A Detailed Guide to Lychee Cultivation Methods and Ripening Times

Lychee is a very common fruit, and it is abundant in summer. Every year when lychees hit the market, they attract many buyers, so there are now many people who want to grow them to increase their own economic returns. But before planting, surely more people are still more concerned about its cultivation techniques.

How to plant lychee

1. Choose a good orchard site. For high-yield lychee cultivation, it is ideal to choose an open site with a slope below 30 degrees, loose and fertile soil, and a water source, on hilly or sloping land as a development orchard.

2. Reasonably determine planting density. Generally, on mountain land, a row spacing and plant spacing of 3.5×3.5 m or 3.5×4 m, with 50-60 plants per mu, is a more reasonable density.

3. Dig large holes and apply enough base fertilizer. For orchards reclaimed on hilly land, according to the row spacing specifications, build contour terrace strips or contour trenches. Then, according to the selected plant spacing, dig planting holes at fixed points. The hole specifications are 1 m each in length, width, and depth, and for each hole apply 40 kg of composted and thoroughly decomposed organic fertilizer such as garbage compost, green manure, barnyard manure, and pig and cattle dung as base fertilizer.

4. Plant carefully. When planting, hold the seedling with one hand and gently backfill fine soil with the other, backfilling until it covers about 2 cm above the roots, water thoroughly to settle the roots, then continue backfilling with soil, and when the backfilled soil is about 10 cm above the ground, form a tree basin, then cover with thatch or fern grass to retain moisture, and set up a support beside the seedling to prevent wind from shaking the seedling loose and causing death. After planting, water once every 3 days on sunny days, pay attention to drainage to prevent waterlogging on rainy days, and check survival after 30 days and replant in time.

5. Fertilization measures. Lychee needs to be fertilized 3-4 times a year, with one fertilization in each seasonal transition period. The base fertilizer per mu needs about 1500 kg of decomposed farmyard manure and about 45 kg of NPK compound fertilizer. After each time the leaves turn green, foliar fertilizers such as phosphate fertilizer and superphosphate can be sprayed. Half a month before flower bud differentiation begins, about 10 jin of high-phosphorus water-soluble fertilizer can be applied per mu. Before physiological fruit drop, high-potassium water-soluble fertilizer can be applied. To replenish tree nutrients after fruit harvest, a balanced water-soluble fertilizer can be applied. In topdressing, the amount should be controlled well, and fertilizer should not be applied arbitrarily.

When lychee ripens

The lychee ripening season is generally June to July, and the main producing area is Guangdong Province. However, some varieties are different, and the ripening season will also differ somewhat. Early-maturing lychee ripens in March, Yuanzhi lychee ripens in May, Heiye lychee ripens in June, and Gualv lychee ripens in July. Generally, the lychee varieties that ripen concentrated in June and July are the most numerous and also the most delicious.

How to prune lychee fruit trees

1. Pruning of fruiting trees is divided into autumn pruning and winter pruning. Autumn pruning is carried out within one month after fruit harvest, and some is carried out before the second autumn shoot sprouts. Winter pruning is completed at the end of winter and beginning of spring before new shoots sprout or before flower spikes are produced.

2. Pruning of adult fruiting trees should be relatively heavy, so as to concentrate nutrients, ensure strong and healthy branch growth, and increase the fruit-setting rate; for old trees, it depends on the tree vigor. When there are many and weak branches, pruning should be heavy to promote the sprouting of strong new shoots; when there are few and weak branches, pruning should be light.

3. The key work should also be placed on rejuvenating and renewing the root system. Usually, excessively dense branches, shaded branches, weak branches, overlapping branches, drooping branches, severely diseased and pest-damaged branches, flower- and fruit-dropping branches, and dead branches are cut off.

4. Pruning methods use heading back and thinning out. When pruning, it is advisable to start from the large branches inside the canopy and proceed toward the outer part of the canopy. After pruning, the degree is reached when the branches are evenly distributed and "money eyes" appear under the canopy.

Common pests of lychee and their control

1. Longhorn beetle. Manually capture adult beetles, and from August to December often inspect branches. If semicircular egg-laying spots are found in the bark, use a small knife to scrape off the eggs or newly hatched larvae; use a cotton ball dipped in 5-10 times diluted dimethoate or dichlorvos emulsion and insert it into the boring tunnel; using "Keniuling" capsule fumigant to kill larvae has a better effect.

2. Lychee erineum mite. Clean the orchard, prune and burn damaged leaves to reduce the source of mites; spray with 20% dicofol at 800-1000 times dilution, or 40% dimethoate at 1000 times dilution, or use propargite, pyridaben, etc.

When planting lychee, the first thing to do is the site selection work, and then plant at the appropriate time. The fertilizer and water management after planting must be done well. If you want lychee to grow well, pruning is also a key step. Lychee is also very susceptible to pest invasion, so pest control work cannot be relaxed either.