Sweet Heart Lychee Live Plant – 2-3 ft Tall Airlayered Tree – 3 Gallon Pot

Overview

Bring the taste of the tropics to your home with a premium sweet heart lychee live plant. This exquisite fruit tree, scientifically known as Litchi chinensis ‘Sweet Heart’, is renowned for its large, heart-shaped fruit with a small seed and abundant, sweet, juicy flesh. Our sweet heart lychee tree is an airlayered specimen, a propagation method that encourages faster fruiting compared to seed-grown plants. Standing 2 to 3 feet tall and shipped in a 3-gallon nursery pot, it’s a robust and healthy plant ready for planting in your garden or a larger container. Growing your own lychee fruit provides not only a delightful culinary experience but also adds an attractive, evergreen element to your landscape. This variety is highly sought after by fruit enthusiasts and home gardeners alike for its superior fruit quality and reliable production.

Key Benefits

Adding a sweet heart lychee live plant to your collection offers numerous advantages, from its aesthetic appeal to its delicious yield. Enjoy the unique satisfaction of harvesting your own tropical fruit right from your backyard or patio.

• Delicious, High-Quality Fruit: The ‘Sweet Heart’ variety is celebrated for its exceptionally sweet, aromatic, and juicy lychees. The fruit has a characteristic heart shape and a very small seed, maximizing the edible flesh.
• Faster Fruiting with Airlayering: Our trees are propagated via airlayering, which means they are genetically identical to the parent plant and typically begin producing fruit much sooner than trees grown from seed, often within 1-3 years. This method ensures you get a mature-producing plant faster.
• Attractive Ornamental Tree: Beyond its fruit, the sweet heart lychee tree is a beautiful evergreen, featuring glossy, dark green foliage that provides year-round visual interest. It can serve as an elegant focal point in a garden or a stately container plant.
• Rich in Nutrients: Lychees are packed with Vitamin C, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds, making them a healthy addition to your diet. Enjoy fresh, home-grown nutrition.
• Versatile Growing Options: While thriving in warm climates, this airlayered lychee tree can also be successfully grown in large containers in cooler regions, allowing you to move it indoors during cold weather. This makes it accessible to a wider range of gardeners.
• Supports Pollinators: The tree’s flowers attract bees and other beneficial pollinators, contributing to the biodiversity of your garden ecosystem.
• Self-Pollinating: Lychee trees are self-pollinating, meaning you only need one tree to produce fruit, simplifying the growing process for home gardeners who want to grow lychee fruit.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

To ensure your sweet heart lychee live plant thrives and produces abundant fruit, consistent care is essential. Lychees prefer a tropical to subtropical climate, and understanding their specific needs for light, water, and soil will lead to the best results. The lychee tree care regimen is straightforward but requires attention to detail, especially during its establishment phase.

Sunlight: Lychee trees require at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce fruit optimally. In very hot climates, some afternoon shade can be beneficial to prevent leaf scorch, especially for young trees. If growing in a container indoors, place it near a south-facing window or use supplemental grow lights to provide adequate light. Watering: Lychees need consistent moisture, particularly during flowering and fruiting. Water deeply when the top 2-3 inches of soil feel dry to the touch, ensuring good drainage to prevent root rot. Reduce watering slightly during the dormant period in winter. Soil: Plant in well-draining, slightly acidic soil with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5. A rich, loamy soil amended with organic matter is ideal. For container growing, use a high-quality potting mix designed for acid-loving plants. Temperature & USDA Zone: Lychees are sensitive to frost. They thrive in USDA Zones 9-11. Young trees are particularly vulnerable to cold; protect them with frost cloth or bring container-grown plants indoors if temperatures drop below 30°F (-1°C). Fertilization: Fertilize your sweet heart lychee tree with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer formulated for tropical fruits or acid-loving plants. Apply every 2-3 months during the growing season (spring to fall), following package instructions. Reduce or stop fertilizing in winter. Pruning: Prune to maintain shape, remove dead or diseased branches, and encourage new growth after harvest. Avoid heavy pruning, as fruit is produced on new growth. Pest & Disease: Lychees are generally hardy but can occasionally be affected by pests like aphids or scale. Monitor your plant regularly and treat with organic pest control methods if necessary.

Size & Details

This sweet heart lychee live plant stands approximately 2 to 3 feet tall from the base of the pot to the top of the foliage, offering a substantial young tree ready for transplanting. It is an airlayered tree, a superior propagation method that ensures a healthy root system and faster maturation. The tree is shipped securely in a 3 gallon nursery pot, providing ample soil and space for its initial growth. Lychees typically have a moderate growth rate, and with proper care, this tree will establish well and begin to produce fruit within a few years of planting. The mature size of a sweet heart lychee tree can reach 20-40 feet in optimal conditions, but it can be maintained at a smaller, more manageable size through regular pruning, especially when grown in a container. Expect to grow lychee fruit that is heart-shaped and vibrantly red when ripe, typically maturing in late spring to early summer.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: This sweet heart lychee live plant is currently 2-3 feet tall. In the ground, a mature lychee tree can reach 20-40 feet, but it can be kept smaller through pruning, especially when grown in a large container.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The airlayered lychee tree is shipped in a 3 gallon nursery pot, providing a good foundation for its initial growth. We recommend transplanting it into a larger container or directly into the ground upon arrival.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Lychee trees are tropical and thrive outdoors in USDA Zones 9-11. In cooler climates, they can be grown in large containers and brought indoors during the winter months to protect them from frost, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: To ensure optimal fruit production, your sweet heart lychee tree needs at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. If growing indoors, place it in the brightest available location, ideally a south-facing window.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: While tropical plants require specific conditions, lychee tree care is manageable with consistent attention to its needs for sunlight, water, and soil. It’s considered moderately easy for gardeners with some experience with fruit trees.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your sweet heart lychee live plant will arrive well-packaged and healthy, with its roots securely in the 3-gallon pot. We take great care to ensure the plant is protected during transit.
• Q: How long until it blooms and fruits? A: Since this is an airlayered tree, it typically blooms and fruits much faster than seed-grown plants. You can often expect your first harvest of delicious lychee fruit within 1-3 years of planting, given proper care and ideal growing conditions.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: If you are in USDA Zones 9-11, your lychee tree can typically stay outdoors year-round. In colder zones, you must protect it from frost, either by covering it or by moving container-grown plants indoors when temperatures drop below freezing.
• Q: What’s the minimum temperature it can tolerate? A: Lychee trees are sensitive to cold. They can tolerate brief dips to around 30°F (-1°C) without significant damage, but prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures can be harmful or even fatal, especially for young trees.
• Q: Can I grow lychee fruit in a pot permanently? A: Yes, you can successfully grow lychee fruit in a large container permanently. Choose a pot at least 20-25 gallons in size, ensure good drainage, and be prepared to prune the tree to manage its size and shape.