Information about Lynchee fruit and tree.

Information about Lynchee fruit and tree.

Lychee Fruit

You say that lychee fruit is very sweet, but the fruit that I bought in the store is bitter and unpleasant tasting. Why is this? Lychee fruit does not ripen after picking, unlike other tropical fruits such as mangoes, avocadoes and bananas. If lychee fruit is picked early it is almost always bitter tasting and often leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. Often times large commercial fruit growers pick their fruit prematurely in order to get it into the marketplace when the wholesale prices are higher. If lychee fruit is properly harevested, at the peak of ripeness, it is delicious, sweet and fragrant. Taste statistics indicate that 91% of people who try properly ripened and harvested lychee fruit find the experience excellent. In our experience small Florida growers who focus more on quality, rather than profitablility, produce the best lychee fruit in the country. Do to our unigue climate conditions Florida is the lychee growing capitol of the US and one of the only states where they can be successfully grown. We recommend that you buy direct from Florida growers or look for the "Fresh From Florida" logo if you are buying lychees in a supermarket.

What is the correct way to eat a lychee? As fast as possible so that you can move on to the next one. Actually, all kidding aside, we like to bite a small piece off around the stem and then squeeze the fruit so that the aril (the fleshy part around the seed) pops into your mouth.

What is the difference between a lychee fruit and a lychee nut? Lychee nuts is a name that usually refers to dried lychee fruits but is not really a nut. A true nut is actually the edible seed of certain fruits. Lychees are much tastier when eaten fresh; however, when you can't get fresh lychees the dried lychees are a great alternative.

Are lychees healthy & nutritious? One cup of fresh lychee fruit has only 125 calories, more of the antioxidant Vitamin C than oranges or lemons, about as much dietary fiber as an apple with the skin on and is loaded with potassium.

When is the season for lychee fruit? Lychee season is during the summer, May & June in South Florida (northern hemisphere) and December to February in Australia (southern hemisphere). On average the season lasts about six weeks at the most.

What should I do after I receive my fresh lychees? You should immediately place the lychees under refrigeration. If you do not plan to eat all of your lychees within the next several days you can freeze them. Frozen lychees are also very delicious and taste like a fine sorbet. If you freeze them even in months like November and December they still taste wonderful. You should enclose them in a zip lock bag.

Can you freeze lychee fruit?  YES! Lychee fruit is wonderful when frozen. Frozen lychees are like a fine sorbet. We bring frozen lychees to parties during the holidays and we never have to take any back home with us.

How do you freeze lychee fruit? Whole with skin on or do they need to be peeled first?  You can freeze them with the skin on. I put mine in Zip-Lock freezer bags. The color of the skin will turn a brownish color, but it doesn't effect the taste of the fruit. I have never peeled my lychees before freezing them so I don't know what effect that would have on them. I image they would not last as long peeled because the tough skin on the outside act like a suit of armor protecting the tender fruit inside.

If I am diabetic can I eat lychees? "It's hard to beat a fresh fruit salad, papaya, pears, apples, oranges, Chinese plums, mango, longan and litchi. Fruit is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and has zero fat. Everyone, including people with diabetes, should eat three to four servings of fruit a day." This is a quote from the article "Diabetic Guide to Chinese Food" in Diabetic Gourmet Magazine

Some of my fruit have small seeds and many more have large seeds. Is this situation normal? Yes, small seeds are the exception in the case of Brewster lychees, however, despite the predominance of full size seeds the Brewster variety is a larger fruit in general and has a higher flesh to seed ratio than many other varieties. Mauritius lychees have small seeds, but they are also a smaller fruit. Ha-Kip lychees tend to have a predominance of small "chicken tongue" seeds and Bengal seeds are relatively small.

Why does my fruit have stems on them? We find that the fruit keeps longer when some of the stem remains. If the stem is pulled off this can rupture the skin of the fruit accelerating the spoiling process.

Will I get sick if I eat too many lychees at one sitting? When we pick lychees we eat almost every other fruit that we pick. So far none of us have ever become sick. Su Tung Po, the greatest Chinese poet/painter of the Song Dynasty, wrote a poem while he was exiled in Guangdong province in Southern China for his politically satyrical writings, wrote a poem about consoling himself by eating 300 lychees a day.

 Lychee Trees

Can I grow a lychee tree in my area? Lychees grow best in South Florida, Hawaii, southern California and southern Texas. However, it never ceases to amaze us at how many people all over the country are successfully growing a lychee tree outside with a little freeze protection, or indoors in a greenhouse, atrium or sunny spot. Lychee trees require approximately 100-200 hours of chilling below 68 degrees mean daily temperature in the winter to set fruit. They are subtropical and cannot tolerate temperatures below 30 degrees for more than 8 hours. If it hard freezes in your area you will have to provide some type of freeze protection for your lychee tree. We encourage people to experiment and explore new ways of growing lychees here in the US and we are happy to assist and provide support for anyone trying to grow a lychee tree(s) in less than perfect conditions.

