My trees were planted in 2016. This year almost all my HC cracked at varying degrees. Wonder if its denser texture makes it more susceptible to cracking than other varieties after getting the same amount of constant rain.
Has the taste of your Shanxi Li improved this year?
The larger Honey Jar was also planted in 2016. I have smaller Honey Jars which are also fruiting from 2017, JFaE in the above pic, and 2019 , also JFaE, on own roots in 2019.
Iāve got Honey Jar trees all over. According to my spreadsheet, Iāve bought 17 of them over the years (compared to only 14 Sugar Canes). So outnumbers them both with 21, but that is because it was the only variety I was able to get this past spring (due to an issue with my earlier order), so I got 10 of them. Every time I go to a rental to mow a lawn or fix something, I can also pick a bunch of jujubes and sometimes figs (or other fruitsā¦). Iāve been getting enough figs that Iāve been giving them away, even with how many my wife and daughter can eat.
Probably. Just like the firm, crisp cherries are the ones which crack, while the softer, not-so-crispy ones are the ācrack resistantā varieties.
I should take another look at Xu Zhou. A quick glance earlier today didnāt show any cracking, though I seem to recall it being badly affected in the past. Maybe it isnāt close enough to ripe yet.
Yes, Shanxi Li has improved both in quantity and quality. Still not top-tier yet, but it is into the same general area as Li, Autumn Beauty, Redlands. Big ones which can be decently dense and crunchy (not exactly crisp). The best So are better, but mid-level So would also go into that tier from a quality/taste perspective.
I wonder if part of the issue for Sugar Cane is the fruit load. The one where I noticed the lack of sweetness the most is at a rental. The tree has a ton of fruit on it. Note the 2nd support post. One wasnāt enough and was being pulled over by the weight of the tree (2.5-3" trunk caliper) and the fruit. This one was planted in 2017 from ToA.
Further, it looks to be bearing a 2nd crop. Over the last 1-2 weeks, Iāve been picking fully ripened dark fruit. But there are still parts of the tree (possibly new growth), which have a lot of immature fruit.
I regret planting one of my jujube trees close to my garden beds because they do send up root suckers 20ft or more from the trunk of the tree. But as long as you can mow a perimeter around the tree, the root suckers shouldnāt be a problem. They are easy to mow down when theyāre still green and tender.
Bob,
I barely have any jujubes this year. Still, my SCās quality is lower than it used to be. I donāt know if carrying fruit heavily is a contributing factor.
Iāve seen @tonyOmahaz5ās and @Harbin ās jujube trees loaded with fruit. From what they described, it did not compromised the eating quality.
One of my Honey Jarās was loaded as well and the fruit was still sweet. But in a year where Sugar Cane seems a bit less sweet in general (not sure whyā¦), it isnāt surprising if the more heavily loaded tree exhibits the characteristic more.
And often less. I got this pic of a sucker today by accident, as I was trying to take a pick of the Dae Sol Jo near the ground. This sucker looks to have come out of the ground this spring and already has (small) fruit on it.
Fruitful rootstock at left of pic:
Hereās a closer pic of a couple Dae Sol Jo (graft on Sugar Cane pictured above). It seems a lot like Shanxi Li or Redlands. Big and decent, but not great quality.
That is impressive, Harbin.
Do you fertilize your jujube trees? If so, what do you use?
Yes, I do fertilize every year and I think itās the key to success. Either use chook manure pellets or balanced fertilizer like NPK 8-13-11 or similar kind.
That definitely might be Li.
Halina is so beautiful.
Mine are starting to ripen and the most ripe ones cracked a bit. Xu Zhou has been impressive on vigorous growth, size, and quantity of fruit set. The taste is good, a bit below the best.
Is Honey Jar the earliest ripening?
In my yard, Honey Jar and Sugar Cane ripen only a few days apart. This year, they start ripening around 9/20.
Is there anything earlier than that?
@tonyOmahaz5 in Omaha or @IL847 in Chicogo may be able to give you a more relevant response for your area.
When in doubt, ask @BobVance . He grows many varieties.
Iām not sure about for Chicago, but here Honey Jar is about 7-10 days after Sugar Cane. I think Massandra and So started somewhere in between the HJ and SC.
When I asked Cliff England, he said Dae Sol Jo and Redlands. But for me, DSJ is actually a bit after Honey Jar and Redlands is even later (though with a small sample size).
Iāve already talked to @tonyOmahaz5 he topworked everything to HJ with SC as pollinator if I remember correctly because itās that good and ripens in time for zone 5b. @IL847 doesnāt have either yet, if I remember our last conversation.
@PharmerDrewee any thoughts?
Iāve noticed that fruit in Omaha ripen 7-14 days ahead of my area even though he is in a colder zone. That is likely because of his very hot and sunny summer.
Your area could be a week behind his re. Fruit ripening.
Are you also growing Massandra and SO? Do you happen to know how they compare to HJ in size or taste?
Massandra is bigger than HJ- at least longer. The largest So are larger than HJ, but So also has some smaller ones. Neither is quite as good as HJ, but Massandra is probably closer. So can be quite good too, but HJ is better. All 3 are productive in my area.
