litchee planting?

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by Kada, Mar 12, 2007.

  1. Kada

    Kada Active Member 10 Years

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    i am havign a hard time with keeping seedlings alive. they have a very good germination rate adn they usually get to 5cm or so but then they always start damping off. i am told they can be tricky. any tips?
     
  2. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    I found them quite easy to grow as pot plants indoors, but prone to the tips of the leaves turning brown and looking ugly. They need reasonably good drainage (don't overwater), but also humid air - it was dry indoor air that made the leaf tips die back fo me. They also need acidic soil.

    You should be able to grow them outdoors in Taiwan, as long as you're in the coastal lowlands.
     
  3. Kada

    Kada Active Member 10 Years

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    indeed, they grow lots here. i am wanting to plant a small feild with them without buying plants (i am cheap). but i cannot get the things to grow good, or i should say past 10cm high. i think it may be my soil as it is not acidic in the least. i used a 1/4 soil that is clay like but not, 1/4 sand, and the rest was a light loam kind of. i think i may mix some peat in to bring up acidic levels. you think thats any good?
     
  4. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Peat would not be a good idea - it would decompose very quickly if drainage was good enough for lychees. Acidic sandy soil would be better. But any form of soil amending would need to be done over a huge area (the full rooting width and depth over the trees' total lifespan). Amending a small area might make the young trees grow well for a few years, until they get too large for the acidified soil, and then they will fail. Are there other people growing them close to where you are, in the same soil, or are all the growers in different areas where the soil is better?

    Remember that seedling-grown plants will be of very variable quality! If you want to establish an orchard for commercial sales, you will need grafted trees of known cultivars with good fruit quality.
     
  5. Kada

    Kada Active Member 10 Years

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    no not commercial. i am planting other crops for selling, these are purely for fun and family. and they live a long time, i want some small OLD trees in time.

    the dirt here is comprable to garbage. we are looking to buy some property in more fertile areas in which i plan on completely redoing. i am looking into tera prett and similar things to try and make the land very fertile and very efficient.

    the land i see other trees on seem rather fertile as there are many fruit farms nearby (expecially mango). i may consider some grafting as well if i can ask some farmers for a few cuts.

    thanks for the help :)
     

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