Lychee Is a fruit that belongs to the Sapindaceae family and is scientifically named Litchi chinensis. It is a summer fruit and is grown in tropical climates. Usually round or oval and grows in clusters on evergreen trees.
Lychees are very similar to rambutan fruits, and the outer layer consists of a coarsely textured rind that peels off easily, revealing a white flesh with seeds in the middle. Lychees are known for their floral and sweet taste with a jelly-like texture..
How and where does lychee grow in natural conditions
Useful information:
- An unusual species came to Europe from distant lands. The homeland of lychee is China.
- An exotic plant grows in subtropical, tropical and subequatorial climates. The tree develops well near water bodies (rivers, lakes), on the sea coast.
- In nature, the tree grows up to 10-30 meters, the surface is covered with rich green green foliage, the flowers are small, fruits with red peel, similar in size to a plum.
- There are two types of exotic plant: Filipino and Chinese lychee.
- An amazing plant grows in natural conditions on different continents: in Japan, India, the Philippines, Hawaii, Cuba, Thailand. People call it: Chinese plum, dragon eye, laysi, liji.
Benefit
Due to its rich composition, lychees have beneficial properties for the whole body:
- Regulates cholesterol levels.
- Useful for respiratory diseases.
- Boosts immunity.
- Regulates liver and kidney function.
- Improves heart function.
- Controls pressure.
- It has a beneficial effect on the digestion processes.
- Helpful for constipation. Restores intestinal microflora.
- Prevention of oncology.
- Quenches thirst well.
- Effective for anemia and its prevention.
- It is useful for diabetes mellitus.
- Has a tonic property.
- Normalizes the work of the nervous system.
- Increases male potency.
The fruit is very beneficial for women. It affects both health and beauty.
- Very useful for losing weight.
- Promotes body rejuvenation.
- Supports hair health and beauty.
- Useful during menopause.
- Influences the production of hormones.
During pregnancy, lychee is useful for enriching the body with the necessary substances and trace elements. You can eat no more than 10 fruits.
When breastfed, the fruit increases lactation. It is recommended to eat no more than 5 fruits a day.
What conditions are needed for growing lychee at home
Useful information for amateur flower growers:
- ensure temperature conditions + 28 ... + 30 ° С, air humidity 70–80%;
- provide an exotic plant with good lighting;
- regulate watering, spray with warm, settled water;
- timely apply liquid and granular mineral fertilizers;
- choose a suitable substrate for planting;
- use appropriate growing containers;
- transplant the plant on time.
Photo gallery
A photo of a lychee tree is presented in the gallery on this page.
How to grow from a seed
Many have seen an exotic, unusual red fruit in supermarkets. Often, housewives ask the question whether it is possible to grow a tropical species in an apartment. With desire, patience and useful knowledge, everything is possible.
It is no coincidence that the plant has its original names.If you cut the lychees, it turns out that the appearance of the halves really resembles a dragon's eye. The photos will surely interest fans of exotic species.
You need to do the following:
- buy fresh, ripe berries;
- clean the bone from the pulp, rinse and germinate for a week;
- prepare pots with drainage;
- fill with a suitable substrate;
- place the base in the soil;
- pour water at room temperature;
- cover with foil, creating a mini greenhouse;
- put the container in a warm place + 28 ° С;
- periodically view how the plant is hatching, watering, removing condensation from the lid;
- shoots make their way through the soil for 10 days.
Next steps:
- remove the shelter from the pot, place the container with the sprouted bone in a bright place;
- monitor the condition of the soil so that it does not dry out;
- ensure the temperature in the room is not lower than + 20 ° С, the air humidity is 70%;
- when the sprout reaches 20–25 cm in height, you need to transplant the grown specimen into a container 4–5 cm larger than the previous one, for good growth of the root system;
- loosen the ground;
- an obligatory part of agrotechnical measures is to make the first feeding with liquid fertilizers, about three months later;
- the subsequent introduction of mineral compositions is carried out after 9 months.
Further use of chemical fertilizers is carried out once a season. Transplanting into new pots is performed as needed, when the young lychee does not have enough space and nutrients in the old container.
