Selection and preparation of the seed kernel
Lychees are available in stores between November and March and in the summer months of July and August. If you want to grow small trees from the seeds of the fruits you have bought, you should do this in the summer months if possible - then the weather is ideal for the lychees, which come from the subtropics. Select fruits that are as ripe as possible for seed extraction. You can tell the degree of ripeness of a litchi by the color of the skin, which should be as dark as possible. If in doubt, you can leave the selected fruits to ripen for a few days. However, do not put them in the refrigerator for this, because lychees do not tolerate the cold very well.
also read
- The lychee tree can also be cultivated in Germany
- How to properly care for your litchi tree
- Growing a litchi - a challenge for fans of exotic plants
How to prepare a lychee
- Carefully remove the thin skin and the pulp without damaging the core.
- Wash the core off under lukewarm running water.
- In the process, remove the shiny brown skin.
- Soak the core for about 24 hours in stale, room-temperature water.
- Only use fresh seeds for planting. Those that have already dried are no longer capable of germination.
Once you've done that, you can plant your litchikers.
Planting a lychee properly
Take a small plant pot with drainage holes on the bottom to allow excess water to drain away. Litchi plants do not tolerate waterlogging. A mixture of potting soil with a little coarse sand is best as a substrate - the lychee likes it airy and loose. Put the core about one to two inches deep into the soil and cover it loosely. The core should be on its side. Place the plant pot in a bright and warm location, but not in direct sunlight. Keep the substrate moist, but not wet. It is best to use a spray bottle to moisten the soil. The lychee will germinate in about 30 days. As soon as the small plant has developed three to four leaves, it can be moved to a larger pot. Water them regularly, but save on fertilizer.
Tips & Tricks
Too much fertilizer will damage your lychee plant. Lychees are very slow-growing trees that therefore only need a few nutrients. Fertilize with some liquid fertilizer every four to six weeks, but do not use more than a quarter of the amount indicated.
