Jujube fruit has only become popular in recent years, and while it sounds like an exotic, tropical fruit, it’s actually been grown in Texas and other southwestern areas of the U.S. since the mid-1800s. Jujube trees (Ziziphus jujube), like pomegranates, tolerate hot, dry conditions and are actually one of the easiest fruit trees to grow if you live in the right climate. For other fruits, don’t miss our article on growing specialty fruits.
Not only do jujube trees thrive in hot, sunny weather, they can tolerate more cold than many fruit trees, as well. Jujubes become dormant in the winter and have survived temperatures down to -28 Fahrenheit. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 10, they fruit best in areas with summer sun and heat, but they have been grown successfully in the Pacific Northwest.
In addition to their fruit, jujubes make attractive landscaping trees. Their leaves are elongated oval in shape and shiny, waxy green on the topsides. The bottoms of the leaves are covered with fur. The leaves turn from green to yellow in the fall. Jujube trees have a weeping or zig-zag form, with interesting and very durable bark. Most jujube trees have thorns, although thornless cultivars are available.
Planting Jujubes
Plant jujube trees in late spring. Choose an area that gets full sun and space the trees at least 10 to 15 feet apart. These long-lived trees can grow 25 to 50 feet tall, although most stay under 20 feet. Jujube trees are tolerant of almost any soil type, including alkaline, acidic, compacted and clay soils. They need reasonably good drainage, though, so amend soggy soils with compost or other organic matter.
Don’t fertilize jujubes at planting time, but apply 1 cup of 8-8-8 fertilizer each subsequent spring to the soil under the tree’s canopy. Water jujube trees every few days immediately after planting until the trees become established. Mature trees need infrequent watering – perhaps once per month during dry conditions.
Jujubes don’t need complicated pruning regimens to bear fruit, but they can be pruned to control size or improve the tree’s health. Prune the trees in winter to remove any dead branches, as well as branches that grow vertically or rub against one another. Disease and insect problems are very rare.
Jujube fruit are smaller than most tree fruit – about the size of a walnut or pear. They mature from green to bright red or deep reddish brown. As the fruit further ripen, the skin becomes brown and wrinkled, which is why they’re sometimes called Chinese dates. Jujube fruits are best eaten after they’ve turned red, but before they wrinkle. Despite the moniker of date, jujube trees are crunchy, juicy and sweet – reminiscent of an apple. They can be eaten fresh, dried or candied in desserts.
Jujube Varieties
Jujubes are native to China, but the first seedlings to arrive in the United States came from Europe. These varieties are inferior to the Chinese types. Additionally, look for a root grafted tree, rather than a seedling, which won’t produce high-quality fruit. Although jujubes are self-pollinating, they’ll bear more fruit if you plant two trees.
‘Li’ was first introduced in California by Frank Meyer. It is still considered one of the best varieties, ripening in late summer. It produces large fruit, ideal for fresh eating.
‘Lang’ is another old favorite. This thornless cultivar produces large, pear-shaped fruit. Allow the fruit to fully color before picking.
‘So’ jujube trees have a lovely form, with interesting zig-zag branches.
‘Sugar Cane’ is a very thorny tree, but the fruit is among the sweetest.
Want to learn more about growing jujubes?
Don’t miss these helpful websites:
Give Jujubes a Try from the National Gardening Association
Jujubes from California Rare Fruit Growers
Learn more about the health benefits of Jujube.
Have a sugar cane jujube tree that has been in the ground 5 years. So far no fruit, why?
Does it flower?
You need to different kinds to cross pollinate to get it to fruit.
Hi, I live in Wenatchee WA. I grow 1 sugar cane. next to the sugar cane, I grow honey jar and it produces a lot of fruit. you can try that.
We live in the suburb of Portland, Oregon and just planted two Honey Jar and two Sugar Cane. They are all in bloom but there are very few bees around here this year. For the bees that have made it here, they just go after the lavender and the mustard green blossoms and totally ignore the Jujube flowers. I’m afraid that our jujubes won’t have any fruits at all this year since they do need bees to pollinate.
What can we do?
I’m not a bee trainer. But i would say remove lavender flowers by cutting off so the bees visit jujube.
I spoke too soon. Different kinds of bees and wasps (I think they are paper wasps) did come and my jujube trees bore fruits in the very first year. This is their second year in our back yard and the trees are covered with fruits…
In our zone 8, the fruits are starting to ripe around mid September.
