Growing longan fruit at home from seed, care

In China, they sell delicious “dragon eyes” - longyan 龙眼. Botanical name of the plant - longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour., or Euphoria longana Lamk.). It belongs to the family Sapindaceae. Many tourists visiting the countries of Southeast Asia try the fruits of its related plants such as rambutan, lychee and pitomba. Longan balls collected in clusters look like nuts with a thin cinnamon-colored skin. Its color varies from yellow to reddish-brown. The inedible hard peel cracks and is easily removed. Inside there is a seed - a shiny stone, which is enveloped in white pulp, aryllus. It is because of this glassy layer that people willingly buy “dragon eyes”, which are considered tasty and healthy.

Dragon eyes or longan

How and where longan grows in natural conditions

General information about the Dragon's Eye plant:

family Sapindaceae;
homeland - hot and humid areas of Asia: Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, China;
second name – “Eye of the Dragon”;
in the wild, an uncultivated plant is rare;
in tropical areas, longan is grown on an industrial scale, and trees are cultivated to produce exotic fruits;
breeders have developed several varieties taking into account the conditions of certain Asian regions;
the main growing area for longan is China;
the original fruits look like a ball, the skin color is brownish, there are variations with the addition of orange and reddish-brown tones;
inside the fruit there is a stone, around it there is an aryllus or white, gelatinous pulp;
despite the specific appearance of the fruit with a cut peel, tourists willingly purchase “Dragon Eye”: an exotic fruit with a glassy layer has a pleasant taste;
what does longan look like? The photos help to understand why the tropical fruit received such an unusual name.

At home, you can grow an exotic plant from a seed, just like lychee, lemon, avocado, orange, mango, tangerine, and date. The growth of the tree is slow, fruiting occurs after 4–7 years, and it is not always possible to wait for the fruits. If the grower lives in one of the southern regions with a subtropical climate, then there is a chance to get unusual fruits. In the fresh air, at high temperatures and humidity, there is a chance to see a “cluster” consisting of large “balls” with tasty pulp inside.

Application in medicine

Use of longan in medicine

In Asian countries, the use of longan seed powder is common. It is used to stop bleeding, in the treatment of eczema, hernias. In Vietnam, such powder is applied to snake bites as an antidote. Longan is prescribed for use during a course of chemotherapy, as well as for the prevention of cancer.

This exotic fruit is able to renew the liver; daily consumption of longan almost completely restores internal organs and regenerates their damage. Thanks to the large amount of iron, the fruit is effective against anemia.

In oriental medicine, a decoction of longan fruits is used to stimulate metabolic processes in the body, and also as an analgesic and sedative. A decoction or fresh fruit fights fever, scurvy, and has anthelmintic and antiseptic properties. In addition, dentists have noticed a beneficial effect on the gums - thanks to the high content of vitamin C, longan stops bleeding gums and strengthens them. The leaves of the plant and longan flower extract are also widely used in folk medicine due to their anti-inflammatory properties. In China, you can buy anti-vertigo medications that contain longan.

How to choose a fruit for planting a seed

The main problem is to get the basis for growing an exotic tree. Not all cities can find the "dragon's eye". If you are lucky enough to buy an Asian exotic fruit in a hypermarket, then you can safely experiment and plant a longan seed.

Important details:

the riper the fruit, the higher the chances of germination;
the best option is to buy and save an unusual fruit during a trip to Thailand, China or another eastern country in this region;
the suitable period is mid-summer, when the fruits ripen well;
supermarkets in our regions most often sell unripe fruits, which significantly reduces the germination rate;
If a seed from an unripe longan does not germinate within an average period, do not despair. You need to wait another 14–16 days: perhaps the base will hatch later.

What are the benefits of longan?

The benefits of longan were noticed by ancient Asian peoples. It has a general strengthening effect, has a beneficial effect on a person’s mental health, eliminates anger and helps cope with stress, strengthens vision by moisturizing the eyeball, and protects the body from free radicals.

For men

It is very important for men to be in good shape all the time. Longan strengthens the body's defenses and regulates the level of hemoglobin in the blood. With regular consumption of the fruit, vitamin C will allow a man to forget about viral infections for a long time, and glucose will fuel muscles and brain activity. Longan prevents the development of osteoporosis and other musculoskeletal diseases.

