Lychee Tree questions

1) What do you feed them?

2) Mine has the erinose mite. Any suggestions on treatment?

Thanks, Anu

Anu, I cannot offer much information that would be relevant to growing Lychees in Hawaii. But I can say that the owner of Pine Island Nursery, from whom I bought my Lychees, told me that of the trees they grow, the Lychee is the most sensitive to overfertilization. He told me that the leaves are quick to brown, starting at the edges, with too much fert.

stressbaby,

You have Lychee trees in Fulton? How old are they?

I got one last year, the other early this spring. I have them in ground beds in the greenhouse. The older one (Brewster) is just doing so-so, but it is right next to a huge DC banana which, of course, likes plenty of fertilizer. I got blooms and a little fruit set this spring but I lost the fruit. The newer one (Sweetheart) is doing better in a different spot...in fact, right now it is putting on a major growth flush, the 3rd and biggest one so far this year.

They are fussy trees.

Call or come by if you are ever in the neighborhood.

They're fussy, and they get HUGE. =) Was just wondering what you're going to do with them, when they out-grow the greenhouse. ;)

Perhaps when the weather gets warmer again, we may just do that. 94's a good daytrip road, and I haven't taken it past Herman in ages. =) Likewise, if you get to wine country, lemme know. =)

lol SB....what are you going to do with them once they outgrow your grhouse....how are those skylights coming along? Found a contractor yet??? lol

When they outgrow the greenhouse, she can send them to me. I have one and rarely get any fertilizer. Once or twice a year it may get a bit of diluted Miracle Grow. Mine has been in the ground about 3-4 years. The first year or 2 it didn't do much. The 3rd year if flowered and set a bit of fruit which was promptly blown away in a freak tropical storm. This year it bloomed and gave me 20 mature fruit. I savoured 1 a day for 20 days. LOL I did start 2 trees from the seeds but it will be at least 10 years before they produce from what I have read. I would like to get a couple dwarf varieties also.
Jan...

Hey, at the rate my lychee trees are growing I don't think I'll live long enough to see them outgrow the GH! Now I have a few other tropical fruit trees that could become a problem...

Anu, I'm sorry, but I realized we never directly addressed your question.

I top dress with some well-rotted manure a couple of times a year, and then 2-3 times a year I'll give them a little diluted Miracid...that's it for fert.

My impression is that the young foliage is sensitive to sprays of many types, but that the matured foliage tolerates most insecticidal sprays. Therefore, whatever you do, do it between growth flushes.

I killed one of my young ones when it got oversprayed from a nearby tree I was treating with an insectidical spray so be careful what you use. I've never had insect problems with mine.

Anu,
Call 808-453-6055 on Oahu and ask for their handout on growing Lychee in Hawaii. The handout is written by the University of Hawaii college of Tropical Agriculture. If you get a recording, leave your name, address and request. The above number is for the Master Gardener Help Line.
Good Luck,
RubyB

budgie....SB is a guy-only a guy would fill his grhouse with every tropical fruit tree known to man.....lol

Yep. But ya gotta give him some credit. I couldn't live in cold climates with tropicals that have to be dug up every year and dragged in. I like mine out there year round.

I know what you mean budgielover. I guess I never thought about it before but all the people up North need an award for being just dedicated gardeners.

I start with mostly small plants because I can't dig big holes and if I had to dig it back up after a season in my yard I don't know if I'd do it.

Stressbaby ~ yeah, I noticed that too & even thought about saying "hey, what about me?" or something, but i was enjoying the banter so much I kept mum.

Thanks everyone for your info, etc. : ) Anu

Sorry Anu, my bad!! lol I couldn't resist teasing SB about his tropical fruit tree obssesion!

Where is Holualoa? Used to live on Maui and the Big Island myself.

rofl

Well Eggs....I don't think you will have the heighth issues with hops and barley-not that I have grown any. I get as carried away as SB-probably more so, but I do make an effort to not be poking holes in the grhouse ! Like I said-its a guy thing lol

I was thumbing through some old nursery receipts just now and made an interesting discovery. The 'Brewster' lychee, the slower growing tree, came from the same nursery that my painfully slow growing 'Carrie' mango came from. The very vigorous 'Sweetheart' lychee came from the same nursery that the very vigorous 'Cogshall' mango came from. I see a pattern here. I don't like it, either, because I have my eye on a couple of other plants from nursery number one that I cannot find anywhere else.

You know I had to look into it. =)

Let's keep it simple. The basic ingredients for beer are water, malt, hops, and yeast.

Water is plentiful. (Desert gardens eggscepted, of course.)

Point, Beer.

Malt comes from bringing grain to its highest point of possible soluble startch content, by allowing it to germinate. Barley is the grain we'll need. Malt barley grows to about 3'. (There are semi-dwarf varieties of barley, being tested.) I.have a 6'10" ceiling, in my greenhouse. Again, point, Beer. (Bonus point added for being able to grow the barley on a shelf, above the barley on the floor (There's room. I already did the math.), thereby doubling my barley harvest.)

Score: Beer 3 - NoBeer 0

It seems hops are grown on a trellis, on seven foot (for the most part) centers. I could make a trellis in my 8x12 greenhouse. =) *whew* this is gonna be a skunking, I think! (The score, not the beer. ;) )

Beer 4 - NoBeer 0

Yeast. Hmm.. This might present a problem. As I don't really have access to any Yeast Extract, Bactopeptone, etc., I can't grow any yeast. Bah!

Beer 4 - NoBeer 1

When all is said and done, it almost seems imperative, in a Destiny kinda way, to give it a try. Don't you think? =)


Ahh... the gardening dreams of Winter. Good grief, it's only November! *sigh*

Tigerlily123: Holualoa is in North Kona, south & above Kailua-Kona, at about 1,200 ft or so...I lived on Maui too in Napili & Kula. Aloha, Anu

Anu, aren't there coffee farms up there? A good friend's b-in-law has one somewhere around there. I think. It's very nice there-great views.
I lived in Puna-in Opihikao, which is on the way to Kalapana (where the volcano is going off) just past Pahoa.

My son was born in Napili Sands apt! We lived in Honokohau Valley which was past Honolua Valley ( where the good surfing break is) , past Kapalua. Kula is a beautiful spot, I had friends that lived there, but cold at night!

Eggs, I got no hops, no barley, but if you come visit, you'll see I do have a fridge in the garage with the finished product!

HEH Good enuf for me! =)