HI Chops, I have checked the two Celeste trees in question and they have not gone dormant. The upper two/thirds of the trees are bare, while the lower third still has it's leaves. The tips of the bare branches are blackish in color. I found this in a Q&A on the ND State Univ site: "That black, sooty stuff is aptly described as "sooty mold." Sooty mold is a charcoal black fungus that appears as a black coating on the surface of leaves, fruits, twigs and the branches of many deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees. This fungus is not pathogenic to plants, but obtains its nourishment from insect honeydew. Honeydew is a sweet, clear, sticky substance secreted by insects, such as aphids, mealybugs, scales and whiteflies. The honeydew drops from the insects to the leaves and twigs. Wind-blown sooty mold spores (seeds) that stick to the honeydew then have a suitable medium for growth. When spores germinate, they send out black fungus strands (mycelial threads) that bring about the discoloration. A heavy coat of black mold may build up on twigs during more than a growing season. To control or prevent sooty mold, control the insects causing the honeydew deposits. The insects have to be in large numbers somewhere, on the infected plants or tree branches overhead. They will not disappear without some intervention on your part." I have had problems with just about every kind of bug this year. I guess it should be no surprise about the sooty mold. I will try dormant oil once the trees go dormant to see if it helps the situation next year. ~james

mine actually do the same thing. i thought mine was from not having enough water but, i guess not. im no expert at all, wish i could give you a better answer. i can tell you mine went down to 0C I(32F) the other day with no problems at all, and they are pretty small like yours, just a few inches tall. you might want to give it a larger pot though. Lychee roots need more room than other fruit trees i believe. you might want to consider Mycorrhizal fungi, or worm-tea. i had 8 seedlings, and killed 3 already 2 of them are over 1ft tall I(30+ CM) the other 3 are smaller and barely growing. i gave them all worm-tea and Mycorrhizal Fungi, but, the ones in larger pots are doing better. i read that Mycorrhizal Fungi doesnt last (or take hold?) in small containers i used a cheap potting soil, but added compost , peat moss, and a little coarse sand for drainage. --------------- on the link i have below, i would suggest reading these pages... 15 Tips for Tips for Planting your Lychee Tree 5 Tips for Growing Lychee Trees in Containers 8 Essential Factors for Growing Healthy Lychee Trees Lychee Tree Root System and Development Inoculation with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Enhances Growth of Litchi Chinensis ---------------- The soil quality in potting mix is nothing like the original natural forest environment of lychee trees in Southern China. If you grow a lychee tree in a container, you must take measures to improve and rejuvinate the soil quality or your tree will slowly die within a few years. Mycorrhizal Fungi is a soil treatment that will increase the roots ability to absorb and distribute nutrients and water and innoculate the tree against many plant diseases and pathogens. http://www.lycheesonline.com/containertips.cfm Our observations suggest that in this soil-free medium, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus enhancement of copper and iron nutrition improved lychee growth. http://www.lycheesonline.com/containertips.cfm Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.lycheesonline.com/lycheeinfo.cfm

There was probably too much humid/moisture in the bag :( Great for getting them to pop out of the seeds but not good for longterm. It is important to keep succulent seedlings slightly wet until they get true leaves and are large enough to hold their own water. (The size of a marble is a good size before letting them dry out between watering). But the bag might have just been too humid, at this age they like wet roots but not wet leaves. Usually turning pale is never a sign of TOO much light, but the opposite. They will also become etiolated. But occasionally, with certain types of succulents the old leaves turn pale before the true leaves grow in. So, I feel like you are doing the right thing moving them out of the bag, but continue to keep them wet at least before they get their true leaves. If the true leaves come in pale as well you might want to increase the light. The only other thing that could turn them pale would be over fertilizing or too many nutrients in the soil. Otherwise, it is either light or growth related. I hope your babies come out of it ok!

Well, peat moss has a number of issues. First, unless it has been adjusted for pH, it is fairly acidic - more so than almost any vegetable prefers. When it is included in commercial seed starter mixtures, it is usually balanced with lime. Secondly, it has moisture issues. Especially if it had been wet previously, then allowed to dry out, rewetting can be difficult. It becomes mildly hydrophobic. Once wet, it can compact and actually have too much water retention. If the vermiculite you used was a very small grade (size,) then you have lots of water retention, but little oxygen. People who mix their own often use the irregular granules of perlite to supply air pockets. If you wish to make your own, you can replace, or 'dilute' the amount of peat with coir. That will lessen the affects of the pH issues. It's a lot more difficult to balance the pH of peat at home than it is for processing plants that have good meters. If you search 'seed starter' you can find a recipe with a better balance of ingredients than just peat and vermiculite. 'Sterilized' compost, and perlite (or some other granular addition,) in proper measure, are common ingredients.