Problems With Lychee Trees – A Real Gardener’s Take
Problems with lychee trees, discover common problems like yellow leaves, pests, and fruit drop—plus real-life tips to keep your tree healthy and productive. You know, when I first planted my lychee tree, I thought it’d be smooth sailing. The nursery guy told me, “Just give it sun and water, and you’ll have sweet fruit in no time.” Well, turns out, lychee trees have their own personality—and they can be pretty stubborn.
In this post, I’m going to talk straight about the problems I’ve faced with lychee trees, what I’ve learned and how you can hopefully avoid some of the mistakes I made. Nothing fancy here—just real talk from one gardener to another.
The Leaves Tell the First Story
Let’s start with something easy to notice—leaves. When a lychee tree is happy, the leaves are shiny and deep green. When something’s wrong, the leaves usually let you know first.
Yellow Leaves
I once noticed my tree’s leaves turning yellow, especially on the lower branches. At first, I thought it was too much sun. Nope. Turned out I was watering it too often, and the roots weren’t getting enough air. Lesson learned: lychees don’t like soggy feet. Make sure your soil drains well.
Curling Leaves
Another time, the leaves started curling inward. Tiny aphids were partying under the leaves. A mild soap spray every few days cleared that up. If you catch it early, it’s manageable. But wait too long, and they bring in the ants and sooty mold.
The Pesky Pests
I didn’t expect so many bugs to be into lychees. Here’s what I’ve dealt with:
Lychee Erinose Mite
This one’s nasty. Looks like reddish fuzz growing on the leaves and new shoots. Once you see it, it’s already spreading. I had to prune all the affected branches and burn them. After that, I sprayed sulfur every two weeks during the growing season.
Fruit Borer
If your lychees are rotting from the inside, it’s probably these guys. They lay eggs in the fruit. The larvae make a mess. I now cover the fruit bunches with mesh bags once they start forming.
Scale and Aphids
They suck the sap, weaken the tree, and attract ants. I spray neem oil weekly during spring and summer. Also, releasing ladybugs actually helped more than I expected.
Diseases: The Invisible Killers
Anthracnose
Sounds fancy, but it’s just leaf spot. Black dots that spread if the weather’s humid. A copper-based fungicide works, but spacing the branches to let air through helps even more.
Root Rot
I lost my first tree to this. After heavy rain, it just collapsed. Dug it up, and the roots were black and mushy. That’s when I learned—never plant lychees in clay soil without amending it. Add sand, compost, and raise the bed if needed.
No Fruit? Here’s Why
No Flowers
This was a mystery until I realized I was feeding the tree too much nitrogen. It was growing leaves like crazy but no flowers. Switched to a low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus feed in late winter, and boom—flowers the next spring.
Flowers But No Fruit
This usually means poor pollination. Sometimes the weather doesn’t help, especially if it’s too dry or too cold when the flowers are out. I now mist the tree lightly during flowering and leave some wildflowers nearby to attract bees.
Fruit Drop
Just when you think you’ve made it, the fruit starts falling off early. This is often stress—either from not enough water, or a sudden heatwave. Regular, even watering is key here. Mulch helps keep the soil moist.
The Weather Doesn’t Always Cooperate
Lychees are picky. They want warmth, but also a bit of winter chill to flower well. If the winter’s too warm, they may not flower at all. On the flip side, if there’s a late frost, it can damage the young shoots.
Where I live, I get just enough chill. But I’ve met growers who use a water spray in early morning during cold snaps to protect new growth. It’s a bit of effort, but it works.
Soil: The Foundation of It All
If your lychee tree isn’t doing well, check the soil before anything else.
- Too alkaline? Add compost, pine needles, or sulfur.
- Too acidic? Mix in a bit of lime.
- Too compacted? Aerate and incorporate sand or organic stuff.
Every year, I top-dress with compost and mulch. It feeds the tree and keeps weeds away.
Pruning: Don’t Go Overboard
Lychee trees don’t need aggressive pruning. I made that mistake once—cut back too much and ended up with no fruit the next season. Now I just remove dead wood and open up the canopy a bit after harvest. That’s enough.
Fertilizer: Less Is More
Too much fertilizer, especially nitrogen, gives you a big leafy tree but no fruit. I use a balanced, slow-release fertilizer three times a year: once before flowering, once during fruit set, and once after harvest.
Fish emulsion, compost tea, or diluted cow dung water also work wonders. Just don’t overdo it.
Real Talk: Be Patient
Lychee trees are slow to start. You might not get fruit for 4-5 years. But once they start, they’ll produce for decades. Don’t give up if the first few years are rough.
A neighbor of mine almost gave up on her tree. It was 6 years old, no fruit. Then one year—flowers everywhere. She cried when she picked her first basket.
Wrap-Up
Growing lychee trees isn’t always easy, but it’s definitely rewarding. Like all good things in life, it takes time, effort, and a bit of learning. If your tree isn’t doing well, take a step back, look at the basics—soil, water, pests, and feeding—and you’ll usually find the answer.
So keep at it. Your sweet, juicy lychees are worth the wait.
References:
- Florida IFAS Extension – Lychee Production
- CRFG Lychee Fruit Facts
- Queensland Dept. of Agriculture – Lychee Pest Management
- My own backyard lessons
