How to Grow Lychee
Litchi chinensis
Grow lychee in a heated greenhouse or conservatory in the UK, providing bright light year-round. A cool winter rest period of 10-15°C for several weeks is essential to trigger flowering — without it the tree will not fruit. Water freely with rainwater during the growing season and feed fortnightly with an ericaceous fertiliser. Prune lightly after harvest to control size in a container.
Yearly Lifecycle
Care Essentials
Feed fortnightly with an ericaceous liquid fertiliser from spring through to autumn. Lychee prefers slightly acidic conditions, so avoid standard lime-based feeds.
Watch For
- Red spider mite (fine webbing on leaf undersides)
- Scale insects (sticky honeydew, brown bumps)
- Mealybug (white cottony masses)
- Anthracnose (dark brown spots on leaves and fruit)
- Root rot from overwatering
Track your Lychee care schedule — pruning, feeding, and seasonal tasks
Start planning freeCare Requirements
☀️ Light
Bright light, brightest position under glass
Bright light with some direct sun. Provide the brightest position in a heated greenhouse or conservatory. Lychee needs good light year-round to flower and fruit.
💧 Watering
Freely with rainwater in summer, reduced in winter
Water freely with rainwater during the growing season, keeping compost evenly moist. Lychee prefers slightly acidic conditions. Reduce watering in winter but maintain some humidity.
🌱 Fertilizing
Ericaceous feed fortnightly, spring to autumn
Feed fortnightly with an ericaceous or balanced liquid fertiliser from spring to autumn. Lychee prefers slightly acidic conditions and benefits from regular feeding.
✂️ Pruning
Light pruning after harvest to shape and control size
Prune lightly after harvest to shape and control size. Remove dead wood and crossing branches. Lychee can grow large, so regular pruning helps manage it in a container.
❄️ Overwintering
Cool winter spell 10-15°C needed to trigger flowering
Keep in a heated greenhouse with a cool period of 10-15°C for several weeks in winter to initiate flowering. Lychee needs this cool spell but cannot tolerate frost.
Growing Tips
Cool spell triggers flowering
Lychee needs a cool winter spell of 10-15°C for several weeks to initiate flowering. Without this rest period the tree grows well but will not set fruit.
Acidic conditions preferred
Water with rainwater and feed with ericaceous fertiliser — lychee prefers slightly acidic conditions and dislikes lime-rich tap water.
Humidity deters spider mite
Mist foliage regularly and increase humidity to deter red spider mite, the most common pest of lychee grown under glass in the UK.
Prune after harvest
Prune lightly after harvest to shape and control size. Lychee can grow large, so regular pruning is essential to manage it in a container.
Pests & Diseases
Pest Red Spider Mite
Identification: Fine webbing on leaf undersides, stippled yellowing leaves, tiny mites visible with a hand lens
- Increase humidity by misting regularly
- Introduce predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis under glass
- Spray with fatty acid-based miticide, ensuring good coverage of leaf undersides
Pest Scale Insects
Identification: Small brown or white bumps on stems and leaf undersides, sticky honeydew and sooty mould
- Wipe off with a cloth dipped in soapy water
- Introduce parasitic wasps as biological control under glass
- Spray with plant oil-based insecticide
Pest Mealybug
Identification: White cottony masses in leaf axils and on stems, sticky honeydew
- Dab with a cotton bud soaked in methylated spirit
- Introduce Cryptolaemus ladybird as biological control
- Spray with fatty acid or plant oil-based insecticide
Disease Root Rot Phytophthora spp.
Symptoms: Yellowing leaves, wilting despite moist soil, dark mushy roots, plant collapse
Treatment: Remove from pot, trim rotten roots, repot in fresh free-draining compost. Reduce watering
Prevention: Use well-drained acidic compost. Ensure pots have adequate drainage holes. Water with rainwater
Disease Anthracnose Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
Symptoms: Dark brown spots on leaves and fruit, premature fruit drop, leaf dieback
Treatment: Remove and destroy affected leaves and fruit. Improve air circulation
Prevention: Avoid overhead watering. Ensure good ventilation in the greenhouse
Spacing & Planting
| Plant spacing | 1000 cm |
| Row spacing | 1300 cm |
| Mature height | 600 cm |
| Mature spread | 500 cm |
Large evergreen tree. Requires cool nights (below 20C) to initiate flowering. Needs cross-pollination for best yields.
Log Lychee in your garden — track growth, care, and harvests year after year
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