Tuong Van Updates on Jujubes:
It turned out that I spoke to soon. Different kinds of bees and paper wasps did come when my jujubes had more flowers. My Sugar Cane and Honey Jars bore fruits in the first years. The jujubes are almost two years old now and are bent over with fruits. They are super delicious and starting to ripe by mid Sept.
Jujube trees are fertilized by various species of flies not bees. Hoover flies love the flowers for example
Hello Sir/Madam,
I have planted three Chinese date trees for 5 years, and almost no fruits. They have lots flowers in early summer, and no fruits when the flowers dropped. Would you please tell me a solution?
Thanks for your time and expertise,
Nathan
I think we need to plant different varieties for them to bear fruits. There are some varieties that are self fruitful but I’m not sure which ones.
It could be ants. Check your tree for ants. Ants love jujube flowers and eat and steal the pollen
it takes 8 years for a jujube tree to grow fruit. Be patient. They are very resilient trees. You can up-root a tree and move it but keep in mind the clock resets and it will be another 8 years before it grows fruit again so just be patient, if the tree looks healthy but just doesnt grow fruit, just give it time, dont give up on the tree it will grow fruit.
I bought my Honey Jar jujube trees from a local nursery. I’m not sure how old they were but they were bare rooted and about 4 or 5 feet tall when I brought them home. I planted them with two Sugar Cane trees that were a little bit taller (I ordered them online, also came bare rooted.) The Sugar Canes have been more prolific than the Honey Jars. They had over 100 fruits each on the very first year. Both are very good for fresh eating, very sweet and crispy.
i wish you people would get together on your answers. one says 8 years to fruit and another says they had fruit the first year after planted.
Jujube tree usually fruit in 1-2 years, if no fruit perhaps need to a) plant 2 Jujube tree or b)plant more flowers to attract more bees, wasp .& butterfly. C)Need full sun light from all direction. No other shade tree block jujube tree. D) bury fish emulch or food scrap.
Same problem with my 10 yo Sugarcane jujube not producing any fruits for the past 6 years. My Li jujube which is a few feet away is producing fruit every year….There are lots of ants that go thru both trees to help with pollination but the flowers on the sugarcane eventually wither away,
I think mine is also getting up there in age. It does flower but no fruit so far. I was wondering if it needs a pollinator
.
Li is self fruitful but Sugar Cane is not. It will not bear fruit alone. Also they need full sun to fruit.
how long the seedling will take to give fruit
Most average jujube trees need to be at least 2-3 years to bear fruits. The flowers starts in oct and fully rip in December-jan. They supposed to give off fruits two time in a year. Depending what month you start plant the tree.
Well I spoke too soon. By end of summer, I accidentally discovered 4 tiny ones clinging to my sugarcane jjb tree.
This tree has received southwest sunlight (zone 9) literally from dawn to dusk on top of a hill. It’s growing in heavy clay soil and not receiving much fertilization. I’ll make some changes in a few months to see if I can get better results.
Do you have only that 1 sugar tree and it beared fruit?
I just bought one. Its in a large planter box, about 6 ft.,
Not sure if i need to get another for it to give fruit.
Thx
HELP! I planted two jujube trees after reading a glowing article in a Texas magazine….. I have jujube trees and saplings coming up in over 50 places. My flowerbeds, garden and yard are invaded. For years I have been mowing and cutting these at the base, but it is has spread as far as 40 feet from the trees.
PLEASE someone advise as to how I can stop this growth. It is a thorny jungle out there.
An example of how important it is to read widely about new projects, before you commit. Rhizomatous plants can be such a problem. I would’ve loved to plant a native persimmon when I lived in north Idaho–but read that they are rhizomatous–and I didn’t want it to be a grove in my city lot! If you don’t have a lot of landscaping, would renting goats or sheep be an option? You’d have to bring them back in yearly??
Start a jujube farm, sell the fruit.
When life gives you jujubes make jujube-aid. Lol
I just planted my jujube tree from a nursery I bought 4 gal pot and the leaves look like they are getting dry,like it is going to die. It is cold here in riverside now…will it come back to like. I water it 2 times a week, not enough?
That seems more than enough. Perhaps the roots rotted away due to overwatering. Check if it has any left.
yes, it will come back to life when spring comes. during the winter don’t water it too much or the root will rot and die.
Ant do not pollinate the jujube tree. Its hover flies and other small flies. Get rid of the ants who are staling the pollen and nectar.