The zinc contained in longan stimulates the production of male hormones, which immediately affects sexual activity, and is considered a natural aphrodisiac.

Women

Women are very susceptible to surges in blood pressure, and consuming longan normalizes it, strengthening the walls of blood vessels.

Almost every woman cares about her figure. The low calorie content of longan and its fiber are included in the diet when losing weight; the fruit will help normalize metabolism, burn fat and stabilize weight without harm to the body. Thanks to various microelements, longan fills the female body with energy, helps overcome fatigue, stress, survive depression, weakens the impact of premenstrual syndrome and the psychological consequences of menupase. Longan fruits normalize night sleep, balance feminine energy, and regulate hormonal levels.

Regular consumption of the fruit slows down aging and smoothes out wrinkles. In addition, longan is used in making homemade face masks. By mixing the pulp of the fruit with olive oil, honey or sour cream, you can get an incomparable anti-wrinkle mask. Such masks are used in courses of 10 procedures; for the best effect, it is recommended to leave the mixture on the face for half an hour.

Due to their properties of forming foam, longan seeds in Asia are crushed, combined with water and used as shampoo. This product strengthens the hair along its entire length.

For children

A growing child's body needs vitamins and minerals the most. Longan is a fruit that can fill this need. During intense study, the child’s body feels tired and exhausted; the fruits of longan will restore the child’s vigor, activity and cheerfulness, and help cope with overload. In addition, the fruit stimulates brain function and contributes to schoolchildren’s academic success.

Longan copes with vitamin deficiency and strengthens the body's immune system, which is especially important in the autumn and spring. Microelements strengthen bone tissue, promote tissue regeneration, improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, and enrich the blood with oxygen. Just a few longan fruits will help deal with restless children's sleep.

Children are very picky eaters, they are not always willing to eat healthy vegetables and fruits, but with longan the situation is different: thanks to its taste characteristics, the child enjoys eating this vitamin-rich fruit.

What conditions are needed to grow at home?

The tropical plant “Dragon's Eye” takes root well in the apartment. In the southern regions (Krasnodar Territory, the Caucasus, other zones with a similar climate), longan grows successfully in a tub in the fresh air during the warm season.

Five conditions for growing a tropical plant:

The duration of daylight is 12 hours, no less.
Regular feeding.
The temperature in the home or outside is +24°C and above.
Regular, high-quality moistening of the substrate and leaves so that all parts of the tropical tree receive enough moisture.
A spacious pot in which powerful roots will not be too crowded.

How to grow from seed

The experiment will certainly be successful if the amateur gardener carefully studies the recommendations for growing an exotic fruit, buys suitable soil, and thinks about where the flowerpot with the flower will be placed. If it is difficult to maintain a temperature in your home of about +24..25 degrees, then you should choose another house plant. Many deciduous and beautifully flowering species grow well at room temperature.

Preparing the base

What to do:

first way. Remove the kernels from the fruit, rinse, place on a paper napkin, and set aside for a day. Next, place the planting material in a damp cotton cloth, place it on a tray, wrap it in plastic, and place it in a warm room. You will have to wait one to two weeks for the roots to appear. It is important that the fabric is always damp: spraying with a spray bottle helps;
second way. Soak the longan seed in warm water for three days, then two days in the refrigerator (vegetable compartment). After stratification, the seeds germinate more actively;
third way. Add Kornevin powder, a modern growth stimulator, to warm water, soak the seed for 6 hours, then dry and plant.

On a note! Many amateur flower growers advise wiping the surface of the seed with sandpaper or using a nail file. The thinned top layer is less likely to interfere with root germination.

Soil preparation

A drainage layer is installed in the container and the presence of drainage holes is checked. River sand or pebbles are poured onto the bottom; you can take expanded clay or small pieces of brick.

You will need a fertile, high-quality, loose substrate with a pH level of 5 to 6. The best option is to buy a ready-made soil mixture at a flower shop: the soil is suitable for exotic plants that grow naturally in the subtropics and tropics. The bag is unsealed immediately before placing the soil in the flowerpot, the substrate is watered, and a check is made to see if moisture comes out of the drainage holes.

