If you’re looking to grow your own exotic lychee collection, you’ve got two main options: starting from cuttings or planting seeds. Both methods have their pros and cons, but if you’re looking for the best success rate, cuttings are definitely the way to go.
Taking Cuttings
While growing a lychee tree in cooler climates is totally doable, don’t expect the massive harvests you’d see in the tropics. However, if you already have a tree at home, propagating it via cuttings is a fantastic shortcut. The best part? You’ll get a genetic twin of your original plant.
One little heads-up: getting good cuttings can be tricky because young lychee plants don’t grow many side branches. It’s much easier to take cuttings from an older, established tree. Look for a shoot that is at least 6 inches long and starting to get a bit woody (brown) at the base.
How to Propagate Lychee Cuttings:
- Strip off the leaves from the bottom half of the stem.
- Use a sharp, clean knife to make a diagonal cut at the base.
- Fill a pot with a high-quality seed-starting mix.
- Plant the cutting firmly in the soil.
- Give it a light watering.
- Cover the pot with a clear lid or a plastic freezer bag to create a mini-greenhouse.
For the first few weeks, consistency is key. You need to keep the soil moist, or those roots simply won’t sprout. The plastic cover helps lock in humidity and prevents the leaves from drying out. Just make sure to lift the cover every day or so to let in some fresh air—otherwise, you might run into mold issues.
Growing from Seed
The other route is starting from scratch with seeds. Just a fair warning: lychee seeds can be a bit finicky and don’t always germinate, so it’s a good idea to plant several seeds at once to increase your odds.
If you’re harvesting seeds from your own fruit, make sure the lychees are bright red and fully ripe. Carefully remove the pit from the fruit without nicking it, and rinse off any leftover pulp under the tap.
Next, soak the seed in lukewarm water until the outer shell just starts to crack open. Once that happens, tuck it into a pot with seed-starting soil, burying it about an inch deep. Lychees love warmth, so keep them at a steady 77°F (25°C) and keep the soil damp. Don’t lose heart if nothing happens right away—it can take several weeks before those first little leaves pop up!
