Giving OGW's winter d and massandra jujubes one more try

if memory serves me correctly–which at my age is not a sure thing–OGW & Northwoods nursery used to have a common owner, Northwoods being for wholesale, OGW for retail. The owner decided years ago to concentrate on wholesale & sold the retail, but he’s still a primary supplier to OGW, including jujubee’s

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as a collector’s standpoint, yes, but also primarily due to having mentioned them in our publication(thankfully for qr codes within the book, we could always post corrections/addenda/amendments/updates at our webpages linked to the qr codes)

there’s nothing ‘set in stone’, as there is always the likelihood of obtaining specimens with identity crises… even those obtained from the very proprietors who trademarked them… :neutral_face:

while we’re doubtful if they might be better, we also feel that it is good to give each and every cultivar a chance to prove each’s worth when grown in our local conditions. We never really liked li jujubes until we realized after two or three years growing them in desert conditions-- that the fruits ripened in late sept, oct and nov are radically different from those ripened in june-july-aug…

Thanks @Bhawkins, i wasn’t aware of that, and sure is nice to know. I got that note(of assurance) from the new management so perhaps they are more vigilant about their tagging methods. Hopefully we get big-enough specimens to produce fruits this year, as a year’s delay would set us back three years of waiting…

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if it is indoors, it is because got home late and couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see what’s in the box :smile:

the winter d is the spiny one at left and massandra is the thornless one at right. Also good to see that @Walden 's winter d is as spiny as ours.

On the other hand, was also hoping that the winter d’s we received aren’t spiny, because the winter d grafts we have on our trees are also spiny. So quite possible that what we just bought is the same thing already grafted to our trees and have already fruited for more than two yrs…

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I’m jealous. :smirk:

Nice trees!

Yes, your Winter Delight looks like the one I received. I hope its a good one for my blazing TX sun. I wonder why OGW stopped offering the well regarded Autumn Beauty? Curious since they still carry their other trade marked varieties Coco ,Black Sea, and Massandra.

is massandra actually spineless?

it really is mysterious with autumn beauty and winter d. You’d think OGW temporarily ran out of winter d budwood, but if they did, there aren’t many who have the cultivar. Probably just five of us in this forum who declare having one, or actively sought one.
Even Professor Yao of Univ of New Mexico reportedly does not have it…

it may well be spineless, or relatively spineless, at least from the little one that i see. The previous ‘massandra’ i obtained from OGW had the same fruits as black sea, and had the same degree of thorni-ness as well.

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winter d sold out as soon as started this thread. But glad to see OGW now offering honey jar, shanxi li, etc., for the first time in their business, if not mistaken. Only caveat is priced at 50$ apiece…

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if i thought OGW’s pricing was a bit steep, it is because haven’t seen jfae’s

55$ per bareroot?

http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/JFE/product-category/fruit-trees/jujuba/

They are potted- 3 gal pots, I think. I have some pics in a vendor comparison thread.

What was the caliper (of the variety, not the rootstock) of the OGW trees? Mine were 3/16", one of the smallest trees from anywhere.

Also, I thought that Winter Delight was a late season jujube, but OGW has the following (bold added by me):

A popular variety in Northern China, Winter Delight is a very cold hardy and compact tree that produces large, egg-shaped fruits that are crisp and sweet. Winter Delight is one of the earliest jujube fruits to ripen and is delightful in winter with its elegant branches and stunning aura.

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both our winter d and massandra scions had ~1/4" caliper, so maybe jfae’s pricing is better bang for the buck.

still feel though that 55$ is a bit too prohibitive for any newbie(to jujubes) to consider. Quite crazy that jfae’s website indicates they have sold out many of their cultivars. Perhaps the best profit margin selling something that is easy to graft, grows relatively fast with little care/water, and generally disease-free.

will get back to you on this once we see anything worth reporting about… OGW has been a bit dubious the past couple years, so have this ‘grain-of-salt’ stance towards what may have been posted.
hopefully those puny laterals produce a few fruits on first growing season here …

Well, that is still better than the 3/16" twigs I got. From what I remember, the shipping was also quite a lot for JFaE, as it costs more to send a pot of dirt, as well as a large tree. Looks like they increased the price this year- when I did my vendor comparison, they were actually cheaper than OGW (51 vs 57, including shipping, when buying 4). This year, I’ve only ordered from Englands and Bay Laurel. If I get any more properties, I may get a few more, but I’m really out of places to put them.

I was lucky to get 1 fruit from 3 OGW trees, in year #2…But it was pretty good (crunchy & sweet). I think it was Massandra.

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just noticed burntridge seems to be getting in the game pretty good. Its website continues to get updated as i type this.

now, and for the first time(?) offering potted massandra at 28$ each, and juju budwood for 4 bucks

http://www.burntridgenursery.com/Jujube-Trees/products/21/

http://www.burntridgenursery.com/JUJUBE-SCIONWOOD/productinfo/SCION-JU/

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Raf,
My potted Massandra from Burntridge arrived yesterday, two weeks later than I wanted.

Buds started pushing. The tree (if you can call that!!!) is less than a foot tall. I am disappointed. It will be my potted jujube. No room in ground for any sunny spot.

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Give it some TLC. It will be the prettiest potted tree you will have in a few years. Cheers.

Tony

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Tony,

I am not as positive. I don’t seem to have green thumb on potted trees. My fig plants don’t grow much. This year I will have a So and Massandra in pot.

Is yours in pot?

I think @jujubemulberry, @BobVance and @SMC_zone6 are in ground.

Here’s my tiny Massadra, smaller than my first Honey Jar from Burntridge, too.

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mine are potted as well. Since am home most of the time i actually move the pots around to get 13 hrs of direct sun, instead of just 9 hrs.
hopefully to prevent yellowing of fruitlets

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seems like the full-sun treatment is working as some fruitlets are forming . From top to bottom —Massandra appears true to type as featured at ogw website pic as the pointy-ness now evident. Winter d seems to be assuming the same basic shape as featured at ogw as well, with eggy shapes. Have to add that winter d seems to be the most precocious and productive. While Autumn B seems to assume the basic shape of the autumn b received from @Bhawkins. Yay !

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Fruits shaping up from OGW Autumn Beauty. I have 4 fruitlets all shaped similar to this one.

Katy

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Keep us posted!