When to plant bare root jujube trees

General Fruit Growing
3

I’m in a similar boat; my jujubes will be coming in a month though. From what I heard, just plant them as soon as you can dig the hole. https://extension.psu.edu/spring-fruit-tree-planting-tips-for-the-home-garden and Planting trees

  1. Open the package and report damage
  2. Place the tree somewhere cold and where the roots can remain not dry (i.e., covered in damp soil, sawdust, hay, etc.). They can remain like this for a few days
    2a) Soak the roots for a few hours in water before planting
  3. Dig a hole big enough to not need to bend the roots much, and deep enough such that the bud union will be 2-3 inches off the ground after settling. For Jujubes, it’s roughly as big as the root ball and a little wider. You’ll need to go much wider for apples.
  4. Point the roots in the direction of prevailing winds (but I think branch direction may also matter, someone smarter than me can chime in)
  5. add 4-6 inches of soil and jiggle the tree up and down to reduce air pockets. For some trees, don’t do this because their roots are sensitive (like a pawpaw).
  6. Fill the hole and tramp the soil firm
    6b) Optional: Stake
  7. Add some water (5 gal). Jujubes are pretty drought tolerant, so this may not be necessary, but also I think it’s generally a good rule of thumb to water most trees after transplanting.
  8. The extension suggests adding fertilizer, but I’m not sure; I think it’s best to skip fertilizing jujubes when planted. Someone smarter than me can answer that.
  9. Add a tree guard
  10. Prune to keep the tree 1:1 with roots for bare-root trees for jujubes
  11. Mulch (don’t let it touch the trunk)
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