Lychee (Litchi chinensis) or Chinese lychee is a fruit tree from the Sapindov family. There are several more names for this plant - Chinese plum, liji, laysi and fox. Chinese plums can be eaten both fresh and canned. Delicious Chinese wine and various desserts are prepared from lychee. This article will tell you in detail how to properly grow lychees from a bone and how to care for a plant at home.
Description of lychee fruit
Lychee is an evergreen tree with a spreading crown. Lychee can grow in height from 10 m to 30 m, and sometimes even higher. The leaves of the plant are complex and feathery, dark green above and grayish below, glossy. Consist of four or eight leaflets lanceolate or elongated-ovoid, pointed towards the edge.
Lychee flowers do not have petals, they look like greenish or yellowish cups. The peel of the fruit is red, and the flesh is white, sweet and somewhat reminiscent of jelly in consistency, very fragrant and juicy. The length of the fruits is 2-4 cm. The lychee fruits ripen from the end of May to the end of June, the ripening period depends on the variety that was chosen for cultivation.
Growing lychee from a bone
Since lychee is considered a tropical plant, it is very difficult to find its seedlings in nurseries. Therefore, it is easier to grow lychees from the bone. Only seeds from ripe fruits are suitable for germination. They should be bright red, the flesh is translucent and juicy, with a strong aroma. If you take a seed from an unripe fruit, the plant will grow very small and weak, will often be attacked by insects and affected by various diseases, and perhaps a seed from such a fruit will not germinate at all.
Remove the bone from the lychee fruit and immediately wrap it in a damp cloth. In this state, the bone should lie for at least a week, the tissue should be regularly moistened. When the bone swells, it must be removed from the fabric and placed in a pot with drainage holes. For planting lychee seeds, it is best to use a ready-made substrate for flower seedlings. Also, do not forget about the drainage layer. It is necessary to deepen the bone by about 2 cm.After planting, it is necessary to water the soil abundantly with warm water. You need to germinate lychees at a temperature of 25-30 degrees and in moist soil. If all conditions are met, then the seed will germinate in 2-4 weeks. But it happens that the seeds germinate later.
After the first leaves appear, the lychee pot should be placed in a well-lit place, but without direct sunlight. When four real leaves grow, then you need to transplant the lychees into another container, larger in volume. Growing temperature should be at least 20 degrees. And the daylight hours are not less than 12 hours. If it is not possible to place it in a lighted room, then you will have to illuminate the plant with artificial light, since without proper lighting the plant will not grow strong and healthy, and its long-awaited fruits will appear at all
Lychee care at home
Watering
Since lychee is a tropical plant, it loves moisture very much. It needs to be regularly sprayed with warm water at least twice a day. Water the plant regularly, but without waterlogging the soil. Water for irrigation should be warm and settled for two days. The best way to moisturize the soil is by sump watering. Watering should be such that the soil is always moist, but without stagnant water.
Top dressing and fertilizers
Lychee reacts very positively to fertilization. The first feeding of the lychee should be done about the third month after planting, after feeding it should be stopped until the plant is one year old. In the second year, you need to add a solution of complex mineral fertilizer a couple of times. As organic matter for feeding, you can use a solution from a mullein. During the applied top dressing, it is possible to grow a healthy and well-bearing plant.
Pruning
Since lychee grew not so fast, he does not need frequent pruning. During the first two years, it is necessary to carry out formative pruning several times, which will help to form the correct crown of the tree. And after that, you just need to occasionally cut the escaping shoots in order to maintain the neat shape of the crown. Sometimes it happens that the plant does not bear fruit at all, but it is not considered worth frustrating, since rarely anyone can boast of a beautiful exotic plant grown at home.
Diseases and pests
Lychee is considered to be quite resistant to attacks of harmful insects. But there are such cases that aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, thrips, mealybugs and scale insects move from other affected rooms to lychees. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to regularly inspect the plant. If there are signs of the presence of pests, then you should immediately treat the lychee with special solutions of insecticides or acaricides.
As for diseases, they rarely affect lychees. Diseases can appear only due to improper care. If waterlogging is allowed, the roots of the plant will begin to rot. And from insufficient olive, the plant loses its strength, withers and dries. Therefore, in order to prevent the appearance of diseases, it is necessary to observe all the canons of caring for lychees.
Types and varieties of lychee
Breeders have bred many hybrid varieties of lychee. The most popular cultivars are:
Green dangling - the leaves of this tree have a light green tint. The fruits also have barely noticeable green stripes. The fruits remain fresh, juicy and tasty jam after a few days, as they are peeled off.
Glutinous rice balls - the pulp of the fruits of this variety is dense and sweet, it tastes a bit like honey. The peel has no tubercles, a bright red hue. The seed is much smaller than that of other varieties, or is absent altogether.
Sweet osmanthus - such a name was given to the variety because its fruits have a characteristic odor that is very similar to the aroma of osmanthus. The rind is very bumpy and has a bright red tint. The fruit is very sweet and juicy.
Green Yatu - this variety has a characteristic difference from other varieties - the peel of its fruits is covered with blotches of a dark green hue.
Black leaf - this variety is early maturing. The fruits are quite fleshy and have one peculiarity. They emit a large amount of juice, which is somewhat reminiscent of red ink.
May red - a variety, the fruits of which ripen the very first in the second half of May.
Concubine smile - this variety is one of the most ancient, belongs to the early maturing. The plant and its fruits emit a sap of a red hue.
Useful properties of lychee and contraindications
The fruits contain vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal development of the human body. For example, magnesium, iron, zinc, calcium, B vitamins and many others.Lychee fruits are used in folk medicine in the treatment of atherosclerosis, they also help to normalize sugar levels in diabetes. Improves liver, kidney and lung function. It is useful to eat lychee fruits for those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases. Lychee also helps to cope well with anemia and intestinal disorders. In addition to all of the above, lychee has a positive effect on male strength.
Lychee fruits are contraindicated only in case of individual intolerance. They will only benefit everyone else. The main thing to remember is that you need to eat fresh fruits, without signs of decay.
If you follow all the rules of planting, growing from a seed at home, then the plant will grow strong, healthy and incredibly beautiful. Perhaps it will delight you with a useful, juicy and tasty harvest, well, or become a real exotic decoration for your home.
