longan can be a very worthwhile backyard fruit crop in Central Florida, but there is one big catch: longan production can be highly variable from year to year.
UF/IFAS says mature trees can produce anywhere from 50 to more than 500 pounds per tree, and longans are considered erratic bearers, meaning a tree can produce heavily one year and poorly the next. �
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💰 What one mature longan tree could bring in
Using different selling prices illustrates the opportunity:
Yield per tree
$1.50/lb
$3/lb
$5/lb
$7/lb
50 lb
$75
$150
$250
$350
100 lb
$150
$300
$500
$700
250 lb
$375
$750
$1,250
$1,750
400 lb
$600
$1,200
$2,000
$2,800
500 lb
$750
$1,500
$2,500
$3,500
The $1.50/lb figure isn’t hypothetical: UF/IFAS’s Florida longan profitability study used a $1.50/lb packinghouse price and a 250-lb average yield for mature trees. �
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But a backyard grower selling directly to consumers has the potential to capture considerably more than the packinghouse price.
🌳 What 10 trees could look like
If you had 10 mature trees averaging 250 lb each:
2,500 lb × $3 = $7,500 gross
At $5/lb:
2,500 lb × $5 = $12,500 gross
At $7/lb:
2,500 lb × $7 = $17,500 gross
That’s gross sales, before fertilizer, irrigation, harvesting, packaging, transportation, etc.
⭐ The really interesting part
UF/IFAS’s commercial Florida model used 87 trees per acre, 250 lb/tree, and an 83% pack-out, producing about 18,053 marketable pounds per acre. At $1.50/lb, that produced approximately $27,080 in revenue and $17,584 in estimated net return per acre under that study’s assumptions. �
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However, I would not use that $17,584 figure as a guaranteed backyard income. That study describes an established commercial grove and uses South Florida commercial conditions. Your actual results can be very different.
⚠️ The biggest issue for Central Florida
Longan’s biggest drawback is unreliable annual production. UF/IFAS specifically warns that trees may produce little or no fruit in some years. �
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Also, a seed-grown tree can take up to six years to fruit, while an air-layered tree can begin producing in roughly 2–3 years. �
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So if your goal is making money, I’d strongly favor quality air-layered/grafted trees rather than growing from seed.
🏆 For your situation
If you’re considering longan as a small home-based business, I’d look at something like:
5 trees: potentially hundreds to several thousand dollars/year
10 trees: potentially $3,000–$15,000+ gross in a good production year
20 trees: potentially $6,000–$30,000+ gross in a good production year
The exact number depends enormously on yield and how you sell the fruit.
And this is where longan gets interesting compared with dragonfruit: a mature longan tree can produce a tremendous amount of fruit without requiring a huge number of trees.