[nafex] Jujube

Jay,
Here in the S. Appalachians, our jujubes survive Zone 5 freezes without top
injury. Our trees are Li, Lang, and several from Norris Dam near
Knoxville. We always get fruit, once the trees finally started bearing.

We've had -14 F, also -17-19 F without winter injury to twigs or limbs.
But our winters are the wettest time of year.

As for ripening, our frost free season can be as little at 3rd week May to
3rd week Sept between killing frosts. We always get fruit. We don't have
many days in the 90s, and temps at night are in the low-mid 60s for much of
the summer.

For context, figs don't normally ripen until late August, into September.
And A. arguta kiwi don't have enough heat to ripen some years, so we pick
them early before the first hard freeze.

So in our experience, jujubes have never had winter injury, nor suffered
from late spring freezes. And they don't need lots of heat to ripen
either, compared to some other fruits we grow.

In many part of the world, jujubes are picked and eaten before they turn
brown, also picked early and dried. So if you get an early freeze on year,
you can pick them earlier than normal and refrigerate them if you don't
want to dry them all. They keep very well, whether fresh and chilled, or
dried.

I read some years ago that humidity during pollen shedding is a major
factor in good fruit set. We have a tree that blooms profusely but sets no
fruit, even though blooming near several other types that do fruit each
year. So if trying some out, I would plant several, preferably some known
to fruit in areas similar to your climate.

Roger Meyer is a source in Calif, with a climate perhaps similar to yours.

Richard Moyer
Russell County, SW VA
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