is also in order. You pretty much have to treat newly potted air layers like plants that have been bare rooted: in ICU for a while.

fyliu · « **Reply #19 on:** July 29, 2012, 02:32:30 AM »

Yeah, I did the plastic tent method and was able to keep most of the existing leaves. Until I met Leo Manuel I didn't know to do that and all the leaves fell off and had to be regenerated.

fruit4me, if possible you should tent your airlayer too.

HMHausman · « **Reply #20 on:** July 29, 2012, 08:09:15 AM »

There was a guy in western Broward County, near me that ran a business he called Levinson Farm. He was a very early lychee seller....well, modern day early lychee seller I mean. He was active in the Rare Fruit Council once upon a time. I witnessed some absolutely huge air layers that he did. He had a small crane that he used to get the material up into the tree for the layer preparation. It took a crane to remove and lower the airlayers when they were ready to be planted. These huge airlayers went right in the ground and didn't really miss a beat. They fruited very early and in pretty good volume. So, this method works with whatever size lychee branch you could logistically layer. Good luck with yours.

Harry

Mr. Clean · « **Reply #21 on:** July 29, 2012, 02:39:15 PM »

Awesome! Congratulations!

fruit4me · « **Reply #22 on:** June 03, 2013, 01:03:48 AM »

Hi everyone, my gigantic airlayer didn't make it through this past winter. So I went back recently to put on an airlayer thats a little shorter this time so I can bring it in the garage. I took a few of pictures of the mother tree. Theres a lot of baby fruits this year. I was told this tree is at least 15 years old. Anyone can guess what variety?

LEOOEL · « **Reply #23 on:** June 03, 2013, 02:31:09 AM »

Sorry to hear that, perhaps it would have been better to immediatly plant it in the ground, instead of a pot, because of the size of the air-layer. Nevertheless, it goes without saying, don't give up, it seems that you have a talent for this kind of thing.

puglvr1 · « **Reply #24 on:** June 03, 2013, 07:17:49 AM »

Sorry about your large airlayer not surviving... best of luck with the new one. Thanks for updating this thread. That mother tree is a beauty...look at all those baby lychees!!

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Author Topic: Largest Airlayer Lychee (Read 8135 times)