What are the growing environment requirements for lychee? A detailed explanation of the latest cultivation conditions
Lychee is a very popular fruit in our country. It has many varieties, among which the most common is Feizixiao. Lychee is now grown over a fairly wide area, mainly concentrated in southern China. However, growing lychee is not as simple as it seems. This is because lychee has certain requirements for its growing environment, so what exactly are those requirements? Let's take a look together below!
1. Temperature
Lychee is a subtropical fruit, and the temperature in its main production areas is generally around 25°C. Lychee has fairly high temperature requirements, and it is precisely because of temperature that many places cannot grow it. The most suitable growing temperature for lychee is around 24-28°C. Below 12°C, its growth rate drops noticeably. However, in winter it also needs to stay at low temperatures for a period of time, to prevent excessive vegetative growth of lychee and promote flower bud differentiation in the second year. In spring, it can only begin to flower when the temperature is above 10°C, and it enters full bloom at around 20°C. If there is prolonged low temperature during the flowering and fruiting period, it will cause lychee flowers and fruit to drop, and in severe cases the entire crop can be lost.
2. Water
Water is very important for the growth of lychee, and water is also a major component of lychee. The annual rainfall in the growing area must be at least above 1200 mm. However, lychee has different water requirements at different growth stages. During the flowering period, water should be reduced and rain protection should be done well. If there is too much water, the pollination and fertilization rate will decrease. Rain during the young fruit stage should also not be too much, as it easily causes fruit drop and similar problems. However, a certain level of humidity should still be maintained, because the root absorption capacity of young trees is weak and is greatly affected by changes in soil moisture. Finally, drainage work should also be done well, because when there is too much water, soil permeability will decline, causing root rot and other adverse phenomena.
3. Light
Lychee is a subtropical plant, so its light requirements are also relatively high. The growing area needs to maintain an annual sunshine duration of more than 1700 hours. Sufficient light can enhance photosynthesis in lychee, increase the accumulation of photosynthetic substances in lychee, and promote flower bud differentiation. It enhances fruit quality and increases commercial value. Therefore, we must provide sufficient light for lychee. When the branches and leaves of the lychee tree are too dense, there is less light and insufficient nutrition, and the flowering rate declines. However, attention should be paid to light intensity, because if the light is too strong, it will increase water evaporation, cause flowers to dry up, and reduce the pollination and fertilization rate.
4. Wind
Wind actually also has a great impact on the growth of lychee. Wind can not only regulate temperature, but also has effects such as pollination. Usually, for a lychee tree about 2.5 m tall, pollen spread by wind will be distributed within a range of about 10 m in diameter centered on the canopy. However, if a northwest wind blows during the lychee flowering period, it will cause the styles to dry up and reduce the pollination rate. Attention should also be paid to controlling wind volume, especially during fruit development, because it makes lychee trees prone to fruit drop and branch breakage, seriously affecting cultivation returns. Therefore, when establishing an orchard, we should pay attention to selecting the plot well and preparing windbreak facilities.
The above is a brief introduction to the growing environment requirements of lychee. Lychee has relatively strict environmental requirements for growth, so many places cannot grow it. In addition to the above, soil, nutrition and so on are also things we need to pay much attention to when growing it. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you everyone for reading and supporting.