Landing rules

Helpful Tips:

To grow longan you will need a fairly wide and deep flower pot. In a convenient and spacious container, young plants will not need picking;
planting is carried out in compliance with the rules: the treated seed is placed shallowly, one third should look out from under the ground;
in the room where the flowerpot with the “Eye of the Dragon” is located, be sure to maintain a temperature of +24..25°C;
It is useful to heat the soil from below, for example, placing the pot on a stand and then on a warm radiator or heater;
It is important to create high humidity in the mini-greenhouse, as when growing seedlings of many ornamental plants. It’s easy to create a small “greenhouse”: cut off the top part of a plastic bottle and cover the area where the seed is planted with a “cap”. You can take a liter jar;
Until a sprout appears, you cannot remove the shelter for a long time: it is enough to remove the shelter once every 4-6 days for 5-10 minutes, wipe off drops of condensation, ventilate the ground, put the jar or plastic covering back.

Picking

The plant will not need picking if it is planted in large containers in advance, each seed separately from the other. If for some reason there is a need for picking, for example, if several seeds were planted in one pot and they all sprouted, then this manipulation can be carried out as follows:

First of all, you need to water the soil abundantly so that it softens and it is easier to get the plants out.
While the moisture is absorbed, you can start preparing new containers for longan. You need to take large pots so that there is enough space for the formation of the root system of a full-fledged tree. In these containers you need to place previously prepared soil mixed with the purchased mixture for growing exotic plants. The soil should also be watered with water at room temperature.
Then you need to very carefully remove the plants from the old pot. To do this, you can use a special picking fork, if available. It is very important not to damage the delicate stem.
Excessively long roots can be shortened slightly. Thanks to this, the plant will develop a fibrous root system. After this, you need to lower the plant into the hole in a new pot and carefully cover it with soil.
At the end of all the above manipulations, you need to water the newly planted sprouts again and set them to take root in a well-lit place. For the first few days, it is important to protect the future tree from direct sunlight.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with How to plant trees correctly. What trees are best to plant on a plot, near a house, in a garden, in a park?

How to care

The germination of longan depends on the degree of maturity of the fruit: the riper the fruit, the higher the chances of success of the experiment. It is no coincidence that experienced flower growers advise placing two or three seeds of an exotic plant in one flowerpot. If all the specimens sprout, then you need to carefully plant the base in individual containers.

Caring for sprouts is a set of standard measures adjusted for the correction of each indicator: temperature, humidity, level of light and watering, fertilizing.

Sprouts appear after one to two weeks; with a weak degree of maturity of the fruit, you have to wait about a month for sprouts. If after 35–40 days the “black earth” period continues, then the experiment was unsuccessful and you will have to start all over again or choose an exotic species that is easier to grow, for example, persimmon, mango, pomegranate. At first, the seedling will be without leaves and inconspicuous in appearance, similar to a root. Don't worry: with good care, leaves will soon appear on the young shoot and the growth of green mass will begin.

Location

Important points:

a flowerpot with a tropical tree should not be in a draft;
Sharp temperature fluctuations in the room are not allowed;
It is useful to place a container with a young plant on a windowsill on the southwest or southeast side. The southern part of the apartment is also suitable, but on a summer afternoon you will have to close the curtains or blinds to protect the leaves from the scorching sun;
if the longan is in the garden during the warm season, then you need to place a tub with the plant so that during the hottest time a light shadow falls on the tropical tree;
When living in a private house, it is useful to build a greenhouse to create optimal conditions. With this approach to growing, “Dragon's Eye” will quickly grow in green mass, increase in size, and there is hope to wait for exotic fruits to appear;
damp, dark room, low temperatures, north side, cold air currents are factors that negatively affect the development of a tropical species.

Temperature

The exotic tree “dragon's eye” loves warmth. Indoors, the readings should not fall below +22 degrees, optimally from +24°C or more. In a cool room, it is useful to turn on an infrared heater. These conditions are required for good growth and active vegetation in spring and summer.

In winter, conditions are adjusted: the tropical species enters a dormant period. The temperature must be reduced by a few degrees: to +17°C. It is important to ensure that currents of cold air do not hit the tree: the subtropical species does not tolerate frosts and drafts well.

