Sudden lychee death

[LycheeLust]

Why would this be happening? It’s a mauritius. I have a hakip 7 feet away and it’s doing fine

[sc4001992]

It's probably because the root system is not strong enough. I had many of my purchased air-layer lychees do the same thing (4-5 plants died) even after 6-9 months of keeping them in pots in the shade. Lychee seems to be a weak plant until it has some good root system which might take a year or so. Since your plant is in ground you might have issues with the soil mixture. I have two small plants like yours in ground now and one died after 9 months, the other is still alive. Of course in my case it could be due to the fact that I don't regularly water my plants, if I remember I will water it once a week so it probably doesn't like the inconsistent watering it gets.

Once it starts showing new growth it should be good. Other forum members will probably give you better advice on the soil and watering since they seem to have no problem with them. The only lychee tree I have that is no maintenance is my 25yr old Brewster which is a large tree (18'x20') and doesn't need any special care except to trim back the tall branches each year.

I'm sure Simon and others with more experience growing lychees will provide feedback here.

[LycheeLust]

It's probably because the root system is not strong enough. I had many of my purchased air-layer lychees do the same thing (4-5 plants died) even after 6-9 months of keeping them in pots in the shade. Lychee seems to be a weak plant until it has some good root system which might take a year or so. Since your plant is in ground you might have issues with the soil mixture. I have two small plants like yours in ground now and one died after 9 months, the other is still alive. Of course in my case it could be due to the fact that I don't regularly water my plants, if I remember I will water it once a week so it probably doesn't like the inconsistent watering it gets.

Once it starts showing new growth it should be good. Other forum members will probably give you better advice on the soil and watering since they seem to have no problem with them. The only lychee tree I have that is no maintenance is my 25yr old Brewster which is a large tree (18'x20') and doesn't need any special care except to trim back the tall branches each year.

I'm sure Simon and others with more experience growing lychees will provide feedback here.

That makes sense. I  amended my soil with peat and pumice. I planted it about a year ago

[simon_grow]

There’s a Lychee disease that can kill huge trees in a matter of 1-2 weeks. I had a thread about it a while back. I believe it’s a fungal pathogen that invades the trees vascular system. The symptoms come on quickly and one of the first things you’ll notice is that the leaves start drying up and most the dried leaves remain attached to the tree. As the disease progresses, you’ll notice the the cambium drying up and getting wrinkled.

If the disease is caught early enough where there are still 50% or more green and healthy leaves, the tree can sometimes be saved by using Abound systemic fungicide. I don’t like using these systemic broad spectrum fungicides but if can save a 10-20 year old Lychee tree, I’ll use it.

I’ve been able to save 3 Lychee trees that had these symptoms.

I’m not saying your tree had this disease but it is a possibility. Lychee trees, especially young ones, are very sensitive to salt fertilizer and even city water.

I’ve seen this disease kill several 15-20 year old lychee trees that were otherwise perfectly healthy and produced great crops the previous year before they suddenly died.

I’ve seen this disease kill Sweetheart and Brewster trees and this is the first report of Mauritius potentially getting it but your tree is so young that it could be a number of other reasons that it died.

Simon

[palmcity]

In S. Fl. have had many small trees die with too much water/watering.

It looks like you have a slope which would lower your odds and I know Southern Cal. gets much much less rainfall than S. Fl.

But putting water holding material around the roots while planting may be the culprit if you have watered too frequently and "loved it to death" as I have on many plants years ago... lol

Hopefully it is not planted in a bowl depression.

[LycheeLust]

Thanks for the input. Hopefully it’s not the disease. I have like 7 lychee trees.

Maybe it’s watering issue? But I have 4 other lychee trees on the same bubbler setup and they’re still fine.

[simon_grow]

If you have a friend or neighbor with a large, healthy lychee tree, you can request to dig some soil to inoculate your soil with any beneficial microbes it may have. Also, Lychees love a thick layer of mulch beneath their canopy and out past the drip line. The thick layer of mulch and the deterioration of plant matter and whole microbial ecosystem it supports significantly increases the rate of growth of Lychee trees. The mulch also holds in more moisture and can increase the ambient humidity which may benefit leaf growth.