Preparation of the bone
In order for the base for an exotic fruit to give rise to a new plant, it must be processed:
- clean the seed from the pulp;
- put in a natural cloth and moisturize;
- make sure that the napkin is always wet;
- after a week or a little later, the seed will begin to germinate;
- plant a young lychee in a pot with drainage and the right substrate.
Advice! For more active germination, it is useful to soak the base in water (7 days) before planting, and also treat it with growth stimulants.
Soil preparation
The best option is to purchase a special mixture for exotic plants in an agricultural store, because it will be difficult to balance all the necessary components on your own.
The main requirements for the soil:
- have the appropriate acidity (6–6.5);
- suitable for chemical, mineral composition;
- have good air and water permeability;
- the soil mixture should not be expired;
- quality certificates are attached to the substrate in packages;
- it is useful to use the soil of well-known brands and manufacturers.
Landing rules
An important role is played by the correct planting of the bone in the ground. Improper planting can interfere with the rapid germination of an exotic species.
How to proceed:
- buy a ripe lychee fruit, extract a seed, germinate (7-12 days);
- fill the pot with a substrate of suitable quality and composition;
- add about 50 mm of drainage to the flowerpot (expanded clay, crushed stone, fine gravel, pebbles);
- the bone is placed in the soil, deepened by 10 mm;
- well watered with warm, settled water;
- cover with a lid (cling film, cellophane, glass);
- put the container in a room with a temperature of + 28 ° C;
- observe, check the germination of planting material, moisten the soil, ventilate, remove condensate;
- a sprout will appear after two weeks;
- then they remove the shelter;
- find a well-lit place, with an air humidity of 70–80% and a temperature of + 25 ... + 29 ° С;
- when 4–6 true leaves have appeared, the grown specimen is transplanted into a large container (the difference is approximately 30–40 mm).
It is useful for insurance to use several seeds for germination.
Do you know how to grow other exotic seed crops? Learn how to germinate a mango seed and how to care for a tree.
Useful tips on how to grow a tree from a mandarin stone and whether you can get sweet fruits read at this address.
Application
Lychee is widely used in cooking. Salads are made from their fruits. The pulp is used in the manufacture of various confectionery products, added to ice cream. It is also used in the preparation of sauces for meat and fish.
Canned fruit can be stored for two to three years. For long-term storage, the fruits are still frozen.
The Chinese make wine from lychee. Also, the fruit is good for preparing other alcoholic beverages. Chinese tea flavored with lychee fruits is popular.
Lychee is also used in cosmetology. Its juice is used for skin and hair.
How to care
The main thing: to comply with the requirements for plant maintenance:
- timely watering and spraying;
- fertilization;
- good lighting in the room, daylight hours - at least 15 hours a day;
- temperature - at + 26 ° С, humidity - 75%;
- correctly selected substrate.
Thanks to optimal care for an exotic tree, lychee will surprise with an evergreen crown and can delight with fruits.
Temperature
For seed germination, the indicators must be quite high: + 28 ... + 30 ° С: under natural conditions, the Chinese plum grows in hot climates. Further, after the emergence of sprouts, the temperature should not drop below + 20 ... + 22 ° С.
Lighting
For the plant to grow and develop better, you need to provide good lighting. An exotic specimen is placed on the east or west windows. In the northern part, additional illumination with a lamp will be required, and in the southern part, in the summer, it is necessary to protect the Chinese plum from the negative effects of powerful ultraviolet radiation.
Watering and moisture
Like many exotic plants, the dragon's eye needs timely watering more than other flowers: in nature, the species grows in tropical and subtropical climates.
Important nuances:
- The soil is moistened with warm, settled or filtered water, as the upper part of the earthen coma dries in the pot.
- Spraying is carried out from a finely dispersed spray gun once a day, in the hot summer period - twice a day.
- It is imperative to provide increased air humidification in the room - up to 70-80%.
To maintain a certain microclimate (with dry air) in the room, it is useful to use humidifiers, trays with water.
Fertilizers and feeding
It is important to correctly and timely add nutrients to the soil. For this, special mineral fertilizers are used.
Important:
- The first phosphorus-containing mixture is applied to a three-month-old seedling, which improves the development of the root system.
