A Detailed Guide to the Latest Precautions for Growing Lychees

Lychees are suited to growing in regions with a relatively mild climate year-round, and the main lychee-producing areas in China are Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Yunnan, Taiwan, China, Hainan and other places. If you want a high yield from the lychees you grow, there are many things you need to pay attention to during the growing process. Now follow along with the editor to learn about the precautions for growing lychees.

1. Site

Lychees have certain requirements for the planting site. Generally speaking, we all know that a lychee orchard site has a very open view, and the planting land has a certain slope, about fifteen to twenty-five degrees. Next, the soil of the site must be fertile, the soil texture loose, and the water source abundant; a sunny slope is best.

2. Time

Lychee planting also has timing requirements. Generally, we sow in April each year when the temperature rises, continuing until June; sowing is possible throughout this period, and the seedling emergence rate of lychees sown then is very high. Of course, we can also choose to sow in August and September. Although the seedling emergence rate is also high then, winter temperatures are lower, so protective measures need to be taken well, otherwise the seedling mortality rate is very high.

3. Density

When planting, we must pay attention to adjusting the density. The planting density should not be too dense, but the land resources must also be fully used, so generally fifty to sixty lychee trees are planted per mu. That is, the row spacing of each lychee tree is three point five to four meters, and the plant spacing is three to three point five meters. Moreover, we should also properly adjust the plant height of the lychee trees, preferably controlling it at around one point five to two meters.

4. Temperature

The growth of lychee trees is very sensitive to temperature. Once the temperature changes, the lychee trees also react noticeably. The temperature suitable for lychee tree growth is around eighteen to thirty-five degrees, while the optimal temperature for lychee growth is twenty-five to thirty degrees. When the temperature is below fifteen degrees, we need to carry out insulation treatment, or use greenhouses and other techniques to raise the temperature. And if the temperature is above thirty-eight degrees, we need to lower the temperature by increasing ventilation, watering and other methods.

5. Water and Fertilizer

Lychee fertilization is mainly pre-flowering fertilizer and fruit-swelling fertilizer. The pre-flowering fertilizer is mainly organic fertilizer, used together with about four jin of compound fertilizer and a full two jin of potassium fertilizer. The fruit-swelling fertilizer is generally two jin to four jin of compound fertilizer plus one jin to three jin of urea as a top dressing, and appropriately spraying foliar fertilizer to maintain tree vigor is enough. Lychees are also relatively sensitive to water. During the heading stage of lychees, the soil must be kept moist, and drought must not occur; while during the fruit growth and development stage, moisture must be kept balanced, otherwise it will affect the quality of the lychee fruit, causing problems such as fruit cracking, or bland and not-sweet fruit.

6. Light

During the branch and leaf growth stage and the flower bud differentiation stage of lychees, their light requirements are not very high either, but light is still needed; that is to say, during this period they are averse to strong light. If the light is too strong, phenomena such as withered filaments, difficult pollination and dehydration are very likely to occur, so we should build shade sheds and properly adjust the light intensity. However, during the fruit ripening stage, the light intensity needs to be increased; if the light intensity is insufficient, it will affect the quality of the lychees.

The above are the several issues I want to tell everyone to pay attention to when growing lychees. Of course, we also need to pay attention to scientific pesticide use. Although some pesticides are very commonly used in lychee growing, we must also pay attention to the dosage on blank spaces and tender shoots as well as the timing of use, and must not abuse them casually.