Jujube

Tree facts

Scientific name

Ziziphus jujuba

Origin

Northern China (Yellow River valley)

Tree size

15–30 ft; spreading or narrow and upright depending on cultivar

Growth rate

Medium

Sun

Full sun; it needs strong light to set a good crop

Soil

Almost any soil, from sand to clay, as long as it isn't waterlogged. Survives poor soil and drought, but fruits best with regular water.

Soil pH

5.0–8.5

Pollination

Several cultivars (Li, Shanxi Li) set fruit alone, but a second cultivar nearby improves fruit set and size. A few, such as Sugar Cane, need a pollinizer. Planting two or more is best.

Cold hardiness

A cold-hardy deciduous tree that drops its leaves and sleeps through winter. It leafs out late, so spring frosts rarely catch it.

USDA zones

6–9

Years to first fruit

1–2 for a few fruit; a real crop after 4–5 years

Season

Aug–Oct

Water

About every 14 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young

Feeding

About every 90 days, Mar–Jun

Pruning

Jan–Feb

Taste

Fresh: crisp, juicy and sweet, like a mild apple. Dried: chewy, sticky and sweet, like a date

Nutrition

Very high in vitamin C when fresh, far more than apples or peaches, and high in natural sugars

Is jujube safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

• Fresh fruit, from the yellow-green stage to fully red
• Dried fruit, whole or pitted

Toxic parts and cautions

• Take care: Young trees and new shoots carry sharp paired spines. Wear gloves when pruning and keep it away from paths where children play.
• Good to know: Each fruit has one hard, pointed pit. Pit the fruit for young children.
• Good to know: Grafted trees send up root suckers from the rootstock, which won't bear the same fruit. Pull or cut them as they appear.

Pets: No reliable data on jujube fruit or leaves for dogs, cats or horses. The hard pits are a choking risk, so don't let dogs gorge on fallen fruit.

How to eat and enjoy jujube

• Fresh off the tree as a crunchy snack
• Dried like dates, for snacking and baking
• Simmered into jujube butter or jam
• Candied, or in Chinese and Korean soups and teas

Jujube varieties (10)

• Black Sea · also Russian 2, Russian #2

  Small, dark red jujubes with very crisp, juicy flesh, excellent for eating fresh.

  Origin: Ukraine · Taste: Sweet, very crisp · Size: Small

  Productive and early, a good pick for home gardens and shorter seasons.

• Dongzao · also Dong Zao

  China's top fresh-eating jujube: thin skin and fine, juicy flesh.

  Origin: China (Shandong and Hebei) · Taste: Very sweet and fine-textured · Size: Medium

  Mid to late season, and slow to crop in its first years. Suited to warmer regions.

• GA866 · also GA 866, GA-866

  An elongated, pointed jujube with very high sugar and excellent flavor.

  Origin: USDA Chico station, California · Taste: Very sweet · Size: Medium, long and pointed

  Slow to start bearing and light-cropping when young. Mid to late season.

• Honey Jar · also Honeyjar

  Small, round, very juicy jujubes with thin skin, among the best for eating fresh.

  Origin: China; imported by Roger Meyer · Taste: Very sweet and crisp · Size: Small

  Ripens early and often fruits the year it's planted. Fully red fruit shrivels quickly, so pick promptly.

• Lang

  A big, pear-shaped jujube grown mainly for drying, picked when fully red.

  Origin: China; a Frank Meyer introduction · Taste: Mild fresh; rich and sweet dried · Size: Medium to large, pear-shaped

  Fruit can split if it rains as it ripens.

• Li

  The most popular jujube in the US: large, round fruit for eating fresh.

  Origin: China; brought to the US by Frank Meyer in the early 1900s · Taste: Sweet and crisp from half-red on; bland if picked green · Size: Large, up to about 1 oz or more

  Self-fertile, though a second cultivar helps. Ripens midseason and unevenly, so expect several pickings.

• Shanxi Li

  A large, fresh-eating jujube once among China's leading cultivars, much like Li.

  Origin: China · Taste: Sweet, crisp · Size: Large

  Bears young and heavily. Self-fertile. Sometimes sold as Li.

• Sherwood

  A late, firm jujube good both fresh and dried, and a solid choice for the humid South.

  Origin: Louisiana, from a seedling · Taste: Sweet, firm · Size: Medium, long and cylindrical

  Ripens late, so it needs a long growing season.

• So

  A jujube grown as much for looks as fruit: its zigzag, twisting branches are striking even in winter.

  Origin: China; a Frank Meyer introduction · Taste: Balanced sweet-tart · Size: Medium, round, uneven in size

  A good four-season ornamental for a small yard. Better fresh than dried.

• Sugar Cane · also Sugarcane, Coco, Yalta #1, Yalta 1

  Small to medium jujubes that are sweet and crunchy, good fresh or dried.

  Taste: Sweet, crunchy · Size: Small to medium

  Early to midseason. Needs another cultivar and bees for a good crop.

Pests and diseases to watch for

• Scale insects

  Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

  What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

• Mealybugs

  White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

  What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

• Aphids

  Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

  What to do: Spray off with water.

• Sooty mold

  Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

  What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

• Spider mites

  Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

  What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.