How to Grow Lychee From Seed in 5 Steps

Lychee is a tropical fruit that grows on the evergreen lychee tree (Litchi chinensis), native to southern China. However, many different cultivars are grown worldwide, from the Indian subcontinent to Hawaii. Lychee fruits have a bright red, fibrous, and scaly outer shell, which you can easily peel away to reveal a soft, lightly tart fruit surrounding a single large seed. Lychees grow in clusters, with anywhere from three to fifty fruits per bunch. You can find fresh lychees in most Asian markets and some grocery stores.

Lychee fruits contain a single seed that you can plant to grow more lychee fruits. Follow the steps below to grow lychee from seed:

1. 1. Save the seed. Buy the fruit and enjoy it, then keep the large, brown seed at the center. You’ll want to pick fruits that have fully ripened (seek larger lychees with a reddish-purple rind) for the sake of the viability of your eventual fruit.
2. 2. Soak the seed for three days. Gently rinse the seed and then pat it with paper towels. Soak the seed in a small bowl filled with warm water. The seed will need to sit for three days, which helps with germination. Replace the water each day for freshness, and when the exterior of the seed begins to crack, it’s time to plant.
3. 3. Plant the lychee seedling. Get a container with drainage holes that’s almost a foot tall and fill it with potting soil. The soil should be slightly acidic. Bury the seed fully, about an inch into the soil. You’ll want to mimic a subtropical environment for growing lychee trees: wet and warm. Keep the pot in a warm room that stays in the seventies, but keep your growing lychee plant away from direct sunlight. In the early stages of growth, shade is best.
4. 4. Water and relocate your plant. Lychee trees need more water than the average houseplant. Give it water every other day, checking the soil to see how moist it is. When green lychee leaves begin to poke out of the soil, move your pot toward more direct sunlight.
5. 5. Watch your plant’s growth. Lychee trees can grow quite tall—up to ten feet—so you’ll want to prune by cutting branches and leaves from the top to keep it in check. After your first year, repot your plant, giving it a larger home. As it gets bigger, your plant will need more sunlight; because of this, lychee plants tend to grow best outdoors in direct sunlight. As evergreen trees accustomed to tropical climates, lychees grow best in hardiness zones ten and eleven.

Lychee trees might produce fruit in five years, ten years, or sometimes two decades. The seed and soil quality, rainfall, and amount of sunlight will all affect this timing. Pick lychees with dark red skin; ripe lychee is ready when it’s about the size of a golf ball. You can pick the fruit year-round, and the white flesh should be squishy and sweet when the fruit has ripened.

Lychee trees are tender and require care to grow. Follow these tips to keep your lychee tree in good health:

1. 1. Keep the tree in areas with little wind. Lychee branches and leaves, especially in their infancy, are very delicate. Wind can inhibit growth, so keep your trees in areas that are shielded from wind.
2. 2. Take care of any pests. Fruit trees can attract pests. In Florida, weevils and webworms are common, but each area may attract its unique pests. Pesticides can damage trees in the long run, so a blast of water should take care of the pests, or you can spray mites with neem oil or insecticidal soap to eradicate them.
3. 3. Keep conditions consistent. Lychee requires consistency in warmth, sunlight, and watering. These trees will grow best in temperatures in the seventies and even low eighties. Tropical and subtropical conditions—warmth, a balance of sunlight and shade, and regular rainfall—are best for lychee trees.
4. 4. Store your fruit in the refrigerator. If and when your tree produces fruit, pick the fruits off when ripe, and store them in the fridge for longevity and taste quality. They can keep for up to a week.

This fresh fruit is versatile in the kitchen. You can add lychee to smoothies or fruit salads or use it as a topping for sorbets and ice creams. You can also use lychee fruit to make a lychee martini. Lychees are high in Vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants.

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