How to Grow Litchi Fruit

Chose a sunny location with some shelter if possible. Dig 3 inches of compost into the soil where you will be planting. Plant litchi trees at the same level they were grown in the nursery pot. Don't bury the top of the root ball in soil. Water completely to compress the soil.

Put a ring of chicken wire around the tree with a gap of at least 6 inches. Cover the wire with plastic to protect the plant from sun scorch and high winds. If freezes threaten, cover the tree for short periods with freeze barrier fabric. Remove in the morning so the tree can collect the sun's energy.

Spread 3 inches of mulch around the tree out to the drip line. Make a well around the stem of the young plant so the mulch doesn't contact the bark and cause rot. Water the tree at least two or three times a week when it is establishing. Apply the water slowly so the tree can uptake it before it runs off. The fruit formation will take a lot of water, and trees need to be kept wet during flowering and fruiting.

Apply fertilizer when the young tree is at least three months old. Use half the amount recommended on the fertilizer bag to prevent burning the new roots. Fertilize litchi twice per year, but avoid fertilizing in fall and winter on bearing trees. Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer after the tree is two year of age. This will limit leaf formation and encourage blooms and fruit.

Watch the tree during flowering. If it doesn't seem to be visited by many honey bees, use a small paint brush to assist with pollination. Dip the brush into the flower and then move it to another flower, spreading the pollen. This will help ensure fruit set.

Harvest fruits when they are red and beginning to lose the sheen and dull. Cut fruit clusters off the tree and store for five weeks in the refrigerator. Seedling trees will not bear until they are 12 to 25 years old. Air-grafted cultivars can produce in two to five years.