Key Points of Guiwei Lychee Cultivation and Management Techniques

There are many places that produce lychee, but the famous ones are only in Lingnan; there are many varieties of lychee, but the delicious lychees are only a few kinds: Feizixiao, Nuomici, and Guiwei. Lingnan's Guiwei lychee is famous throughout the world for its small pit, sweet taste, and a hint of osmanthus fragrance. So how are delicious Guiwei lychees grown?

Guiwei Lychee Management Techniques

1. Timely fertilization

After Guiwei lychee bears a large amount of fruit, it consumes a large amount of nutrients, and the leaves easily turn light yellow, which of course affects photosynthesis. The first autumn shoots that emerge will appear uneven, and may even affect the sprouting and timely maturation of the second and third autumn shoots. Therefore, timely topdressing and watering are needed to improve tree vigor and ensure that the final autumn shoots can emerge in mid-October, which is very important for increasing yield.

2. Moderate pruning

The Guiwei lychee tree shape is relatively loose. After harvesting the fruit, moderate retractive pruning should be carried out, lightly cutting off a section from the top of the fruiting branches, removing the leader fork, down to the middle-lower part of the previous year's fruiting branches. Some drooping branches should also be cut off. When the autumn shoots emerge 5-10 cm, carry out bud thinning and branch thinning, leaving 2 shoots per base branch for the first autumn shoots, and 1 shoot for other autumn shoots. This can promote the sprouting of new shoots.

3. Flower and fruit protection

During the early stage of flower spike growth, Guiwei lychee is easily affected by low temperatures, which affects the flower formation rate and fruit setting rate. Spraying nucleotides can effectively enhance leaf photosynthesis and also enhance the ability to resist low-temperature overcast and rainy weather, helping to increase both the flower formation rate and fruit setting rate. Spiral girdling technology can also be adopted, which can not only prolong the flowering period but also reduce fruit drop.

4. Shoot control and protection

If the final autumn shoots emerge too late or too early, corresponding measures need to be taken. If the final autumn shoots emerge too early, they are prone to growing “excessively”, so paclobutrazol should be sprayed in a timely manner to inhibit their growth, or spiral girdling technology should be used to girdle the trunk and main branches. If the final autumn shoots emerge too late, a combination of organic and inorganic foliar fertilizers should be used, spraying the leaves 1-2 times to promote rapid maturation. Excess winter shoots should be removed manually or eliminated with shoot-killing agents.

Pruning Methods for Guiwei Lychee Trees

1. Shaping and pruning of young trees

Young trees are mostly shaped with a round-headed main branch form, completed within 2~3 days after planting. Young tree pruning and shaping are carried out simultaneously. Before new shoots emerge, methods such as pinching, heading back, thinning, and bud removal are used to inhibit shoot growth and promote branching. It should be light rather than heavy, mainly cutting off crossing branches, overly dense branches, curved branches, weak small branches, and flower spikes that are not allowed to bear fruit, so that nutrients are effectively used to expand the canopy. After pruning, apply a wound healing and antiseptic film to the wounds so they heal quickly.

2. Shaping and pruning of fruiting trees

Autumn shoots are the fruiting mother branches of lychee, and generally only 1~2 new shoots are cultivated. The first shoot release should be in mid-to-late July; the second shoot release should be in late September. Water and fertilize reasonably according to plant needs, and spray new high-lipid film to retain fertilizer and moisture.

3. Post-harvest pruning

After harvesting the fruit, promptly cut off the fruit stalks and the dry branches, dead branches, and undesirable branches damaged during harvesting, as well as the late autumn shoots that emerge after End of Heat; retain as much as possible the sunny branches, strong branches, and well-growing horizontal branches. After pruning, clean the orchard in a timely manner and carry out centralized harmless treatment. After pruning, apply a wound healing and antiseptic film to the wounds so they heal quickly, and spray Hushu Jiangjun to ensure safe overwintering.

What Is Guiwei Lychee

Guiwei, also known as Guizhi, is named for containing the fragrance of osmanthus. It is one of the finest varieties, and the best is produced in the suburbs of Guangzhou and Lingshan County, Guangxi. Guiwei has two strains: Quanhong and Yatoulu. The fruit is round and spherical, the shell is light red, thin and crisp; the cracked segments are raised, small and pointed, and there is a relatively deep ring groove around the fruit top from both sides of the stem, these two being the characteristics of Guiwei; the flesh is yellow-white, soft and plump, the pit is small, the taste is very sweet, and it matures in early July.

How to Distinguish Guiwei Lychee, Feizixiao, and Nuomici

1. Guiwei is relatively small, and the branch attached to the fruit is also relatively thin. The spikes on the skin are very prickly to the hand, and the bottom is pointed. The flesh is juicy, crisp, fresh-tasting, and the pit is small.

2. The skin of Feizixiao is generally sold relatively green, and the spikes on the skin are very dense, the size is relatively large, and the shape I think is like a strawberry. The flesh is sweet with a bit of sourness, and the pit is small.

3. Nuomici is larger than Guiwei, the fruit shape is like a small tomato, the bottom is round, and the skin is relatively smooth with few spikes. The flesh is thick and juicy, but not as crisp as Guiwei, and the pit is small.

Besides Guiwei, Feizixiao and Nuomici are also excellent among lychees. There are many cases of false advertising in the market, so we must keep our eyes open when choosing lychees. In addition, growing Guiwei lychee is also a very good choice, but be sure to pay attention to the management methods.