Sweet heart lychee going bad

[onur]

Why is my Sweet heart lychee going bad? Am I overwatering or underwatering? There are also tiny little spots on it. It is in 25 gallon pot burried in the ground. Are sweetheart lychee is a sensitive variety?

Thanks
Onur

[Cookie Monster]

The tips look burnt. Maybe salt burn?

[onur]

The tips look burnt. Maybe salt burn?

I have been watering it straight from the tap with city water without allowing it to sit for 2 days. Do you think that is the reason? How about the tiny white things?

[bsbullie]

The tips look burnt. Maybe salt burn?

I have been watering it straight from the tap with city water without allowing it to sit for 2 days. Do you think that is the reason? How about the tiny white things?

How often watering?  Ferts or other treatments?  I have watered lychees with "my" municipal water and it gets irrigation from community lake without harm.

Hard to see on those pics on my phone...white spots may be a scale.

[andrewq]

was the tree planted recently? what soil mix did you use?

the tips do look burned. I've damaged/killed lychees in the past w leaves that looked like that due to over fertilizing, too much foliar spray, poorly draining soil, and over heating (left it inside the car without cracking the window while I ate lunch)

[onur]

The tips look burnt. Maybe salt burn?

I have been watering it straight from the tap with city water without allowing it to sit for 2 days. Do you think that is the reason? How about the tiny white things?

How often watering?  Ferts or other treatments?  I have watered lychees with "my" municipal water and it gets irrigation from community lake without harm.

Hard to see on those pics on my phone...white spots may be a scale.

It is buried in the ground with its 25 gallon container in a half shade place. I hadn't watered it for 10 days thoroughly during the cold snap.Only gave 1 or 2 gallons of water in the mean time. Only osmocote. 

[onur]

was the tree planted recently? what soil mix did you use?

the tips do look burned. I've damaged/killed lychees in the past w leaves that looked like that due to over fertilizing, too much foliar spray, poorly draining soil, and over heating (left it inside the car without cracking the window while I ate lunch)

It is still in its 25 gallon container buried in the ground. Do you think it may hinder a proper drainage for the tree to be buried in the ground together with its container?  Hope it is not suffering from the wet feet...

[Cookie Monster]

OK. If you hadn't watered it in 10 days, then that would be the cause of the leaf drop. Potted lychees are very sensitive to drought.

[bsbullie]

OK. If you hadn't watered it in 10 days, then that would be the cause of the leaf drop. Potted lychees are very sensitive to drought.

Correct-a-mundo...potted and young lychees are fickle when it comes to water.   They do like a constant watering regimen and if that is skipped, they can go into decline,  have leaf browning/dropping and may be difficult to get them to recover.

[Cookie Monster]

Yah, 2 missed days of watering during FL summertime can mean a dead potted lychee. I've lost many this way. Had the lychee's pot not been in the ground, it would have been toast a few days ago :-).

This time of year, OP should be watering once every 2 days. In summer, watering should be at least once per day (assuming potting medium is not clay of course :-).

OK. If you hadn't watered it in 10 days, then that would be the cause of the leaf drop. Potted lychees are very sensitive to drought.

Correct-a-mundo...potted and young lychees are fickle when it comes to water.   They do like a constant watering regimen and if that is skipped, they can go into decline,  have leaf browning/dropping and may be difficult to get them to recover.

[onur]

Thank you all! I have just given her a few buckets of water. Let's see what happens...

[andrewq]

what type of potting mix did you use? a prior big box mix plus compost would retain too much water and when it got dry would suffocate the roots.

make sure the lychees roots are getting enough air

[onur]

what type of potting mix did you use? a prior big box mix plus compost would retain too much water and when it got dry would suffocate the roots.

make sure the lychees roots are getting enough air

I still keep it in its container as I bought. And it was very lush and healthy. I am just concerned that it may not be getting enough air through the bottom holes, as I buried it into the ground with its container, like you pointed out.. Actually Cookie Monster said the issue was due to lack of water. So I watered it  thoroughly. Now waiting for the result...  Maybe we even need to make few more big holes under and around big containers..!?

[achetadomestica]

just out of curiousity why did you plant it in the pot? Why not remove the pot?

Mike

[Cookie Monster]

As long as the pot has holes in the bottom and the potting mix isn't clay, you're OK. You should be thoroughly watering every 2 days from mid November until about April, at which point you'll want to step it up to once per day. It's a lot easier to under-water a potted lychee than it is to over-water one. Once they are established in the ground, they are relatively drought tolerant.

what type of potting mix did you use? a prior big box mix plus compost would retain too much water and when it got dry would suffocate the roots.

make sure the lychees roots are getting enough air

I still keep it in its container as I bought. And it was very lush and healthy. I am just concerned that it may not be getting enough air through the bottom holes, as I buried it into the ground with its container, like you pointed out.. Actually Cookie Monster said the issue was due to lack of water. So I watered it  thoroughly. Now waiting for the result...  Maybe we even need to make few more big holes under and around big containers..!?

[onur]

just out of curiousity why did you plant it in the pot? Why not remove the pot?

Mike

The land is not mine Mike !

[onur]

As long as the pot has holes in the bottom and the potting mix isn't clay, you're OK. You should be thoroughly watering every 2 days from mid November until about April, at which point you'll want to step it up to once per day. It's a lot easier to under-water a potted lychee than it is to over-water one. Once they are established in the ground, they are relatively drought tolerant.

what type of potting mix did you use? a prior big box mix plus compost would retain too much water and when it got dry would suffocate the roots.

make sure the lychees roots are getting enough air

I still keep it in its container as I bought. And it was very lush and healthy. I am just concerned that it may not be getting enough air through the bottom holes, as I buried it into the ground with its container, like you pointed out.. Actually Cookie Monster said the issue was due to lack of water. So I watered it  thoroughly. Now waiting for the result...  Maybe we even need to make few more big holes under and around big containers..!?

Thank you Jeff! Yes I will do so...

Best
Onur