Product Bio

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.