Does anyone have an update on the current production status of Norris #1 jujube?
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The original orchard from which Norris #1 came is declining because it’s now full of black walnut seedlings. That being said, production was pretty good when I visited last fall, perhaps about 85% of what a cared-for jujube orchard produces.
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Thank you.
Norris #1 hasn’t been the most consistent producer for me in NC (Honey Jar, Bok Jo, Xu Zhou, and Black Sea are better), but it’s loaded this summer after a dry summer which is apparently favorable for fruit set.
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Thanks for the info! I was actually thinking about buying a Norris #1. Hearing that it’s loaded this year is encouraging, even if it hasn’t been your most consistent producer. I’ll probably give it a try.
This year has been unusually good so far for jujube fruit set - almost all of my trees are loaded. Norris #1 has a unique elongated shape, but it isn’t particularly tasty or productive in my experience of growing it for over a decade. I have top worked most of my tree. If you live in a humid environment, I would recommend the other four varieties I mentioned. Honey Jar and Black Sea are top for flavor, and Xu Zhou and Bok Jo are top for productivity
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Kongfucui has also been more consistent and has relatively large, tasty fruit
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I am second with KFC. My second year graft sets lots of elongated fruits. Another prolific setter is Bing Tang crisp. My third year tree is loaded with fruits. It was so tasty last year that I made a few more grafts this Spring. @BobVance also liked it. But he said it does cracked with the rain when the fruits started to ripen though. I don’t have that issue in Omaha due to a very dried summer most of the time.
Tony
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In case anyone is interested, here’s a layout of the jujube orchard.
Jujube planting Norris Damn area #2.pdf (33.3 KB)
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Is it known which of these trees is likely Norris #1?
Cliff England sent me the same document in 2023.
In one of my emails to him I said:
“Norris #1 is the only pepper shaped jujube with a hooked tip that I’ve seen.” and that I’d be interested in comparing it to “Pepper” (a variety I got from some in CA who got it from China).
Since I wanted to compare them, I have both grafted on 3 different trees (at 3 different sites, in 2 towns…). But, the problem is that since they are on the same tree, I need to remember (or record) which branch a particular fruit came from, so that I can go and look up which variety it is from. Not insurmountable, but when I’m picking 20+ varieties in a day, it is easy to forget the exact branch one came from. So far, neither has impressed me enough to take the time to figure out which was which 
But, if there is interest, I can try to pay better attention this fall. I probably won’t have one of the 3 trees after this year, as it is pretty big to move and somewhat of a specimen tree in the front yard.
In one email Cliff said:
At the Norris Dam project I evaluated those trees with Permission From TVA for 6 year winter and Fall
I have never had Norris # 1 but I suspect it is R2T2
But, he did have me send him the wood for it in 2024. I’m not sure if he wasn’t growing it, or just lost it in a late frost.
This does seem to be shaping up to be a pretty good year. Last year was well below average. I bet that even with moving ~40 trees this spring I’ll still get more fruit this year than last. Though part of that is several of the biggest trees (including a 15 year old monster) didn’t get moved. And there are a bunch of trees at the rentals that are getting into their productive years. I’ve seen a lot of Li and Li-variants (Da Bai Ling, Redlands, etc) with a ton of fruit. In bad years they can be very sparse producers (single-digit fruit per tree).
Da Bai Ling on a tree which produced almost nothing last year. Though I’m more looking forward to the fruit on the Bing Tang graft on it.
So is a bit better, but can be pretty sparse in poor years, especially if the tree isn’t fully mature, which takes a while.
So fruit:
In contrast to these two, Black Sea, Honey Jar, and Sugar Cane generally produced an OK (if reduced) crop last year.
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Thanks for all that info, @BobVance!
My R4T3 fruit have much more pointed tips, are more variable in size and often but not always have a hooked tip.
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Norris #1 is an interesting jujube variety. Its fruit shape may change when another jujube variety is growing nearby, possibly due to cross-pollination or environmental factors. This makes Norris #1 a fascinating fruit to observe because the shape and characteristics of the harvest can vary.
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Is this something you’ve seen, or read about? I suspect that much shape-changing may be due to mislabeled scionwood. Though I guess one example of different fruit based on conditions is when pollination occurs early vs late in the season. When it happens early, with lots of time left before the frost, the fruit tends to be larger. Late pollinated (say in early August) fruit tends to be much smaller, but ripens in less time (<60 days vs 100+). At least for several varieties- I’ve seen this in So, Black Sea, Bok Jo, and Honey Jar.
Here’s a few pics of Norris #1. I got the wood from Fruitwood in CA.
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Those Norris #1 fruit look the same as mine then. I don’t grow Pepper, but does it look more like R4T3 or Norris #1?
Thanks for your input. I haven’t personally observed it myself. I heard about it from a couple of experienced jujube growers in California who mentioned that fruit shape can sometimes vary when different varieties are growing nearby. I agree that mislabeled scionwood is another possible explanation, and I don’t know how common true shape changes from cross-pollination really are. It’s definitely an interesting topic.
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I think it looks a lot like Norris #1. I did manage to find a couple pics of Pepper from 2023, but nothing more recent.
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I was passing by a tree today and noticed two different branches which look like Pepper/Norris. I looked it up (and was helped by 1 being on the W and the other on the E side).
Norris #1 (W):
Pepper(E):
They are pretty close, but I think the Pepper may be slightly more bent. When they are ripe, I can put a bunch side-by-side. They, along with most other varieties, have a very good set this year. Much better than last year.
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