Litchi tree struggling

General Fruit Growing
1

Hi, I’ve got this small Wai chee litchi tree that just seems to be on the decline. Any ideas on what could be the cause and how I could remedy the situation?

Intially, most damage was taken during winter. I’m in Johannesburg, South Africa and we do get some coped weather, first etc. I did protect the tree most of winter, but there might have been days where the covering opened up a bit. Could have even been days where I forgot to open the cover which may have caused some overheating.

I’ve taken the cover off for the past month, but slowly the leaves are still drying up and falling off.

I’ve been watering consistently, about 3min with a hose (about 25liters). There was also an issue where it was kind of planted in a sump, with the water collecting at the stem. I’ve rectified that a few days ago.

The soil around the tree also feels a little loose in some spots. Perhaps too much organic matter like mulch, compost etc.

Not sure if there might also be a possibility of a fungal issue?

Any advice and opinions will be appreciated

Some pics below

20250902_173546
20250902_1735461920×1440 773 KB

20250902_173538
20250902_1735381920×1440 251 KB

20250902_173534
20250902_1735341920×1440 180 KB

20250902_173523
20250902_1735231920×2560 1.07 MB

2

The soil looks dried. You probably need some mulch around the base of the tree. You may add some fertilizer also.

Tony

1 Like
3

Thanks, ill add some. However, even though it looks dry, it is moist underneath. I added a cardboard layer topped with mulch in the winter. The soil on the surface does seem a bit loose though. Perhaps I need to mix in some sand or topsoil?

4

I’m suspecting leaf spot. I’ve disposed of whatever fallen leaves I could find and removed any leaves with more than 50% spots. Planning on spraying tomorrow with copper or Double Nickel 55. Thoughts?