How to Propagate Lychee

Lychee is an exotic Chinese fruit.

The Lychee plant is native to the low areas of China, where it spread to outlying areas of Asia. Lychee is a delicious and sweet fruit used for drinks and for desserts. Growing lychee is possible in most areas of the United States that have a warm summer and cold winter. Buying new lychee plants can be expensive. Home propagation, especially cloning, can increase the amount of lychee plants in your possession with minimal cost.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Perlite
• Knife

Instructions

1. Bend a branch from the lychee tree to the ground. Make sure the branch is long enough that a few inches of leaves will be able to pop up from the ground even with a portion of the branch buried.

2. Remove all the leaves from the section to be buried.

3. Turn the soil in the area where the branch touches the ground. Mix in a small amount of perlite to make the soil more water absorbent.

4. Make a cut on the stem just underneath a node.

5. Cover the cut area with 2 to 3 inches of soil to encourage growth. Place a heavy rock on the soil to prevent the branch from coming out of the soil.

6. Check for root formation after the first season. It may take one or two seasons for the branch to take root. Cut the branch from the tree once roots form.

References

• California Rare Fruit Growers: Lychee
• University of Texas A & M Agrilife Extension; Air Layering for Difficult-to-Root Plants; Everett E. Janne
• Purdue University Cooperative Extension; New Plants from Layering; B. Rosie Lerner and Michael N. Dana