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I bought a Sweetheart Lychee air-layer a month ago. It is less than a foot tall. I immediately planted it in a plastic container whose diameter matched the canopy size. For the first week, I kept it inside by a window that only got 5 hours of sunlight. Then I transitioned it outside for a full 10 hours of sunlight. The weather has been consistently over 50 F at night and lower than 80 F during the day. I water it 3 times a week, letting water drain out from the bottom. I've only put one crushed eggshell and some tea leaf pellets on the surface.

All the leaves eventually started browning from the edges and fell off. Some new leaves are sprouting, but they've shriveled before reaching full size. There's also a rusty color developing on the soil around the trunk. I had a similar experience with my Wax Apple (Jambu), but with only a third of the leaves getting scorched. That one recovered quite well by putting out new leaves without me adjusting anything. At one point, I moved the Lychee behind the posts of my porch to see if shade would help it, but it did not improve.

I would like some tips on how to revive this baby. It was $50 and it's not available in any local nurseries, so it would be a pity if it died.

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JoJo
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2 Answers2

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It looks to me like you jumped the gun on putting it outside, and have been treating it more like an already established plant, rather than the rooted cutting that it really is. I agree with putting it back into semi-shade, and I'd go ahead and follow the grower's instructions to wrap it in plastic for a while. The problem appears to be that the roots were not established well enough to provide for the canopy when it was not being given help by the higher humidity and lower moisture loss that is gained through putting it under plastic. No amount of watering can help with that, the plant just needs to make a gradual adjustment and the root mass needs time to grow to meet the plant's needs.

TeresaMcgH
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Try feeding your plant baking soda mixed with water; I did that to my dying fig plant and it is doing fine.

Alina
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Gita
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