Litchi chinensis - Chinese Lychee 15 - 20 cm

Litchi chinensis - Lychee fruit (Litchi chinensis) is unmistakable with its red, bumpy skin, even though it is sometimes spelled with an "s" and sometimes without: Litchi, lychee, lychee white flesh super tasty, sweet and refreshingly fruity. The associated plants originally come from the river basins of southern China. Today, worldwide cultivation areas can be found in Southeast Asia, Australia and the southern USA. Litchis grow into compact, evergreen shrubs or small trees that become as wide as they are tall in plantations, but are more upright-narrow-crowned in this country. The flowers are small and yellowish-green, but cluster in terminal inflorescences up to 30 cm long, which are pollinated by insects. One plant is usually sufficient for fruit set, as male and female flowers form simultaneously on one plant. Like the flowers, the fruits hang together in clusters at the ends of the branches. They require only about 60-80 days to ripen, provided a sunny, humid location. In this country, a permanent place under glass (conservatory, greenhouse) is recommended.

Location in summer: Litchi (Litchi chinensis) sunny and warm, but not overheated, protected from the wind. Best harvest results with year-round location under glass.

Location in winter: Bright at 12 °C (+/- 5) °C. Short-term temperature minimum for Litchi (Litchi chinensis) 0 °C.

Care in summer: For Litchi trees (Litchi chinensis), make sure that the soil is as evenly moist as possible and that the humidity is above 70%. Due to the soft foliage and numerous leaflets, the demand in summer is high. Nutrient requirements, on the other hand, are moderate to low: fertilize lychee about every 10 days from April to September with liquid complete fertilizer. Excess fertilizer can lead to soil salinization and root damage, some of which manifests as brown leaf margins.

Winter care: Maintain even soil moisture, but adjust watering amount and frequency to winter dormancy and the associated much lower needs of litchi (Litchi chinensis), especially as leaves fall. Starfruit are evergreen at high temperatures, and deciduous at cool quarters around 12°C.

Substrate: do not choose new pots that are overly large under any circumstances, but repot in small increments every two to three years. High-quality pot plant soil is advisable, even if it costs a little more. Good soil is characterized by coarse-grained portions (e.g., lava crush, expanded clay, gravel), which keeps it loose and airy. Balanced humus proportions guarantee that water and nutrients can be stored in larger quantities. High peat contents are not a quality characteristic.

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