Jujube sprouts all over my yard. What can I do to control this. It’s invading everything. Please help.
My Jujuba tree was planted as a tree and not from seeds for about 5 years now and it’s growing
big every year and makes flowers but we still don’t have any fruits yet Why? It is in the sun and we
have cold weather in the winter so all the leaves fall off but it comes right back up in the spring
with many leaves but still no fruits yet. I only have one tree why do you think this is happening.
Help. I have a neighbor who is letting me take many of his suckers from the jujubes in his yard. Great fruit this tree has. I am taking some of the soil where it’s planted but what kind of soil should I use to fill in the hole I dig? I read in your article not to fertilize, so I am guessing no miracle gro soil for trees and shrubs?!?I truly want these to succeed. I love the fruit and my kids do, too and I love to make tea with the dried dates. Please help me.
With suckers, you have to be careful. If its a grafted plant, the suckers could be of rootstock variety which may not be producing the great fruit. So make sure you are planting the right variety.
I want to buy a jujube tree to plant in commercial base. Which nursery I can get them. After planting a tree how long it take to get fruit. If I plant the seed of jujube how long it take to get the fruit.
I was a told you need to have 2 different jujubes to cross pollenate otherwise no fruit. ??♀️
I have a small “Li” jujube. I was told it’s semi self pollinating meaning I need another tree in order to increase fruit production. I was told the other variety to get is “Lang” jujube which is rather pricey. Just found someone selling “(Georgia) Honey” jujube cuttings on eBay. Can Li cross pollinate with “Honey” which not only not Lang jujube that I was told but I’m guessing more American type instead of Asian counterpart. Thanks very much in advance.
You can graft the cuttings to your Li Jujube. Even few flowers of other variety should be well enough to pollinate your Li. For grafting, I would recommend cleft grafting.
Thanks. They are not grafted.
We live in the suburb of Portland, Oregon and just planted two Sugar Cane and two Honey Jar this year. They are all in bloom now but there are very few bees in the area this year. For the bees that made it here, they are only after the lavender or the other flowers. They totally ignore the jujube flowers. I’m afraid that our jujube won’t come to fruit this year since they do need bees to pollinate.
Are there anything we can do to help it? Thanks.
I spoke too soon!
The bees (honey bees, hovering flies, and others..) do come to our jujubes when there are enough flowers on the trees. Our trees came bare rooted and we just planted them in early Feb. of this year. There are already a dozen of small fruits on these four trees, the smallest are about the size of a grain of rice, the biggest are already as big as a red bean… Will thin the fruits out since this is their first year.,,
My neighbor grows them successfully. He said you have to have two different trees about 10- 15 feet apart. I don’t know if it’s male and female or different breeds. But he has fruit.
I have a single Li and it is fruiting now. This is the first year it has fruited, and it is 4 years old. I have no other jujubes.
Correction: it is 5 years old.
Can jujube’s suckers grow good fruit? I had to cut my tree down years ago due to it breaking the cement and it’s suckers appearing in neighbors yards. I found a sucker recently about 8 feet tall. I couldn’t dig it up so I ended up taking cuttings and successfully rooting them. I’m hoping I can just let them grow without grafting but wasn’t sure if it’d produce the fruit I wanted. I’m sure though it’s not a wild jujube graft though.
I have a jujube, was told it is a Li, that is @5-6 yrs old. For the very first time, it has fruit(green right now),YAAAY!, but they are all at the top of the tree. Booo! It did bloom all over this year, top to bottom, but wondered why all of the fruit is at the very top, @15’ up! Do I need to cut it back, top it, when it goes dormant?
the fruit of my jojobe tree is cracking?what is the cause of this?
Because too much water. You need to cut the water down.
I grow my Jujube few months but not growing . My neighbor grow jujube every day is different tall about 4 to 5 cm a day. Can someone tell me w kind o Fertilizer I to give to jujube.
Last year, my 5-6 yr old Li jujube fruited only in top of tree. At least we had some fruit. This year, though it bloomed all over, there is no fruit.
Last year, my 5 yr old Li jujube fruited only in top of tree. At least we had some fruit. This year, though it bloomed all over, there is no fruit. Why did it fruit some last year, but none this year?
My neighbors did in 3 years and mine had two little jujubes in one. Of course too small for anything but…I was surprised.
My tree is very old from prevoius owner.. but the fruits are not particular sweet and on the dry side. Anytips?