Growing Rambutan Tips
Rambutan is widely grown in western parts of Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. The fruit gets its name from its appearance, which is has hairy spikes emanating from the skin. Many people also know this fruit as hairy lychee. Today, the fruit is grown widely in Hawaii, Australia, the Caribbean Islands and central parts of America. It is rich in Vitamin C, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. It is also a source of fiber, protein and calcium. If you want to grow rambutan in your garden, read on for precious tips that will go a long way in helping you. |
Rambutan is not as easy to grow as lychee, but it can be grown. It requires a humid and warm climate along with organic-rich soil that is sandy and drains well. This is a tropical fruit and therefore, requires tropical-like climate to grow. It requires an area where there is no wind, but has a lot of sunlight.
Select the variety of rambutan you want to grow. You have the option of growing the standard variety with its reddish-yellow skin, or you can go for a hybrid variety that bears fruit with thin skin and a more delicate taste. You can grow the tree from a seed, but remember that you should plant the seed at once after you remove it from the pulp. However, before planting the seed, soak it for around 12 hours in food grade fungal pectinase enzyme. This will help to remove any pulp that is stuck on the seed. If the seed has pulp on it, it will not germinate. Wash the enzyme from the seed before planting it.
The seed will germinate after 7 to 21 days. Germination is dependent on the temperature. If the temperature is high and the air is warm, germination will occur faster. Make sure that you mist the soil to maintain moisture even if the sprout is not visible. Once the sprout appears, water the plant every 2 to 3 days.
Fertilize the rambutan plant with 10-2-33 NPK fertilizer for the first 4 years of its life. Apply fertilizer every 3 months. Prune dead branches whenever you see them. To encourage the fruiting branches to grow and produce fruits, make sure that you prune them during the dormant season.
Before you know it, you will be enjoying delicious and succulent rambutan fruits from your rambutan tree. Just pluck the fruits, peel the skin off and dig into the juicy pulp to enjoy the flavor of this exotic fruit.
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The exotic fruit rambutan has high content of sugar, but it still does not have high calories. Each fruit has around 60 calories. However, the fruit is also full of Vitamin C, iron, Vitamin A and potassium. In addition, it contains some amount of magnesium, zinc, calcium, fiber, niacin and protein. So, there are several health benefits of rambutan and you cannot go wrong if you eat this fruit regularly, or at least when it is in season. 
