How to Grow Longan Fruit

Select a suitable site for your tree. Longan prefers full sun to grow. Young trees need shelter from the wind while mature trees can withstand wind. Longan does best in somewhat acidic, well-draining soils or sandy loam.

Dig a hole twice as wide and deep as the longan's root ball. Break apart soil clumps and remove any debris from the hole.

Remove the longan from its container and massage the root ball between your hands, then unwind and untangle the roots in preparation for planting.

Water the longan until the soil is saturated. Thereafter, water the tree whenever the soil is dry to the touch, adding just enough liquid to saturate it.

Fertilize your longan with a complete fertilizer, such as 6-6-6 or 8-8-8. Mix water-soluble fertilizer with liquid and pour it over the plant or sprinkle dry fertilizer around the base of the plant and water it to disperse the nutrients. Base the dosage on the tree's size. Apply fertilizer once when the longan blossoms are out and again after harvesting the fruit.

Prune any dead or damaged branches from the tree. Longan naturally develops a strong branch structure, so it does not require additional pruning.

Clip the fruit off the tree, once it ripens, with scissors. Longan fruit typically ripens in July to August when the skin is brown and the fruit feels soft to the touch. If you're not sure if the fruit is ripe, taste one. The fruit should be soft and sweet with musky notes, similar to its cousin the lychee.