However, it still needs at least 100 chill hours to produce flowers that bear fruit.
It can take as much as 30 years to reach its mature height of 30 feet tall.
What Is a Lychee Fruit?
The Spruce / K. Dave
These fleshy drupes grow in clusters of three to 50 tiny fruits.
It’s more of a novelty plant and will unlikely bear (unless you have agreenhouse).
It requires a subtropical outdoor planting site that does not experience freezing temperatures.
The Spruce / K. Dave
If the area is prone to flooding, plant the tree on a mound of soil.
This can help ensure water runoff, and lychees dislike wet feet.
Planting them too close can impact their growth and fruit harvest, especially if shaded.
The Spruce / K. Dave
However, never tie wires or rope around the trunk since it can harm it.
If you are trying to grow it as a potted plant, use slightlyacidic, well-draining potting soil.
Water
These plants prefer ample and regular water throughout the year.
The Spruce / K. Dave
More established trees can be watered once a week.
Lychee trees need cold temperatures (32 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least 100 hours to bloom.
These trees love high humidity but will fail in windy conditions due to damaged new growth.
Pollination
Lychee trees are self-pollinating, meaning you only need one tree.
Pollen from one flower can fertilize another flower on the same tree.
In an orchard, pollination is done by insects, but for indoor trees, you must hand-pollinate.
Lychees are members of the soapberry family, which includes rambutan, longan, and maple trees.
Many differentcultivarsof lychee are used in other areas of the world.
They will then bloom early in the spring and bear fruit in the early summer.
Allow them to ripen on the tree to a pink-red color.
Do not harvest when the fruit is green, as it will not ripen further once harvested.
you could test one fruit in a bunch to see if it is sweet enough.
Cut the entire bunch of fruit close to the branch to harvest.
The plants should be repotted in pots every spring until they reach your ideal growing size.
Pruning
Pruning right after harvesting the fruit encourages regrowth.
Propagating Lychee
Lychee is typically propagated commercially byair-layering.
How to Grow Lychee From Seed
A home grower is more likely to start lychee from seed.
They are also prone to moths, scale insects, root weevils, and nematodes.
Spray it on the lychee per the product directions, and it should kill the pests when in contact.
Treat infestations as soon as possible to prevent them from spreading to the rest of your collection.
Anthracnoseis the main fungal disease that attacks this tree.
Brown or black lesions may appear on leaves or fruit.
The fruit can become entirely rotted.
Remove infected areas of the plant and lightly spray the tree with a copper-based fungicide.
Bloom Months
Lychee trees typically bloom between February and April.
What Do Lychee Flowers Look and Smell Like?
Fruit emerges from pollinated flowers in June and July.
Common Problems With Lychee
A lychee tree is relatively easy to grow, given the right conditions.
Tree Not Fruiting
The tree is likely too young to fruit.
Depending on its age, it can become damaged if temperatures drop between 24 and 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
In the United States, parts of Florida and California offer the best conditions for growing a lychee tree.
There are reports of lychee trees over 1,000 years old in China.
Though a lychee tree can grow in a container, it’s not optimal to grow one indoors.
you could try, but it will not last long and will never bear fruit.
Lychee Growing in the Florida Home Landscape.University of Florida Extension Office.
): A review.Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf.
2020;19(4):2139-2163.
Tips on Getting Your Lychee Tree to Produce Fruit.
University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources.
How to Propagate Houseplants by Air Layering and Simple Layering.Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
Air Layering Lychee Trees.
Flowering in Lychee Trees.