If the edges of your Lychee leaves look burnt, your water quality is probably poor. Rain, pond or RO water is very good for Lychees. Most hose end water filters are useless. Better water quality and a wind break for younger trees is extremely beneficial.

Once a lychee tree gets some size, city water is fine and a wind break is not necessary.

Lychees love Iron and I drench my trees with chelated Iron throughout the growing season.

Simon

[LycheeLust]

If you have a friend or neighbor with a large, healthy lychee tree, you can request to dig some soil to inoculate your soil with any beneficial microbes it may have. Also, Lychees love a thick layer of mulch beneath their canopy and out past the drip line. The thick layer of mulch and the deterioration of plant matter and whole microbial ecosystem it supports significantly increases the rate of growth of Lychee trees. The mulch also holds in more moisture and can increase the ambient humidity which may benefit leaf growth.

If the edges of your Lychee leaves look burnt, your water quality is probably poor. Rain, pond or RO water is very good for Lychees. Most hose end water filters are useless. Better water quality and a wind break for younger trees is extremely beneficial.

Once a lychee tree gets some size, city water is fine and a wind break is not necessary.

Lychees love Iron and I drench my trees with chelated Iron throughout the growing season.

Simon

I’m the only one I know of who grows anything cool or even edible lol. Tropical fruit isn’t really trending near me in Tarzana

[Gulfgardener]

Dang, perfect timing. I have a Hak Ip that I bought 3 weeks ago and it looks like it has the same thing. It came in the mail and lost a few leaves but that happens, it was in shock that's all. Then the leaves kept dropping. Now they are drying up and turning brown just like this. I'll try a copper spray and see what happens. It doesn't have a lot of leaves left so I'm having doubts it will pull through.    I have a Brewster that seems fine though.

[sc4001992]

Gulfgardner, if your recently purchased tree started looking bad (with some leaves dropping) that's a bad sign of survival. I had issues like that and never got the lychee to recover, just took 3 months to dry up and die. I notice that when I get the mail order lychee (from certif nursery), the ones I received that have healthy green leaves with none dropping or drying when I receive it does good and make it at least for over a year so shipment/packing was done well.

Here's a photo of one of those healthy delivered lychee plants I recently got.

[Gulfgardener]

Sorry if the first pic is bad but I took it on Sep 25th and it's looking down at the top.  In the second picture taken just now, you can see how it progresses in just a matter of days. It's watered and in partial sun(morning)  The brown leaves were clinging to the tree but I knocked them off. I haven't changed the soil or adjusted anything. When I got my Brewster from the same nursery it dropped green leaves in the box and then the next day but was fine shortly after. This did the same before it got this infection. The sad thing is this nursery is in south FL and I'm on the panhandle. It shouldn't get this bad traveling within the same state.

Your tree looks great! Looks like it might have some new growth too.

[boxturtle]

Sorry if the first pic is bad but I took it on Sep 25th and it's looking down at the top.  In the second picture taken just now, you can see how it progresses in just a matter of days. It's watered and in partial sun(morning)  The brown leaves were clinging to the tree but I knocked them off. I haven't changed the soil or adjusted anything. When I got my Brewster from the same nursery it dropped green leaves in the box and then the next day but was fine shortly after. This did the same before it got this infection. The sad thing is this nursery is in south FL and I'm on the panhandle. It shouldn't get this bad traveling within the same state.

Your tree looks great! Looks like it might have some new growth too.

That looks like fertilizer  burn to me

[kh0110]

...
Here's a photo of one of those healthy delivered lychee plants I recently got.

Nice Plantogram Lychee, they ship really well. What variety is that? I'm itching to get one right now.

[sc4001992]

last Emperor.

[Seanny]

Leaves don’t look like Emperor.
Maybe that’s how Last Emperor look.

[sc4001992]

Do you have an emperor tree?
If you do, can you post a photo.

[kh0110]

For OP photos, that could also be due to excessive heat. Even with overhead protection, excessive heat could cause brown leaves which will dry up later and drop.
Maybe bring the pot inside? At least to eliminate the excessive heat possibility.

[Galatians522]

Emperor new growth is redish if that helps.

[Seanny]

Tree from nursery.



My tree.
Maybe leaves on your tree are very old so they flattened.