Hi Bihai,

Sown NOW! Do not let them dry out. Keep the soil moist and warm.

If the skins are dark, the fruits might have been refrigerated and the seeds
will not germinate.

Rambutan seedlings require high humidity and soft water. Dried leaves can be a sign of either problem.

Unfortunately, they take a very long time to bear fruit from seed (7+ years) and sexes are in separate trees.

Good luck, and keep up us posted...

The skins are white, no dark spots, so they must have been unrefrigerated. They were yummy! I will plant all of them and see what happens! Thank you for the info. I appreciate it.

Hey Bihai,

Funny I should see this post, I just bought a couple myself from Publix on the way back from work. Were they retailing for $1.00 for two? I bought six and have just about consumed them all. I agree, these were not previously frozen (refrigerated perhaps, but not frozen). That means at 4C (rather than -20C the seeds should remain viable. I would sow them within two days in good loamy soil, about an inch deep. Keep the soil moist, and definitely not waterlogged. Rambutan seeds are notoriously susceptible to fungal root, which waterlogged environments tend to foster.

Have fun with them and let us know how you fare!

Marcelo

Now here is the shot I posted in the tropical fruits section before they disappeared in my greedy mouth, LOL....

I had many of my plants stored under a Rambutan tree and now have many seedlings growing in the pots .
Have kept some to plant out . I enjoy them , love the look of the yellow one , it tastes the same as the red .

Yep, Publix, 50 cents each! I got 4, ate them IMMEDIATELY. I just planted the seeds.

I buy them at the Korean grocery for $5 a pound. I never thought to plant the seeds. I'll have to try it. Do you grow lychee seeds the same way?
Karyn

Lychee is usually only propagated by marcots , it is very variable by seed . The Chinese figured out how to do marcotting hundreds of years ago , and have selected many super sweet varieties many with only tiny 'chicken tongue ' seeds inside . These do not bear well in the tropics , seem to do much better in sub-tropical climate .
Always ready just in time for Christmas were I used to live . I got a box full as a gift from a mates wife .Peeled sliced fruit was keep in the freezer for champagne & Lychee daiquiris on new years eve ..

Champagne and lychee daiquiris sound yummy! Not to be a complete idiot but what does "propagate by marcots" mean?
Karyn

Marcotting or air layering is another easy way to propagate hardwood cuttings and produce a replicate plant of quickened maturity. Although marcotting is derived from the French word marcotter, meaning to layer, this technique is attributed to Hindustan, where the practice is known as 'gootee'. Traditionally they used cow poo for packing material, but shredded sphagnum moss is probably preferable for most people.

A great advantage of marcotting is the near-certainty of success for rooting. Unlike cuttings, which are removed from the parent, a marcot remains and continues to be fed by the parent. Choose a healthy limb with a diameter of approximately 20mm. Using a knife or secateurs, cut a section through- but only just - the bark and cambium. Remove the entire bark and cambium layer with pliers to expose a length of branch. The use of rooting hormones is optional but they do promote rooting action. Paul uses indolebutyric acid - IBA - at 5,000ppm. He makes up his own solution, as he considers it to be more effective in a liquid form than as a powder.

Soak the moss in water and squeeze handfuls out until it is only moist, then put a handful in a plastic bag. Cut a slit across the bag and place the cut part of the bag onto the bare section of limb. Wrap the rest of the bag tightly around the limb and secure with a tie or tape. The greatest threat to success is bag destruction by birds and other pests.

When the bag is packed with compressed roots, after three months or so, sever the marcots from the main branch. These must be kept immersed in water and potted up as soon as possible. Remove about 1/3 of the foliage. Carefully remove the wrapping. Whatever you do, do not tickle the roots, as marcot roots are extremely brittle. Pot up into a smaller rather than a larger pot and only use thoroughly composted potting mix. Do not add fertiliser. Once potted up, remove to a protected area - shady with high humidity is often the ideal. Keep there until new growth commences. Once the plant is established, sun-harden it off. By this time, its roots have become strong enough to be tickled out and planted out.

Thanks. I didn't realize that was another term for air layering. I've done that quite successfully on quite a few plants. Too bad I don't know anyone with a lychee tree. lol I guess I'll just plant some of the rhambutan seeds.
Karyn