I see on the website of Edible Landscaping that they are listing jujube as zone 5. Anyone in zone 5 out there growing jujubes? I would love to try them if they are a realistic possibility.
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I’m 5b/6a. I planted several this year…they are growing okay …not to fast, not ttoo slow, I’ll have to wait a few years to see how they fruit
I think that @JesseS may be growing them in zone 5, but I don’t know if he has faced more than one winter.
Some nurseries, and Edible Landscaping appears to be one of them, make unduly optimistic proclamations about hardiness. Most American jujube varieties have not been shown to be reliably hardy in zone 5.
They are promoting them at the Alcalde, New Mexico sustainable ag station, probably Z6A. You can Google it up.
Sounds like a good bet to me.
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We already have thread on it -
I am in Chicago suburbs, only Lang has successfully survived and fruited. But every winter is a challenge for we don’t know how low the temperature will be
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I’ll try to remember to report next year how my ‘Honey Jar’ fared its first winter.
Dax
zone 5b Aledo, IL.
I was trying them for 3 years at 6A. First two years, they were killed to ground duo to very low temperature (lower than -10F). Last year both sugar cane and honey jar survived with minimum temperature of 0F. I don’t think temperature is the reason of damage but more due to the high humidity and low temperature. My hometown at northwest China often has very cold winter (average low of 0F, -15F is pretty common), but Jujube has no problem to survive,
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Are you aware 0F is zone 7ish? Yeah, many jujube will survive in zone 7
Northwest China grows many varieties that are very different than the varieties grown in eastern and southeastern China, and very different than the varieties grown in the US. High humidity is not likely to be the problem in winter deaths. High humidity protects trees from drying out in colder weather.
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I have about a dozen Jujube trees at various ages. The Li and Lang are the oldest at 6 years old. The lowest temp for me in Z5 Omaha was -18F a while back and the Li and Lang survived it. The last couple of years the temp got down to -11F for a night or so and Li, Lang, HJ, Sugarcane, Dong, GA-866, Zhou, Shihong and seedlings all did fine.
Tony
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Yeah, I just checked average 0F seems to be zone 7. I never though my hometown is considered as zone 7 though, it is cold and dry in winter and summer is cool but tons of sunshine.
The reason is that Tony’s jujube all survive low temperature OK, but mine were killed to ground. Given we have high humidity, I suspect it’s the reason, I may be wrong.
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micro climate. Tony lowest temperature is -18F in zone 5, and mine is -25F last year, happened only one night, and I am in zone 5 too. Big temperature difference
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Thank you for sharing. Tony, you have given me enough hope to try and grow jujubes here. We often get to -10 or -15, occasionally it gets to -20. Seems like they are certainly worth a try here. I see that Cliff England’s nursery also lists them to zone 5. I was thinking of ordering from him. Does anyone have any other nursery suggestions for jujube?
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Humidity tends to protect plants in cold weather. It does not make them more susceptible to winter damage.There are many more factors at play than humidity. You should compare actual temperatures, length of low temperatures, sources of radiated heat, prevailing wind etc.
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Some jujubes will survive some winters in zone 5 but many will just die. Micro-climates are extremely important. I don’t know which varieties are the most cold hardy. You can also give them a lot of help by planting them near southern facing walls.
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it is funny you mention that, as I have seen advice to do this (and since it sounds like jujus freeze outright) and actually advice for some things like peaches to do the exact opposite, and if zone-pushing put it someplace like the north wall to keep it from deciding to but the second warm day in February…
will be testing jujus in Madison, wi in a few years hopefully, I got some seeds that are growing this year for understock and plan to try getting more from market fruit at some point
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