I have developed a feel when using the vice grips and I can adjust the tightness and kinda know if it’s going to crush the seed too much. You might find that if you’re using the bench vise you might not be able to judge that so much. It’s been a learning process for me. You’ll find that different juju pits have different densities and some split easily and some are very strong. SiHong pits have the softest and thinnest shell and are very easy to crack and also very easy to damage the seeds. Redlands pits are very strong and thick and take a lot of pressure to crack the shell. Small wild rootstock pits are curse worthy!
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I usually just use the vice grips. The first try often breaks off/flattens the ends of the pit, effectively where you are after clipping (flat ends to grip). But, I’ll need to give it a try and see if it makes things faster.
I’ve found that a big part of the difficulty is in how dry the pit is. If they aren’t dry enough, it is very difficult to get it to properly crack. Sometimes I need to set the pits to the side for a week to get them to crack (rather than mush) more easily.
I generally throw these pits against the floor or wall. The seed often pops out. Finding it can be the hard part…
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@castanea Castanea, thanks for the post! I’m in zone 10 and would like your recommendation for jujube cultivar. I read your jujube 2017 crop and wonder if you have any update.
considering : Sandia, chico, Sihong, Russia #2/black Sea, QiYueXian, Maya
Where in zone 10?
SOCAL between LA and Santa Barbara, not along coast. so hot and dry summer
Anything should do well for you.