Hi Jalilu, It is tough to tell the variety from the pic but Kaimana comes to mind since mine have a similar shortened stature. Is that plant getting full sun? Maybe bump it up a pot size? Give it some more fert. with micronutrients? Has it been fully leafed out and dropped most of it's leaves since then? Tough call. Chris

Hi Chris

Thanks for your reply. I was wondering why nobody gave me an answer, despite the number of lychee growers in this forum!

This plant is getting full sun during morning and early afternoon, except in late autumn and winter, as the yard is surrounded by tall buildings (East, South and West). It was fully leafed till the easterly wind dried a lot of them. This wind is a major problem for plant growers living close to the Strait of Gibraltar. I used to periodically fertilize it with diluted 20-20-20 (plus micronutrients), but this year I switched to composted manure plus compost mulch and alfalfa pellets.

You're probably right about Kaimana, as it bloomed in late January, despite the cool and damp weather. I should probably replace it by Brewster#3, as I have no more room for another tree.

Jalilu

Jalilu,

I have looked at your post and didn't know exactly what to say of your plant at first ... One thing for sure, I think your lychee will need a stake to keep the stem on an upright position so it gets sunshine evenly on the branches? For me, I will do it just to train the stem to have a healthy upright growth.

As for the pruning, I have been told to prune it in mid July after blooming. Has your lychee bloomed for you yet? I see some straggling branches. If I had to guess, hold off the pruning until mid July since lychee does have a cycle to follow with pruning and blooming. When it comes time to prune, just prune so the branches on the crown look evenly distributed.

I don't know what variety it is, but it does have an interesting branching habit
with branches mostly coming off at one central point. With the feeding, I would be on the side of caution. I've killed a couple of my lychee plants by feeding it with a spike. Lychees are sensitive to root burn caused by fertilizers. Right now, I only use fish emulsion or compost. Even so, I only give it a very light application each month when they are not in fruit production.

Your plant does look rather healthy to me. Give it a nice sunny location and I think it should be happy there. However, if it hasn't been in full sun yet, try slowly moving it to the sunny location in order not to over stress it. Lychees also love a good watering, but not soaking wet all the time ... just allow some drying time in between. I hope your plant will keep growing for you this Summer and perhaps you'll see some blooms next year.

Hi Bananafan

Thanks for your reply. This plant bloomed in January and rebloomed again, after I removed all dead flowers in March. I waited for a reply, then removed all dead tip of branches and shorten some other, before getting a comment. I suppose that you live in the Southern hemisphere, as you said that pruning should be done in mid July. Read my answer to Chris comment regarding exposure and fertilization. Here is how it is looking now.

Hi Jalilu, I think the pruning went well...the tree will most likely fill in the bare spots (my experience anyway) on its own. I give my lychees sulfate of potash (0-0-50) a few times per year. It depends on the condition of the tree really...If it is "suffering" you might want to go with something like a 10-5-20 to get the roots healthy and more of a vegetative flush. Just make sure that when you apply the "N" that it runs out (in late fall) before the late winer bloom cycle. The 10-5-20 in conjunction with the 0-0-50 should be good enough depending on when you apply. I have done a high "P' in november or so with good flowering results. I believe the two in tandem will work well for you.

Chris

Jalilu,is that a Kava plant next to the wall? Or Rootbeer plant? Piper..something.

Thanks Chris for the tips. Last chemical fert that I used was a slow release 12-10-18-2 plus micronutrients fertilizer purchased in Spain. As far as I know, slow release ferts are not available here. I also spray diluted seaweed tea on leaves of my tropical fruit plants.

Stan, unfortunately it's not a Kava plant, but a kiwi vine. It's the sole survivor of the three I had. Just keeping it for pleasing my mother. There are not sufficient chill hours for fruiting of kiwi or cherry trees in Tangier.