What is the best variety of lychee tree to grow in the US? The Brewster and Mauritius varieties have proven to be the most reliable both to grow and to produce fruit and are the primary commercial varieties in the US. Lychee enthusiasts all over the US have reported to us that their Brewster & Mauritius consistently outperform other varieties. You will get better fruit set from cross pollination if you have more than just one variety so if you get two we recommend a Brewster & Mauritius. The Sweetheart variety has a large red fruit with a small seed. We highly recommend this variety if you want just one lychee tree for your yard. The future of the Sweetheart for commercial production looks good, however, the variety has not been around long enough to have a sufficient track record yet. The Emperor is another variety that has been doing quite well in the US and is a great container lychee tree. The feedback we have been getting is that the Emperor variety is quite hardy and does not require as much water as some other varieties of lychees do. The Emperor is most likely a "mountain variety" of lychee tree. In Hawaii the main commercial variety is the Kaimana because the growing conditions in Hawaii differ from that of the mainland US.

How do I plant my lychee tree? For details on how to plant your lychee tree read this article: How to Grow Lynchee.

How do I take care of my lychee tree(s)? A lychee tree is as healthy as it root system. The root system is not only to hold up the tree but the primary of the roots is to absorb the water and nutrients that feed the tree. Feeding the soil and the soil food web feeds the lychee tree.

How long will it take for my lychee tree to produce fruit? Lychee trees produced from air layers should begin fruiting the very first season. However, the first few years that you have the tree you should trim off most of the emerging fruit so that the young tree can focus it's energy on growing rather than producing fruit. After two or three years you can let the tree produce fruit normally. Maximum fruit yield begins after the tree is about 10 years old.

How much fruit does a lychee tree produce? The fruit yield for a single lychee tree varies with age, variety, weather/climate, pollination and growing practices. The older and more established the tree is the more fruit it will yield annually. A backyard lychee tree can produce 50-200 pounds of fruit per year, but will most likely not produce the same amount of fruit every year. In a good year, a lychee tree in commercial grove conditions in South Florida can produce between 400 and 800 lbs of fruit.

How big/tall do lychee trees get? The optimal height for a lychee tree is 10-15 feet. Some commercial growers keep their trees at 6-10 feet tall. Lychee trees can grow up to 30 or 40 feet after about 25 years or more, but it gets very difficult to pick the fruit on a tree that large. There are even lychee trees in China that have grown to 100 feet tall. If you prune your lychee tree you can keep the tree at any size you desire.

What climate conditions do lychee trees grow best in? Lychee trees do not tolerate hard freezes (below freezing for more than a few hours), but do like chilling in the winter. Between 30 & 40 degrees for at least 40 hours during the winter is the minimum for getting the trees to consistently produce fruit. Also, lychee trees need full sun. Shaded areas of the tree will rarely produce fruit.

How much winter chilling does a lychee tree require to produce fruit? A lychee tree needs approximately 100-200 hours of chilling below 68 F (20 C)degrees mean daily temparature in the winter for lychee trees to grow bloom spikes instead of leaf flushes.

Can lychee trees tolerate freezing temperatures? No, lychee trees are very climate sensitive. If you are growing a lychee tree in an area that experiences freezing temperatures in the winter you must use some type of freeze protection. Lychee trees will die if they are exposed to a hard freeze below 30 degrees for more than 8 hours. They do however require some chilling in the winter to produce fruit.

Should I prune my lychee tree? Yes. Prune your tree after harvesting the fruit to develop a nice tree shape, control tree size and promote strategically timed growth flushes.

When is the best time to prune my lychee tree? Prune your lychee tree every year in the summer right after you harvest the fruit.

I want to buy a lychee tree for my yard. What type should I get? The most reliable fruiting and most popular lychee trees here in South Florida are the Brewster and Mauritius which comprise most of our grove. Get a lychee tree that has been grown from air layers, not grafted. Only buy bare-root air layers if you are a skilled tropical fruit grower.

Can I graft a lychee tree? Lychee trees are difficult, but not impossible, to graft. The most effective way to propogate lychee trees is by air layering. For more info check out the "About Lychees" section of this website for our article on Grafting Lychee Trees.

Can I plant the seeds from my lychee fruit to grow a lychee tree? Yes and No. You can certainly plant the seed and it should sprout into a tree. Seedlings are fun to grow. However, your seedling tree will take 5 to 20 years to produce fruit and there is a possibility that it may never produce fruit at all. If the tree does bear lychee fruit the fruit may not even retain the good characteristics of the original fruit that you ate or planted.

Do I need more than one lychee tree to produce fruit?  No, you only need one tree because lychee trees have both male and female flowers on the same tree and can be self pollinated.

General Information

Do you have a nursery location where I can browse or buy your lychee fruit, trees or products? Our licensed nursery is at our house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and our grove is in Davie, Florida near Flamingo Gardens. You can pick up lychee products and/or browse trees in 3 or 7 gallon containers from our home nursery. Fresh lychee fruit in season can be picked up during the day at our home or grove and in the evening from our home. Please call us in advance an let us know when you will be coming by.

Do you have any kind of guarantee on your fresh lychee fruit, trees or products? We have a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are not satisfied with your purchase for any reason or at any time contact us for a replacement or refund. In the case of lychee trees, if you are not satisfied with the size, shape, quality, etc. of your tree you can return it to us and we will send you a replacement tree. If your lychee tree dies for any reason at any time we will replace the tree. We consider it our fault that the tree died because we did not provide you with enough informaion to properly grow and maintain your lychee tree. If your fresh lychee fruit arrives damaged, spoiled or in an unsatisfactory condition contact us immediately for partial or full replacement of the fruit.

thank you informations and pictures by internet websites about Lynchee.