lychee help!

[kernowyon]

has anyone got any tips for getting lychees to germinate, tried numerous times but have never got a single one to germinate. do you have to dry the seed out first? or what depth does it need to be?

any tip would be much appreciated

thanks

[vicki lorraine]

sorry i dont have an answer for you but was suprised as i didnt know you could grow them here! Never seen any growing.
Good luck with your project.

[leona]

iv often thought about trying to grow them but i wouldnt have thought youd get anthing from them...maybe try filing the outside of the seed a bit? like you can do with sweetpeas...i dunno..

[terrier]

Info from Royal Botanic Gardens:

Lychee seeds are extremely short lived; once removed from the fruit they must be planted within 3-4 days. Even inside the fruit, the seeds only remain viable for 3-4 weeks. They should be sown in peaty compost and require constant warmth and moisture for germination. The seedlings are susceptible to rapid changes in temperature and, ideally, they should be kept in light shade. If the humidity is too low, the leaves will turn brown, but this can be prevented by spraying daily with tepid water or by standing the pot on a tray of damp gravel. Artificial fertilisers can be applied during the summer. In this country, it is very unlikely that lychees will produce flowers or fruit, but they do make handsome house or conservatory plants

[tai haku]

here's how I did it with a 5 for 5 success rate:

1) eat fruit
2) dry off seed and remove anything that might go mouldy like a bit of extra flesh
3) place seeds in a plastic bag of moist compost in the airing cupboard, check daily and pot on upon germination.

I would say they seem to need a lot of heat even after germination and mine never amounted to anything.

[Flummery]

I often stick them in a bit of compost - or a glass of water - to see if I can get anything going. Sowing seeds DOES become an obession doesn't it? I only once got one to sprout - in water. I potted it up but it only became a weedy plant. No airing cupboard though - we have a combi boiler!