- The next top dressing should be done once, after 10 months with nitrogen mixtures for good growth of green mass.
- After the lychee turns 2-3 years old, add potassium phosphate fertilizers: once a month in the summer, which contributes to abundant flowering.
- In winter, feeding is not carried out.
You can fertilize an adult plant with organic substances (solutions based on warm water and natural ingredients): mullein in a proportion (1 part of a natural substance and 10 parts of a liquid). Peat is also added in moderation.
After transplanting, top dressing is allowed only after 3 weeks. Violation of the rule can lead to root burns.
The main thing is to adhere to the rules when using fertilizers:
- apply top dressing to wet soil;
- observe proportions when breeding;
- know in what period of time, and in what quantity, one or another substance should be used.
Pruning and shaping the crown
In the Chinese plum, it is useful to shape the green mass from the third year of life. It is not recommended to carry out the procedure earlier: an exotic plant is gradually gaining green mass. Beautiful shape - in the form of a bush or tree with a central trunk.
Pruning is done in winter. Be sure to remove weak branches growing inward and very long stems.
Transfer
When the plant has reached 30 cm, has 6–8 leaves, they are moved to a new flowerpot:
- take a pot of a certain volume: 30-50 mm wider than the old one;
- drainage is added with a layer of 2–4 cm;
- 1/3 filled with substrate for exotic plants;
- carefully remove the sprout from the old container;
- examine the root system;
- land in a prepared flowerpot;
- add fresh soil to the top;
- poured abundantly with warm, settled water;
- placed in a bright place;
- the temperature in the room should be + 25… + 28 ° С, and the air humidity should be 75–80%.
In the future, sprayed 2-3 times a day, moisten the soil as the upper earth ball dries up. Subsequent transplants are done as the roots grow.
Contraindications
Hardly ever. They can be harmful only for individual intolerance. However, you need to know that you should not eat too much of them. For adults, 200-250 grams per day is quite enough. For children, it is better to reduce this rate to 100 grams. Otherwise, in some, allergic reactions in the form of acne on the skin or on the oral mucosa are possible.
Is it possible to get fruits at home and how to do it
Lychee is a slowly growing exotic species. To get fruit, you need to create such climatic conditions in which a tropical tree grows in nature.
Optimal performance and procedures:
- temperature - about + 28-30 ° С and humidity 80%;
- daylight hours 15-18 hours;
- water and spray with warm filtered water;
- apply fertilizers as needed, at a certain period of the year;
- to carry out prevention against attacks of pests;
- in case of diseases, start treatment on time.
The first fruits with a 10–20% probability can be in 8–10 years. The possibility of fruiting and harvesting increases by 80–90% if pinching or budding is done. They take a stalk, a living bud from a fruiting lychee tree and plant it on their tree.
Why are lychee fruits useful?
Their medicinal and nutritional properties have been known since ancient times. The composition contains folic, ascorbic acid and other vitamins, glucose, fructose, pectins, proteins. Fruit rich in mineralsThe most valuable of which are iron, phosphorus and potassium. Laisi does not hurt dieters because calorie content of these fruits - 66 kcal per 100 g... Lychee is most often eaten raw. From fruits you can cook compotes, make jams, preserves.
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In folk medicine, the fruit is used to restore the gastrointestinal tract, health improvement of cardio-vascular system, regulation of metabolism.
Diseases and pests
Lychee is considered to be quite resistant to attacks of harmful insects. But there are such cases that aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, thrips, mealybugs and scale insects move from other affected rooms to lychees. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to regularly inspect the plant. If there are signs of the presence of pests, then you should immediately treat the lychee with special solutions of insecticides or acaricides.
As for diseases, they rarely affect lychees. Diseases can appear only due to improper care. If waterlogging is allowed, the roots of the plant will begin to rot. And from insufficient olive, the plant loses its strength, withers and dries. Therefore, in order to prevent the appearance of diseases, it is necessary to observe all the canons of caring for lychees.
What does the care of a seedling consist of?
In order for this exotic culture to actively develop, it should be transplanted into a larger pot in time.
