How many years does it take for a jujube tree to bear fruit?

The jujube tree is a fruit tree with strong adaptability and nutritious fruits. It not only has a long history of cultivation in my country, but also has great economic value. Many rural families plant jujube trees. So how many years does it take for a jujube tree to bear fruit? Let’s take a look below.

1. How many years does it take for a jujube tree to bear fruit?

The fastest a jujube tree can bear fruit is in three years. The time when it bears fruit generally varies with different planting methods. If the jujube tree seedlings are cut and grafted, they can start bearing fruit in three years if they are properly cared for. If they are seedlings grown from seeds, they must grow for 5-7 years before they can bear fruit. Therefore, if you want to obtain yields as soon as possible when planting jujube trees, you must choose 2-3 year old grafted seedlings or cuttings.

In the first year after the date tree is transplanted, because the root system is damaged to a certain extent, nutrients need to be retained to allow it to reroot, so it is not recommended to keep the fruit that year. After the date tree blooms, the fruits need to be thinned out. If the saplings are forced to bear fruit after transplanting, the date trees are at risk of dying. In the second year, when the tree is strong, you can keep a small amount of fruit or keep it normally. The fruit yield reaches the maximum around 3-5 years after planting. When the jujube tree blooms, knocking the trunk and shaking off the pollen can easily increase the success rate of pollination and increase the number of fruits.

2. Jujube tree planting methods and techniques

1. Garden selection

Jujube trees have strong adaptability to soil and can be cultivated in sandy soil, clay, low-lying saline-alkali land and hillsides. However, in order to achieve high quality and high yield, we should try to choose land with flat and open terrain, good drainage conditions, strong soil permeability, good ventilation, high groundwater level, fertile soil and no pollution. Such gardens are conducive to the growth of date trees and the development of fruits.

2. Breeding method

There are many ways to propagate jujube trees, including division, grafting, and cuttings.

Propagation by division: Propagation is carried out using the roots of the jujube tree. Before budding in spring, you can dig trenches around the crown or between rows, cut off roots of appropriate thickness, and then fill them with moist and fertile soil to promote root growth. In the second year, when the height of the root seedlings reaches a certain level, they can be transplanted.

Grafting propagation: Select scion of excellent varieties and graft it onto the rootstock through grafting technology. The main grafting methods are wood bud grafting and branch grafting. During the grafting process, attention should be paid to keeping the scion fresh, the cut surface flat, the cambium aligned, the binding tightly, the operation quickly and the humidity maintained.

Cutting propagation: Although the survival rate of hard branch cuttings of jujube trees is low, root cuttings are relatively easy to survive. You can collect root segments with suitable root diameter and slightly fine roots, and insert them into the soil at a certain angle to keep the soil moist, which will increase the survival rate.

3. Planting technology

Planting time: Date trees can be planted in spring and autumn. The best time in spring is generally from early May to early June; the best planting time in autumn is from early October to early November.

Planting density: depends on the thickness of the soil layer and the growth potential of the variety. Generally, for varieties with thin soil and weak growth, the row spacing is 67 meters and the plant spacing is 34 meters; for varieties with thicker soil and strong growth, the row spacing is 78 meters and the plant spacing is 45 meters.

Planting method: first apply decomposed organic fertilizer into the planting ditch, mix it thoroughly with the topsoil and then backfill it into the hole. Then place the seedling in the middle of the hole, straighten the root system, fill the soil and tamp it down so that the root system is in close contact with the soil. After planting, water thoroughly and cover with a layer of loose soil.

4. Soil management

Fertilization: Apply long-lasting farmyard manure as base fertilizer in autumn. In the first half of the year, topdressing is mainly nitrogen fertilizer to meet the needs of sprouting branch and leaf growth and flower bud differentiation; in the second half of the year, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium mixed fertilizer is mainly used to promote fruit development and root growth. The amount of fertilizer can be calculated based on the yield. For every 50 kg of fresh dates produced, 0.75 kg of nitrogen, 0.5 kg of phosphorus and 0.65 kg of potassium should be applied.

Irrigation and drainage: Jujube trees are drought-resistant and flood-tolerant, but sufficient water during the growing season is beneficial to the growth and development of the tree. Jujube trees grow vigorously in spring and require a lot of water, so they should be watered in time. Watering should be done twice during the dry season to keep the soil moisture content and field water holding capacity appropriate. There is usually a lot of rain in the later stage of the growth of jujube trees, so attention should be paid to drainage to prevent waterlogging.

5. Plastic surgery

Shaping: Jujube trees like light, so during the shaping process, attention must be paid to the reasonable structure of the trunk branches, clear subordination, proper configuration of fruiting unit branches, and ventilation and light transmission in the crown. Common tree shapes include the sparse trunk shape, the open heart shape, and the natural shape with multiple main branches.

Pruning: The pruning of jujube trees should follow the principle of "promoting from the front and controlling from the back, blocking from the top and letting go". Try not to prune in the early growth stages, but when the crown reaches the desired height, pruning control is necessary. Pruning methods include thinning, cutting back, pruning, scoring, opening and trimming. Pruning can be done in both winter and summer.

6. Improve fruit setting rate

Opening the bark: It is a process of ring peeling, which cuts off the phloem and temporarily interrupts the downward transport of organic nutrients to meet the urgent needs of flowering, fruit setting and early growth and development of young fruits. The best time to open the nails is during the peak flowering period.

Spraying water during flowering period: In the arid date areas in the north, spraying water during flowering period can increase air humidity, promote pollen germination, and increase fruit setting rate.

Spraying growth regulators: Spraying growth regulators such as gibberellin and 2,4D on healthy jujube trees during the flowering period can increase the fruit set rate.

Release bees in date orchards: Date trees are typical insect-pollinated flowers and cannot be pollinated by themselves or by wind. Therefore, it is possible to release bees in the date garden to achieve cross-pollination and increase the fruit setting rate.

7. Pest and disease control

There are many diseases and pests of jujube trees, the main ones are peach borer, jujube armyworm, jujube looper, jujube gall midge, wax beetle, jujube fruitworm, as well as jujube rust and jujube madness. The growth of jujube trees should be checked regularly, and diseases and pests should be promptly prevented and controlled if discovered. Prevention and control can be carried out by spraying pesticides, pruning diseased branches, and removing insect sources.

In summary, the planting methods and techniques of jujube trees involve multiple links and details. Only by doing a good job in management of each link can we achieve the goal of vigorous growth of date trees, more fruit and better fruit.