My first and only ripened Honey Jar jujube. Brix at 25. I loved it. It had a hint of Chinese dates I have had growing up.
Definitely a keeper. A fruit tree that takes only 5 months from planting to consumption. Beat any fruit tree I have.
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You need to grow 4 more Jujube seedlings and let them size up and cleft graft them after the second leaf. I will graft about 5 more Honey Jars next Spring to a total of ten HJs. HJ is very sweet, crunchy, juicier, and more reliable producer than most other varieties. The other keepers are Li, Tigertooth (for drying), Lang (for drying), Winter Delights, Sihong, Sugarcane and So.
Tony
Thanks for the vote, Tony.
I donāt have anymore fully sunny spots. They were taken by E plums which also need a lot of sun to minimize diseases. They are also in the 3rd year. Donāt want to move them. I like plums a lot, too.
May need to squeeze another HJ in a less sunny spot if needed.
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Donāt make it too un-sunny, my 12-year HJ has made about a dozen fruits in the last five years.
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Iām surprised that there arenāt more places that sell Honey Jar. So far, it is the best Iāve had and I think that its crunchy/juicy texture puts it in a better position to be more mainstream. I got one from Burnt Ridge this spring, though I donāt see it in their current inventory. Iām also adding one from JFaE for next spring and they are now out of stock as well. Aside from just wanting more HJ, I got the JFaE one to get some true-to-variety root suckers, which I can then give out (or plant myself).
Just how much sun and at what time of year is an interesting question. Iām thinking about putting a couple jujubes in at a rental (low maintenance, as fruit trees go) where there is quite a bit of sun (though not full) when the angle is high during the summer, but not so much during the spring/fall. My current hypothesis (or guessā¦) is that this may work, since fruit set occurs in late June or early July, when the sun is highest. That doesnāt mean that something complicated isnāt happening (energy stores build over time, etc), but Iām going with the simplest explanation until I get more data. 
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Honey jar sounds like a must have if you have a sunny spot. Is Sugarcane as good as HJ?
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Iām interested in seeing some other peopleās take on this. I think that SC is close, but not quite as good as HJ. SC is a level above So, which is already pretty good fresh (unlike some of the drying varieties). But that isnāt based on too big of a sample size of SC. I think that HJ has stood out in terms of precocity. I did order 3 SC for next year from ToA, at least 2 of which are for rentals.
Update on Shanxi Li: It looks like they will be ripening up soon. Unlike the So, which have been trickling in for a while (probably over a month season when they are done), the 3 Shanxi on the branch all look to be about the same- maybe 3-4 more days, as they are just showing the tiniest brown. This is on the graft from last year. The one fruit on the new planting is still all green.
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Scott,
How many hours of direct sun are those HJ getting? I try to figure out how many hours of sun the new site will get. Would like to have your numbers to compare. We are East coasters so the comparison should be good.
Its in the 6-7 hours per day range. I also had trees planted closely so that makes it somewhat worse, but I did clear out several from around HJ and it did not help it.
I have a new one in a much more sunny spot, we will see if it does better in a few years (assuming the deer let it get to height, its been getting munched back).
Hmmm- 7 hrs of sun and it still does not produce too well. Thatās bad news for me.
What are your and other jujube loversā opinion of GA 866? The description sounds very good.
GA866 is notorious for being difficult to fruit, and I never got a single fruit from it.
Sugar Cane is a good variety taste-wise, but HJ is more juicy and crunchy so overall it is better.
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ga-866 exceeds 32 brix, per our cheapo refractometer and several online accountsā¦ It is very very sweet, yes, but pales in comparison to flavor compared to many others. And the low production is another downside, even in vegas.
as for hj vs sc, i agree that hj is better than sc, but of course it is a matter of individual preference.
there are so many cultivars that people have done taste-tests with have come up with a broad range of opinions. Some have the weirdest cravings(especially the ladies)āseeking out the sour jins and even the spinosa fruits instead of the hjās. Quite amazed that the market for sour worms/gummies is a multimillion dollar business, and canāt believe am giving them rootstock suckers for xmas! 
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbuh89ydtV1r7769mo1_500.png
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I have been eating HJ for about 3 weeks now and the Sugarcane still looks green. So HJ ripened a lot sooner in Z5.
Tony
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Tony,
What is your opinion on SC?
Do anyone know what is the maximum distance apart can jujubes be planted?
i presume you meant minimum distance. We have trees growing 3 feet apart, and for the past 4-5 years, didnāt have a negative effect on production.
of course this may be due to the early summers we have and the late autumns, Plus the long daylight hours and the strategic pruning.
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Juju,
I mean maximum. I donāt have a spot near the existing jujubes I planted. A spot I have is further away like 20 ft away. I wonder if cross pollination can still be effective for that distance.
I did not see a bee acitivity when my jujubes were blooming but something helped cross pollinate them. Jsu wonder if that āsomethingā would bother to go a distance.
I suspected that was the question, but I donāt think that there is a clear answer. I remember a thread several years ago on Gardenweb where jujubeās potentially self-fertile nature was debated. If you are worried about pollination, grafting a branch on should be easy enough- jujubes arenāt that far off apples in terms of take rate. The only thing harder about grafting them is that the wood is dense and tougher to cut.
Also, I did see a bunch of flying insects around mine this year- just not bees.
Bob,
Forgot about grafting. That will be an answer. I am checking out hours of sun in some spots as sun is a bigger issue of jujubes.
My Shanxi Li turning color for the past few days.
We will be in the 30ās tonight and a few more nights for the next 10 days.
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nice! It has crossed the finish line, pretty much!