For your pet's well-being, it is necessary to provide him with conditions that are as close to natural as possible:
If done correctly, you will have a high quality fruit harvest every year. It is necessary to remove them on time, since with excessive ripeness they become darker and their taste worsens.
Planting lychees will not be difficult, so if you wish, you can safely have such an unusual plant at home. Without a doubt, you will be very passionate about such an interesting and exciting process as the cultivation of such an exotic culture.
Lychee fruit - description
Lychee is an evergreen tree with a spreading crown, in natural conditions reaching a height of 10 to 30 m. Its leaves are compound, pinnate, consisting of 4-8 lanceolate or elongated ovate leaves with a sharp top. The surface of the leaves is glossy, dark green, and the underside is grayish. Flowers, collected in lush umbrellas up to 70 cm long, do not have petals and consist of a greenish or yellowish calyx. Usually, no more than 15 ovaries develop from the numerous flowers of the inflorescence into fruits, and the rest crumble. Lychee fruits from 2.5 to 4 cm long are clothed in a red rind, covered with numerous sharp tubercles. Inside the fruit there is a light jelly-like sweet pulp that easily comes off the skin and has a barely perceptible wine flavor. In the middle of the fruit is an oval, dark brown seed. In the tropics, lychee fruits ripen in May or June.
Types and varieties of lychee
Breeders have bred many varieties and hybrids of lychee, but this crop is widely grown only in Asia. The most famous plant cultivars are:
- Green dangling
- a tree with light green leaves, on the fruits of which a green stripe is barely visible. The fruits do not lose their freshness and taste even three days after peeling them off; - Glutinous rice balls
- the fruits of this variety have dense and sweet pulp with the taste of honey, they have a red peel without tubercles, and the seed is much smaller than that of the fruits of other varieties, or there is none at all; - Sweet osmanthus
- a variety with sweet fruits with the smell of osmanthus, in a bright red and very lumpy skin; - Green Yatu
- in this variety, the peel of the fruit is covered with a dark green speck; - Black leaf
- an early ripe variety with fleshy fruits, the skin of which gives off a juice similar to red ink; - May red
- the earliest variety, the harvest of which is harvested in May; - Concubine smile
- the oldest early ripening variety. The fruits and rind of the plant produce red sap.
In the photo: Lychee berries are a healthy fruit
What if the lychee doesn't grow?
It takes a lot of work to make lychee cultivation enjoyable. Pests often appear on the branches of a tree, which need to be dealt with in time, including a scale insect, a spider mite, and aphid. To remove parasites from the lychee, part of it above the ground will have to be carefully treated with a sponge with a solution of liquid soap, and then after ten minutes rinse with running water.
If everything is done according to the rules, then the pests die, but otherwise you will have to resort to the help of professional insecticides. It is strictly forbidden to use such store-bought ones when flowers or fruits have appeared on the lychee.
If the plant stops growing, then you should add soil from under an adult lychee to the pot with it, but this is difficult to do, since it is not always available. The apple of paradise will never grow fully if there is no mycorrhiza in the soil, that is, a special fungus of the symbiotic type. This mushroom can help lychee to form microvilli around the root so that it can eat well. You can buy it in a specialty store or carry out a change from pots of coniferous or citrus crops.
It is strictly forbidden to ignite the acquired soil layer, since it can kill the beneficial spores of fungi necessary for symbiosis.
If the shoots do not grow, then vermiculite will have to be added to the soil at a rate of two to one, which ensures active growth. If you want to get low trees, but with an improved perspective (the number and quality of oval leaves), then it would be better to take the soil from under an old pine tree.
The subtleties of choosing exotic fruits
The natural ripening time of the fruit is July-September. At room temperature, the fetus is stored for 4 - 5 days, in the refrigerator (0 - 6 degrees above zero) - 3 - 4 weeks. However, the longer a food is stored, the less nutrients it retains.
Criteria for choosing lychee:
- The color and structure of the peel. Fresh ripe fruit varies in color from bright pink to scarlet. To the touch, such fruits are soft, but elastic. Their skin is uniform without damage, blotches and spots.
A “soft” brown skin indicates that the product has deteriorated and is not suitable for consumption. The light pink hue of the fruit indicates that the fruit is plucked green and is at the stage of "ripening".
