How to Grow Lychee

There is a wide range of Lychee varieties available in Australia, including:

• Erdon Lee - produces extra-large fruit that are ready in late summer to mid-autumn.
• Kiamana - a semi-dwarf tree that produces large red fruit that is ready to harvest from December to February.
• Kwai Mai Pink - a semi-dwarf tree with sweet fruit in summer.
• Salathiel - produces fruit with a small brown seed from mid-summer to early autumn.
• Tai So - a compact tree that produces sweet fruit with pinky red skin in summer.
• Wai Chee - a semi-dwarf tree that produces delicious fruit that is ready to harvest in late summer to mid-autumn.

Choose a wind-protected spot with well-drained soil that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight a day.

Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball. Remove the tree from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots. Enrich the soil in the planting hole with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. If the soil is heavy clay, add Yates Gypsum Clay Breaker Soil Improver Granules and fork in well. Lychees prefer a neutral or slightly acidic soil pH. If the soil is alkaline, apply Yates Sulfur Soil Improver Granules to help lower the pH.

Position the Lychee plant in the hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down. Form a raised ring of soil around the plant, creating a well so that water will go where it's needed most. Water in well.

Keep the soil moist as the tree establishes. Applying a mulch, like Yates Dynamic Lifter 4 in 1 Mulch, around the root zone will help retain soil moisture. Keep the mulch away from the tree trunk.

Water deeply, once or twice a week, depending on weather conditions. To promote healthy growth and fruiting, feed Lychee trees every 8 weeks from spring to autumn with a specialised fruit fertiliser like Yates Dynamic Lifter Fruit & Citrus Plant Food Pellets.

Fruit is ready once the skin is completely red. This is important as fruit will not continue to ripen once picked. Taste testing is also a good indicator of ripeness, with ripe fruit being sweet. The best way to harvest Lychees is to cut off clusters of fruit using secateurs. Store the fresh fruit in the fridge immediately after picking.

All Lychees can be grown in a large pot, however more compact varieties, such as Kiamana, Kwai Mai Pink, Tai So and Wai Chee, are best. Trees can also be pruned to reduce their size.

Choose a pot at least 400 mm wide and deep. Position in full sun and protect from strong winds.

Choose a quality potting mix, such as Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter. Part fill your chosen pot with potting mix. Remove the tree from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots. Place the root ball on the potting mix and backfill around the roots with more potting mix. The final level of mix should be the same as the level currently around the plant. Water in well to settle the potting mix around the roots. 

Keep the potting mix moist while the Lychee establishes.

Water potted Lychee trees deeply, two or three times during the week, depending on weather conditions. Feed every 8 weeks from spring to autumn with a specialised fruit fertiliser like Yates Dynamic Lifter Fruit & Citrus Plant Food Pellets.

Fruit is ready once the skin is completely red. This is important as fruit will not continue to ripen once picked. Taste testing is also a good indicator of ripeness, with ripe fruit being sweet. The best way to harvest Lychees is to cut off clusters of fruit using secateurs. Store the fresh fruit in the fridge immediately after picking.

Lychee trees have both male and female flowers on the one tree and are self-pollinating. So, you'll only need one tree to produce fruit. Bees and other pollinating insects help transfer pollen from male to female flowers. Growing lots of flowering plants in your garden helps attract pollinating insects and improve fruiting.

For the best fruit set, Lychees need some cool temperatures (chilling hours) for male flower buds to develop. 100 - 200 hours of cool nights (less than 20 degrees Celsius) are ideal.

Mature trees can reach up to 15 m tall in their ideal environment, however they can be kept at a more manageable height with regular pruning or choose a variety that is naturally more compact.

Yes, you can grow a Lychee tree from seed, however, the resulting tree may not produce fruit, not produce the same fruit as you wanted and/or take many years to fruit. It is best to buy a Lychee tree from a nursery. Just for fun, you can try germinating fresh Lychee seeds from store-bought fruit.

Once a central trunk has formed but while trees are still young, encourage bushier growth by removing the tips of stems. To help keep trees at a manageable size, further pruning can be done each year immediately after harvesting.

Depending on how the tree was grown, Lychees can take up to 10 years to produce fruit. If trees have been grown from cuttings, they may bear fruit in as little as 3-4 years.

Pick Lychee fruit when the skin is completely red. Don't pick Lychees too early, otherwise they will turn brown and will not ripen. Also, unripe Lychees contain toxins that can be harmful.

Lychees are tropical trees and prefer growing in frost-free climates.

Together with flying foxes and bats, birds can eat Lychee fruit. Like many other fruit trees, ripening fruit may need to be protected with bird netting.

Lychees can take 4-5 years to start fruiting (longer if grown from seed), so some patience is required. Trees also need cool nights to promote correct flowering and fruiting, so overly warm temperatures will affect fruiting. Also ensure the tree is fed regularly with a high-potassium fertiliser like Yates Dynamic Lifter Fruit & Citrus Plant Food Pellets to help promote lots of flowers and fruit.

Lychees can be prone to Mite infestations. These tiny pests are difficult to see with the naked eye but can cause leaves to yellow and plant health to suffer. As Mite colonies increase, spidery webbing on leaves and stems can be seen. To control Mites, spray infested areas with OCP eco-insect killer, which is an insecticidal soap.