Lighting

A sufficient amount of heat and light are factors that directly affect growth, flowering, and fruit formation. It is optimal if the flowerpot with the tree is kept in a bright room for at least 12 hours a day. In autumn (September-October) and spring it is useful to illuminate the subtropical view; in winter, additional lighting is not required: the longan is resting. Some gardeners advise supplementing the subtropical species with light even in winter, but most believe that the plant does not need an additional portion of light during the period of slow sap flow. Of course, you should not place a flowerpot with a flower in a pantry or other room where there is no lighting at all.

Watering and humidity

In tropical and subtropical climates, air humidity is high; similar conditions will have to be created when growing longan from seed at home. Optimal: 70–75%, but such a microclimate is not suitable for people. What to do? Spray the tree more often in the summer or grow the plant in a greenhouse. If in the southern regions the “dragon's eye” grows outside while it is warm, then you need to water it abundantly and spray the plant more often.

Watering is regular, high-quality, with good water flow through the soil, but without fanaticism, so that liquid does not stagnate in the soil. Some gardeners believe that excess moisture is better than dry soil. This is partly true: dry substrate negatively affects the plant, but you need to know when to stop to avoid the development of fungal diseases.

On a note! Proper watering and a sufficient amount of moisture prevent the proliferation of dangerous pests on the tree: mealybugs and spider mites do not settle on the longan. Dangerous pests love dry air and soil, you need to remember this.

Fertilizers and fertilizers

The tree throws out many oval leaves with pointed ends. The greens are similar to lemon leaves, but longan leaves are longer and not as wide as citrus leaves. For a good growing season, be sure to apply fertilizers containing enough nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus - in moderate quantities. You should not overfeed the tropical species: excess nitrogen negatively affects the condition of the leaves and provokes the formation of brown and yellow areas at the ends of the plates.

Fertilization of the subtropical plant is carried out throughout most of the year, but from November to March, feeding is temporarily stopped. During rest, they refuse not only from fertilizing the substrate, but also from frequent watering. Also at this time the plant is in a cool room.

When does fruiting occur?

The first ovaries can be seen on longan no earlier than the 4th year of its growth. Sometimes ovaries can form in the 5-7th year of a plant’s life.

Many flower growers are captivated by the beauty of this exotic plant, as well as its comparative ease of care. One cannot help but recall the incredibly beneficial properties of longan fruits, which are rich in vitamins, contain magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, as well as riboflavin, which gives the body energy and helps fight stress.

Fruits that ripen on indoor longan will relieve weakness and fatigue, give vigor and increase overall vitality. In addition, it is incredibly pleasant to understand that all this was grown with your own hands. So you should definitely try to grow this wonderful fruit on your windowsill, because the results will greatly exceed the effort expended.

The tree begins to bear fruit at 4-8 years of age - it all depends on the conditions in which the exotic grew. At this age, it should be 2 meters in height and have a sparse crown with long, rich green leaves.

The ovaries appear in the spring, and the fruits ripen in clusters from July to August.

Ripe fruits have:

from 1.2 to 2.5 centimeters in diameter;
thin light brown peel;
faint aroma of nutmeg.

Transfer

Important details:

Be sure to select a large pot for the longan so that the roots grow for a long period in one container.
The capricious tropical species does not like frequent transplants; you need to think in advance about a suitable flower pot.
When the root system grows so much that it is cramped in the old container, they select a large container, transfer the plant, and maintain the integrity of the earthen ball. The less the housewife disturbs the roots, the higher the likelihood that the plant will take root well after transplanting into a new pot.
Abundant watering of the soil before transshipment of the plant will help to avoid soil drying out.
No fertilizing or watering is carried out during the week; the plant is kept in a warm room, but away from direct sun.

Is it possible to get the fruits at home and how to do it

For the formation of “ball” fruits on a tree, conditions close to the natural growing environment are required. The temperature should not fall below +24 degrees, you need long daylight hours, almost always moist (not swampy) soil, and optimal fertilization. Only in the southern regions can a similar environment be maintained, and there is hope for fruiting 4, 5 or more years after planting the Dragon's Eye tree. Any change in weather or cold negatively affects the rather capricious plant, which interferes with the growth and appearance of fruits.

If you are lucky enough to grow fruits, they are consumed fresh and dried after preliminary cooking. Longan contains a lot of vitamins, fiber, organic acids, and other valuable substances and is very useful for humans.