Zone 10 S. Cal success growing Longan? Star fruit? Mangosteen? Lychee? Rambutan?

[HoneyGirlGrows]

Hi:

I'm in Zone 10 (B Los Angeles).

1.)
If you are also, I'd love to know if you've had success growing longan? Star fruit? Mangosteen? Lychee? Rambutan?

2.)
And are the cultivars that CAN be grown here worth growing? Tasty?

3.)
Can any be kept under 7'? 10'? 15'?


Thanks in advance for this amazing community.

[Rob From Sydney]

This is a good video about a South California rare fruit grower, and what he grows in his climate (I think he is in 10B).
He has a mangosteen tree, I think you should watch this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70JygcTqOek
Mangosteen at about 1 hour 1 minute.


From personal knowledge and experience, you should be able to grow star fruit in zone 10B, and Lychee and Longan will be no problem.

[HoneyGirlGrows]

Thanks, I did a ton of research and we don't have the humidity for they Lychee and the Mexican Mangosteen is OK for our climate, but ALL of the mangosteen are 8-12 years before you MAYBE get fruit. NOT worth it.
And the Longlan varieties for 10B are two, I found them! Thank you SO much for your kindness!!!

[SoCalGardenNut]

Longan, yes, but not Lychee, I had 3 trees for 6 years with zero fruit. After watching a youtube of a tropical nursery finally admitting they don't sell Lychee because only 10% of their customer in SoCal can successfully grow them, I quit trying.

[Rob From Sydney]

Wait - hang on - what is the problem with lychee in SoCal?

[gozp]

Lychee will fruit in SoCal. It just needs to size up b4 it gives u fruit also there are some varieties that will flower profusely but not fruit..

[BestDay]

Brewster lychee does excellent in LA. Don’t waste your time trying to grow the other varieties. They are low maintenance trees with excellent fruit.
Bill

[gozp]

Mauritius & brewster is known to be prolific in SoCal however not Sweetheart. However, Frank (JF) had a sweetheart lychee in La Habra fruited profusely. Was the best lychee i had in US.

[Rob From Sydney]

Would growing lychee from seed be worthwile?

[Gkight]

Tropic Central Valley on YouTube is a great channel. He has longan, lychee and starfruit readily fruiting and I’d imagine his climate is more challenging than yours due to the vast temp changes. Check his videos out, I do believe he set his irrigation to 10 minutes every hour on his trees. Plus tons of wood chips. Good luck

[FV Fruit Freak]

Ate my first Sweetheart lychee off our tree this summer, was the best lychee I’ve ever had...You just need to be patient and let the tree get established. It will flower a few times before it sets fruit. Brewster tastes amazing but the seeds are so big...I couldn’t even slice enough fruit off the seed to give to my kids.

Sweetheart Lychee

[Tropheus76]

Granted, I am not California. Until recently I was 9b Fl(now 10a for some reason). Sweetheart grows great here, the rest take a lot of effort. We are high humidity and heat for 3/4ths of the year, typically very cold for central Florida with a weak freeze or two in the winter normally. I had fruit for the first time in 11 years on my very large Sweetheart last year. It has flowered the two years prior with some aborted fruit the year prior. Never had any luck with longan although I am trying again this year. Despite common wisdom, lychee for me is much more cold hardy than longans. Brewster, mauratis and Emperor are tough to keep alive for me for any period of time in ground.

[spaugh]

Lychee is not a hard one to grow.  Same as Longan.  Brewater is one that does best here. 

[Gkight]

Granted, I am not California. Until recently I was 9b Fl(now 10a for some reason). Sweetheart grows great here, the rest take a lot of effort. We are high humidity and heat for 3/4ths of the year, typically very cold for central Florida with a weak freeze or two in the winter normally. I had fruit for the first time in 11 years on my very large Sweetheart last year. It has flowered the two years prior with some aborted fruit the year prior. Never had any luck with longan although I am trying again this year. Despite common wisdom, lychee for me is much more cold hardy than longans. Brewster, mauratis and Emperor are tough to keep alive for me for any period of time in ground.

Do your lychee have much leaf drop in winter? I have two seedlings that I’d love to graft one day just curious if they struggle a lot in your winter. I know I can’t plant mine here although I’m sure I could keep them alive for some mild winters (this past one) but I’m capped on trees I’m willing to protect I think in ground.

[HoneyGirlGrows]

Tropic Central Valley on YouTube is a great channel. He has longan, lychee and starfruit readily fruiting and I’d imagine his climate is more challenging than yours due to the vast temp changes. Check his videos out, I do believe he set his irrigation to 10 minutes every hour on his trees. Plus tons of wood chips. Good luck

Yikes that is a LOT of water

[HoneyGirlGrows]

Lychee is not a hard one to grow.  Same as Longan.  Brewater is one that does best here.

Thank you!

[NewGen]

Ate my first Sweetheart lychee off our tree this summer, was the best lychee I’ve ever had...You just need to be patient and let the tree get established. It will flower a few times before it sets fruit. Brewster tastes amazing but the seeds are so big...I couldn’t even slice enough fruit off the seed to give to my kids.

Sweetheart Lychee

How old and large is your tree?
Thanks,

[Gkight]

Tropic Central Valley on YouTube is a great channel. He has longan, lychee and starfruit readily fruiting and I’d imagine his climate is more challenging than yours due to the vast temp changes. Check his videos out, I do believe he set his irrigation to 10 minutes every hour on his trees. Plus tons of wood chips. Good luck

Yikes that is a LOT of water

For sure, since I’m sure he doesn’t have well water in that location. I could do it easily with my well water, but the problem is the heavy sediment always destroys any automatic water timer in about 3 months. So I turn it on manually, if I could get one that reliably handled sediment (sand/iron) without failure I would have mine on a similar watering schedule due to my hydrophobic soil. I’m not sure if it’s on a 24 hour cycle or 12. If 12 it’s really not too much water which would be just 2 hours of irrigation per day. I run mine at least that long daily, but again the water is free.