Detailed Explanation of Key Field Management Techniques for Lychee

Lychee is a common seasonal fruit in summer, sweet and juicy, tender and delicious, and many farmers grow lychee. Good field management techniques can increase lychee yields. So, what field management techniques are there for lychee? Let's take a look together!

1. Fertilization

Fertilization needs to be divided according to the growth stages of the lychee tree. First, we divide it into two major phases, namely the young tree stage and the fruiting stage. During the young tree stage, the lychee tree is mainly meant to promote the development of branches and leaves, so we should fertilize as many times as possible throughout the entire young tree stage, with an appropriate amount each time. At the same time, nitrogen fertilizer should be the main type, with appropriate use of compound fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, and phosphorus fertilizer, as well as a small amount of boron fertilizer and zinc fertilizer. Fertilization for lychee trees in the fruiting stage needs to be further divided into three small stages. The first stage is pre-flowering fertilizer, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, with appropriate use of potassium fertilizer and phosphorus fertilizer. The second is fruit-swelling fertilizer, mainly potassium fertilizer, supplemented with phosphorus fertilizer and nitrogen fertilizer. The third is post-fruit fertilizer, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, supplemented with other trace fertilizers.

2. Weeding

Weeding should also be carried out according to the growth stage of the lychee tree. Young lychee trees need at least seven to eight rounds of intertillage and weeding on average per year, and this needs to be analyzed specifically according to the growth of weeds. This can promote the development of the lychee tree's root system and reduce nutrient consumption. Mature lychee trees usually only need three to four rounds of intertillage and weeding per year, respectively before flowering, before and after fruit harvest, and in autumn and winter. This can enhance soil permeability while promoting root growth and nutrient absorption.

3. Watering

Young lychee trees develop their root systems relatively slowly, so they are shallow-rooted plants. We only need to water when rainfall is relatively low and drain promptly when there is excess water in the field. For mature lychee trees, there are several points to note regarding watering and drainage. For example, when the lychee tree is growing branches and leaves and lacks water, it should be watered. Next, it should be watered during the flowering period. Then, it should be watered in the early stage of fruit development, but later on, water should be reduced as much as possible because the fruit needs to accumulate sugar, otherwise the lychee will not be sweet. Finally, when heavy rainfall occurs, drainage should be carried out promptly, otherwise it will cause many common lychee diseases.

4. Pruning

Pruning the branches and leaves of lychee is also done in stages. For young fruit trees, we mainly prune some of the relatively messy branches and leaves growing at the lower part of the lychee tree to maintain the growth of the tree shape. In the early stage, we mainly promote the growth of the main branches. When they have grown to a certain extent, appropriate pruning is needed to promote the growth of side branches. For mature fruit trees, we need to prune according to the principles of keeping the strong and removing the weak, keeping the new and removing the old, and keeping the good and removing the diseased. This can increase lychee yields to a certain extent.

5. Pollination

When planting lychee trees, pollinator trees were already matched in a certain proportion, but now many orchards often use artificial supplementary pollination to increase the success rate of lychee pollination. For example, during the lychee flowering period, bee colonies are kept, and then pollen is collected manually, followed by artificial pollination using the dipping method, the detached-panel method, and the spraying method. An increased pollination success rate means increased lychee yields.

6. Disease Prevention

There are many diseases and pests of lychee, such as anthracnose, downy mildew, leaf blight, fruit cracking disease, phytophthora blight, lychee stink bug, inchworm, longhorn beetle, thrips, borers, and scale insects, among others. We need to carry out prevention and control according to specific conditions.

The above is a brief introduction to field management techniques for lychee. I hope it can help you!