The Latest Technical Methods and Tutorial for Lychee Field Management

Lychee is a very popular fruit with high nutritional value, but it should not be eaten too much, as it can cause excess internal heat. Because it is often impossible to eat one's fill in a single sitting, people always feel they cannot get enough. Lychee is a warmth-loving plant, and in China it is basically grown in Guangzhou, Fujian and other places. Nowadays the uses of lychee are becoming ever broader, so the planting area and output of lychee still need to be increased. So today let us learn about lychee field management techniques.

1. Fertilization

Fertilization of lychee needs to be divided according to the growth stage of the lychee tree. First, we divide it into two major stages, namely the young tree stage and the fruiting stage. The young tree stage of lychee is mainly for promoting the development of branches and leaves, so as far as possible we should apply fertilizer multiple times throughout its entire growth process, with an appropriate amount each time, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, along with an appropriate amount of compound fertilizer, potassium fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer, and a small amount of boron fertilizer and zinc fertilizer. For fertilization of lychee trees at the fruiting stage, we need to further divide it into three small stages. The first stage is pre-flowering fertilizer, mainly nitrogen fertilizer with an appropriate amount of potassium fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer. The second is fruit-swelling fertilizer, mainly potassium fertilizer, supplemented with phosphate 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 on average at least seven or eight rounds of intertillage and weeding per year, and this needs to be analyzed specifically according to the growth conditions of the weeds, so as to promote the development of the lychee tree's root system and reduce nutrient consumption. Mature lychee trees usually need only three to four rounds of intertillage and weeding per year, respectively before flowering, around fruit harvest, and in autumn and winter, so as to 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. Therefore, we only need to water when rainfall is relatively low and drain promptly when there is too much water in the field. For mature lychee trees, watering and drainage have several points to note. For example, when the branches and leaves of the lychee tree are growing and lack water, watering should be carried out. Next is watering during the flowering period, and then watering at the early stage of fruit development, but water should be reduced as much as possible in the later stage, because the fruit needs to accumulate sugar, otherwise the lychee will not be sweet. Finally, when heavy rainfall occurs, drainage must be carried out promptly, otherwise many common lychee diseases will be triggered.

4. Pruning

Pruning of lychee branches and leaves is also carried out 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 lychee tree shape. In the early stage, we mainly promote the growth of the main trunk and main branches, and 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, which can increase lychee yield to a certain extent.

5. Pollination

When planting lychee trees, we have already arranged pollinator trees in a certain ratio, but now many orchards often use artificial assisted pollination to increase the success rate of lychee pollination. For example, beehives are placed in the orchard during the lychee flowering period, and next, pollen is collected manually, then artificial pollination is carried out using the dipping method, the detached-panel method and the spraying method. When the pollination success rate is increased, it means the lychee yield is also increased.

6. Disease prevention

Lychee has many diseases and insect pests, such as anthracnose, downy mildew, leaf blight, fruit cracking disease, phytophthora blight, lychee stink bug, inchworm, longhorn beetle, thrips, borers and scale insects. Therefore, we need to carry out prevention and control according to specific situations. As for the specific prevention and control of diseases and pests, we can refer to the previous article on common lychee disease and pest control.