- The place where the petiole is attached to the fruit. Fresh fruits are always sold together "with a branch". The peel of such fruits (around the places of "attachment") is uniform without traces of mold, cracks and spots.
- Shaking sound. When a ripe lychee is tapped, a characteristic dull ringing is heard. If, with a slight shake, the fruit does not make sounds, then putrefactive processes develop inside.
- Aroma. Fresh lychee fruits exude an unobtrusive floral scent with a light "trail" of a tea rose. An improperly ripened or overripe fruit has a sharp sugary aroma, while rotten fruit has notes of mold.
- Dimensions. The diameter of a tropical berry ranges from 2.5 to 4 centimeters. Too large fruit size signals that the fruit has been fertilized with chemicals.
Remember, 70% of lychee fruits are picked "for export" still green (to increase shelf life).
During transportation, they "ripen", acquiring a pale pink color and a heavy sugary smell. Considering that unripe lychees contain 50% fewer nutrients than ripe ones, it is better to buy an "overseas product" in the season of mass fruiting (in early autumn).
Exotic fruits are consumed not only fresh, they can be dried (peeled), frozen and preserved (peeled).
Features of growing an exotic fruit
With good home requirements. If you propagate a culture using seeds, then it will be very long and rarely of high quality. And the fruits will appear in more years.
Fresh seeds are taken for cultivation.
- They are planted in a small container with good soil and covered with an available cloth. The container should be in a warm place.
- If all the conditions are preserved, then the seeds sprout in a couple of weeks, after which the material with which they were covered is removed.
- Six months later, three leaves are formed: two leaf plates are formed on two, and one on the last. Active growth begins from the fifth to the ninth month.
- Fresh shoots appear from the fifth to the seventh.
- In autumn, growth dies out a little, and leaves stop appearing if the plant is annual.
- From the middle of the ninth month to the end of the second, the plant rests.
It will be interesting to read: Croton: reproduction and care at home
Proper watering and feeding
After the first 4-5 leaves appear, the plant can be transplanted into a larger flowerpot. Spray lychee twice a day from a siphon - after all, this is a tropical plant, accustomed to constant moisture. Do not let direct sunlight fall on the tree, otherwise the leaves will begin to dry and the lychee will wither. Watering should be moderate, without drying out, but also without excessive soil moisture.
1-2 times a month it is necessary to feed the tree with mineral fertilizers or manure. This will enrich the soil with useful substances and will promote flowering, and subsequently fruiting.Ripe fruits must be picked immediately, because overripe, they lose their great taste and begin to darken.
In the first year of the plant's life, it is necessary to prune, forming a beautiful crown. If the lychee does not bear fruit, do not be upset - at least the tree will be a great addition and decoration to your interior.
Cooking recipes
Lychee and honeydew melon dessert (servings 4)
Products:
- lychee - 500 g;
- honey melon - 1pc .;
- orange liqueur (for example, "Cointreau") - 7-8 tbsp. l;
- vanilla extract - 0.5 tsp;
- juice of one lime or lemon.
Preparation:
- Peel the fruits. Cut the melon pulp into cubes. Then mix the fruits, arrange on dessert plates.
- Mix vanilla extract with lemon juice and liqueur. Pour the resulting syrup over the fruit. Cool well and serve.
Tip: if the dish is prepared for children, then the liqueur should be replaced with orange juice.
Chicken breast in dough with lychee sauce
1. The whites and yolks of the two eggs are separated from each other. Knead a smooth yolk dough, 200 g flour, 3/4 tsp. salt and 250 water (wine or beer). Leave for half an hour.
2. Chicken fillets (4 pcs.) Cut into narrow strips. Canned lychees (850 ml can) are spread on a sieve set on a bowl. Let the juice drain. For the sauce 4 tbsp. l. sugar in a saucepan is lightly caramelized. Juice is poured onto it and, stirring, cook until sugar dissolves. Add 4 tbsp. l. soy sauce, 1 tsp. ginger, 2 tbsp. l. vinegar. 1 tbsp. l. mix starch with a little water and add to the sauce. Add lychee and warm a little.
