I may have found a cultivar to use for rootstock. Well…its early but these Xu Thou seedlings are growing like crazy. From their vigor and appearance I would totally think they were mauritiana seedlings—I did grow them though so I know they aren’t. These were planted late March. I understand that sour jujube seedlings grow fast but I have not had that experience with the ones I have planted. These have been the most uniform and fastest growing seedlings I’ve had.
16 Likes
Did you crack the seeds or just planted them whole.
1 Like
Sounds like @k8tpayaso obtained them as naked seeds since there were doubts about their identity. Most, if not all juju seeds sold online(be they true jujubas or impostors) come as actual seeds and not as pits that need crackin’
Rootstock vigor is definitely a positive since the sooner they attain a manageable girth, the sooner you could graft them over.
I actually have several 5 yr old runts at about 8" tall and wispy thin, which for some reason havent gotten rid of. Of course have no interest using them as rootstock, and simply just curious what their fruits might be.
4 Likes
I crack them. One problem with these pits is they are very hard to crack without damaging the seeds. I only get about 60% germination but I think much of it is from seed damage.
5 Likes
No, I grew these on my tree. But they do resemble the mauritiana seedlings. The mauritiana seedlings grew faster than any jujuba seedlings I’ve ever seen.
4 Likes
I have some 2018 Xu Thou seedlings that haven’t grown well but I’ve changed my potting mix and getting much better growth. The older seedlings while not as vigorous have nice straight trunks to work with.
6 Likes
Any idea what is pollinizing your Xu T̶h̶o̶u̶ Zhou tree? Cliff England offers seeds from Xu T̶h̶o̶u̶ Zhou he says are pollinized by Lang and the seedlings consistently produce good quality fruit.
1 Like
Yes, I’ve seen that disclaimer on Cliff’s site. I don’t know what fertilizes them. The tree is surrounded by SiHong, Li, Jin Chang, Redlands #4, Autumn Beauty, Orange Beauty, and an unnamed seedling. So anyone’s guess. For the most part the seedlings look the same.
Thanks for that Tony. I really hate for people to mispronounce my last name too! I actually like the Xu Zhou better…
2 Likes
Sounds like any of these would be good parents, and much better than the wild material that often does the pollinizing. If you use as a rootstock, then some of the suckers could end up being as good or better than the scion.
2 Likes
I have a few smallish ones. I think 3 last years grafts (Sherwood, Chico, and a R4T3) and a Li that I did in 2017 I think. These are all in containers.
1 Like
@k8tpayaso I’m interested. What is the price range for these if I buy them in bulk?
I have a mature Li variety in my backyard and looking for other varieties.
Do you have anything that can grow fruit this year(2020) by any chance?
If it is a private conversation about the price, please send me a message at neeltri12 at g mail com
2 Likes
Okay or I can PM you here. I’m getting pictures to send
Okay, Great. I didn’t know there is an option to PM on Growingfruit site.
1 Like
There is but I’m not sure if you have to gain use of it by spending time here.
nurture supersedes nature – both are sihong jujus. The one at right woke up to a las vegas spring under full sun, while the left one woke up to that of florida’s.
not sure if it is vegas’ intense sun which bleaches sihong’s foliage, and/or our lime-rich soil and water which causes some type of chlorosis.
the leafed out jujus received from jfae last year also presented with deep dark green foliage. Which turned into lighter green on subsequent growth
3 Likes
