Florence Grovida Gardening

Planting out lychee trees

• How to Prune a Bonsai Tree

You should prepare a large planting hole, at least ten times larger than the container, but do not dig down into the sub-soil. To the soil you've removed add 500 g of rock phosphate, 200 g of lime or dolomite, 15 kg of compost and five kg of fowl manure. Mix this well and plant the tree in the mixture. Do not plant it too deeply, to allow for adequate drainage. Mulch the tree thickly with hay or straw taking care to leave

15 cm clear around the trunk. Water in the trees thoroughly and keep them moist until the plants are well established.

After three to four years prune back the main terminal branches in spring, removing up to 15 cm of the tip to create a more compact tree and produce larger crops. For the first year, add 100 g of chicken manure each month to promote strong vegetative growth. After this time, fertilise each spring with ten kg of compost and three kg of fowl manure. Apply no fertiliser after the spring of the third year, if tree health and vigour are good. The lean and hungry lychee tree is one that crops!

Although adequate moisture is essential during spring and summer, water should be withheld in autumn and winter to discourage vegetative growth and promote flowering. The trees will begin to bear at four to five years. The lychee is a heavy bearer when conditions are favourable. Seven to eight year old trees should produce up to 45 kg of fruit, with ten to 12 year old trees carrying 60 to 70 kg. Older trees should produce more than 200 to 300 kg. The main disease of lychee is collar rot which can be controlled by allowing adequate air to circulate around the trunk at ground level.

Lychee erinose mite and soft scale are the main pests attacking lychee trees. During spring and summer months, foliar fertilise the trees with seaweed spray every four to six weeks to promote optimum health and vigour which will lessen the chances of insect attack. Lychee trees can live as long as 400 years. The flavour of this fruit is delicious and quite distinctive in its own right — many people liken it to that of a prime muscat grape.