3. Beat the whites until thick, stir into the dough. Pour enough vegetable oil into the pan and heat. Dip the pieces of meat in the dough and fry, floating in oil, until golden brown. Place on a napkin to remove excess oil. Arrange on plates, pour over lychee sauce. The best side dish is basmati rice.
Chemical composition
Lychee is the record holder among fruits in terms of vitamin C and potassium content.
Outside, the fruit is covered with a red inedible bumpy crust, under which "hides" a jelly-like pulp (white). In the "heart" of the berry there is a large bone, which is used in medicine for the treatment of neurological and digestive disorders. Due to the unusual combination of light pulp and dark seed, the plant is called the "dragon's eye". Lychee fruits have a sweet and sour slightly astringent taste, reminiscent of a mixture of grapes, citrus and mint.
Interestingly, in ancient times, the Chinese plum was considered the fruit of rich, noble people. The poor were engaged in the collection and transportation of the crop, and the slightest taste of the fruit turned out to be the death penalty for them.
Table number 1 "Chemical composition of lychee"
| Nutrient name | Substance content in 100 grams of exotic fruit, milligram |
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin C | 39,2 |
| Vitamin B4 | 7,1 |
| Vitamin B3 (PP) | 0,6 |
| Vitamin E | 0,5 |
| Vitamin B5 | 0,25 |
| Vitamin B1 | 0,05 |
| Vitamin B2 | 0,05 |
| Vitamin B9 | 0,025 |
| Vitamin K | 0,01 |
| Vitamin B6 | 0,01 |
| Vitamin H (B7) | 0,0005 |
| Macronutrients | |
| Potassium | 180 |
| Phosphorus | 33 |
| Magnesium | 10 |
| Calcium | 9 |
| Sodium | 3 |
| Chlorine | 3 |
| Sulfur | 0,019 |
| Trace elements | |
| Iron | 0,35 |
| Copper | 0,14 |
| Zinc | 0,07 |
| Manganese | 0,055 |
| Fluorine | 0,01 |
| Iodine | 0,0016 |
| Selenium | 0,0006 |
Table number 2 "Nutritional value of lychee fruits"
| Components | Element content in 100 grams of berries, grams |
| Water | 79,5 |
| Carbohydrates | 17 |
| Mono- and disaccharides | 15,23 |
| Alimentary fiber | 1,6 |
| Fats | 1,3 |
| Protein | 0,9 |
| Ash | 0,44 |
| Saturated fatty acids | 0,099 |
100 grams of lychee pulp contains 66 kilocalories. The energy ratio B: W: Y is 5%: 6%: 92%.
Interestingly, in China, the fruit is used to make wine “awakening love and invigorating the soul”, carbonated drinks, syrup, juices, and liqueur. Lychees are used for making salads, filling for pies, sweet and sour sauce for fish, meat dishes.
Soil selection
The soil for planting lychee should be prepared from a mixture of peat and universal soil for growing indoor plants, and the peat should be half as much. The pot for planting should not be huge, since as the plant grows, it is provided for its transshipment.
To prevent stagnation of water, drainage is laid at the bottom of the pot in the form of small stones, pebbles or ready-made expanded clay sold in flower shops. Many gardeners use walnut shells for this purpose and are satisfied with the result, since the roots of the plant in this case do not rot. The drainage layer should be at least one fourth of the entire height of the pot.
How to choose lychee to buy
To grow an exotic fruit, you need to get its seeds. But this must be done for the benefit of oneself. Lychee seeds are not sold in the seed departments, but the fruit sprouts from seeds taken from fruits purchased in a regular supermarket. When choosing lychee, you should pay attention to the color of the fruit, which should be pink. If it is brown or yellow, the fruit will be overripe or unripe.
Lychees are examined for stains, cracks and mold. The ripe fruit has elasticity. The smell is fresh and pleasant. Fruit that is stale in the store smells sweet.
Planting a plant
When planting, the bone is buried no more than a centimeter or one and a half and spilled abundantly with warm water. To make the germination conditions most suitable for the climatic conditions of the tropics, after planting the pot is covered with a transparent cap or bag and placed in the warmest place.
In winter, you can put the pot next to the radiator, but you will have to water it more often to avoid overdrying. Within two weeks, the sprout will appear above the ground and grow rapidly. Having reached a height of 20 to 40 cm, its growth stops, this period is suitable for the active development of the root system.
Germinating seeds
This exotic fruit is one of the few that feel great among indoor flowers, although it grows only up to 2.5 m. The process can be seen in the video
| Growing conditions | Description |
| Temperature regime | Germination is not higher than 25 ° С, leaving is not more than 35 ° С. |
| Soil composition | Expanded clay is laid on the bottom, flower soil on top. The soil should be rich in vermicompost and breathable. |
| Watering | Moderate, as the soil dries. |
If the leaves turn yellow
Lychee is a non-deciduous tree that does not shed its leaves with the arrival of autumn. But it does not mean. That once covered with leaves, the tree will keep them for its entire allotted century. The leaves fall off and gradually replace each other, but this happens imperceptibly and should not be scary. Alert should be the constant yellowing of the leaves, as well as their dying off. The reasons for such changes may be the following circumstances:
- It is possible that the mineral fertilizing of the plant was carried out, affected by pests or weakened from the disease.
- Often, the leaves turn yellow due to improper, too abundant watering, which led to decay of the root system.
- Abundant watering is allowed only at high air temperatures, otherwise it is important not to flood the plant.
- This may be due to a lack of daylight during the winter months.
- Falling foliage can occur at low air humidity or at insufficiently high air temperature.
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Although lychee, if desired, can be grown by anyone, however, due to the peculiarities of its root system, it can neither be overdried nor poured.
The necessary conditions
As mentioned earlier, lychee is a rather whimsical plant, so you need to provide it with everything you need. To stimulate plant growth, a certain level of moisture must be created. To enhance flower growth, use a humidifier to bring conditions closer to natural conditions.
The second important point is the room temperature. Since lychee is a tropical "inhabitant", it is used to temperature fluctuations in the range of 25-30 ° C.Of course, there may be some deviations, but they should be insignificant. Therefore, it is necessary that the room is always warm. If you don't want to warm up the entire room, you can simply use an infrared lamp and stabilize the temperature.
Another essential item is lighting. The plant is very thermophilic, so you need to choose a place for it in such a way that it receives the maximum amount of sunlight. Lychee will feel best on the south window, just remember to shade it a little to avoid sunburn. In the autumn-winter period, use lamps to compensate for the lack of light for the flower, and starting from April they can be removed.
Preparation of the bone
It is not difficult to grow a tree from a bone, the main thing is to carry out this process correctly. Some advise stratifying it, but in fact, you can do without it. An important condition is the choice of the correct seed, for which the fruit from which it is extracted must be ripe and, if possible, fresh. It will be better if the fruit is not purchased in a store, but brought from Thailand or China.
When choosing a fruit for planting in a store, you must discard fruits with damaged skin, mold or rot. It should be elastic, dense, with a bright color and a pleasant smell. After removing the seed, it is better to immediately start planting it, since it loses its germination very quickly. To achieve the expected result, it is better to plant several seeds at once, then one of them will definitely sprout. Stratification is carried out as follows:
- the bone is placed in a damp cloth;
- placed in a shallow container with air access;
- daily, the fabric is moistened with water, but avoiding excessive dampness;
- after a week, the bone will begin to swell;
- after a certain time, no longer than two weeks, the bone will open slightly and a sprout will appear;
- a seed with a sprout is planted in a pot and transferred to a greenhouse or left at home.
To accelerate seed germination, you can use growth stimulants in the form of Zircon, Epin, Energen, etc. If the fruits from which the seeds were taken were ripe and fresh, then treatment with growth stimulants is not necessary. They will germinate quickly and amicably without these drugs.
"Chinese plum" in dietary nutrition
Nutritionists recommend eating lychee in order to saturate the body with water, as well as reduce hunger. The "Chinese plum" contains pectin. It allows you to quickly saturate the body, giving nutrition to the beneficial intestinal microflora. Therefore, it is recommended that you consume several lychee fruits before each meal, which will allow you to reduce the standard portion of food and not overeat. The calorie content of lychee is only 76 kcal / 100 g, so people who carefully monitor their weight can safely eat it.
