Detailed Guide to Winter Jujube Planting and Cultivation Techniques and Precautions

Abstract Orchard establishment: adopt a dense-planting dwarfed cultivation method; winter jujube has high light requirements, so rows should preferably be oriented north-south. Fertilization: it has a relatively high demand for phosphorus fertilizer, base fertilizer is important, and topdressing is applied about 3 times a year. Pinching: pinch the shoot tips at the early full-bloom stage; depending on vigor, leave 3-5 secondary branches and pinch. Pruning: fruit-bearing branch groups form directly on the main branches, with no lateral branches retained. Pest and disease control: actively control spider mites, jujube looper, jujube rust, jujube witches' broom, jujube fruit-shrinking disease, and peach fruit borer, etc.

Winter jujube is a fruit with fairly good market demand, and the benefits of growing winter jujube are fairly decent, so the demand for winter jujube cultivation techniques is also relatively strong. However, growing winter jujube is not just about mastering the techniques; you also need to start from the actual growing conditions and continuously accumulate growing experience!

I. How to plant winter jujube

1. Winter jujube is highly adaptable, tolerant of drought and poor soil, and not strict about fertilizer and water requirements. Orchard establishment should adopt a dense-planting dwarfed cultivation method, usually planted at 2 to 3 × 3 to 4 m.

2. Winter jujube has relatively high light requirements, so the row orientation should preferably be north-south.

3. Winter jujube has a relatively high demand for phosphorus fertilizer; when planting, apply 0.5 kg superphosphate and 25 kg organic fertilizer per plant.

4. If winter jujube flowers and sets fruit, pinch the shoot tips at the early full-bloom stage; depending on growth vigor, leave 3 to 5 secondary branches and pinch. Then spray clean water; from the early flowering stage to the full-bloom stage, spray clean water once every 1 to 3 days, for a total of 3 to 5 sprays. Next comes hormone treatment: spray 10 to 15 mg/L gibberellin 1 to 2 times at the early full-bloom stage. Finally comes girdling and ring cutting.

5. The main pests and diseases of winter jujube include spider mites, peach fruit borer, jujube looper, jujube rust, jujube fruit-shrinking disease, jujube witches' broom, etc. Each pest and disease has a corresponding pesticide, generally available on the market, but for early prevention it is still best to prepare them in advance.

II. Winter jujube planting and cultivation techniques and precautions

1. Winter jujube produces relatively strong pollen from flowering, so pollinator trees can be planted alongside.

2. When planting, dig holes and place the seedlings in, in straight rows both lengthwise and crosswise; not too dense, nor too scattered; after watering, cover with soil to conserve moisture.

3. After spring planting, sprinkle water to the soil surface, then cover with soil, rake level, and lay plastic film to conserve moisture, raise temperature, and promote survival.

4. For winter jujube branch and trunk pruning, fruit-bearing branch groups form directly on each main branch, with no lateral branches retained. Branch and trunk pruning helps regulate the growth of the main branches and the amount of fruiting, and shifts year by year to making fruit set the main element. To cultivate high-yielding winter jujube, pruning the branch tips of the branches and trunk is mainly aimed at expanding the strength of the tree's main branches. The fruiting branches of winter jujube are deciduous branches; as they sprout, they keep branching along with the growth of the bearing shoots, and the flowering amount is large. According to surveys, jujube trees have no alternate bearing; as long as the trunk structure is reasonably allocated with ventilation and light penetration, you can get large winter jujubes hanging all over the branches.

III. Fertilization methods for winter jujube

1. No matter which fertilization method is used, be sure the fertilizer is fully decomposed and mixed evenly with the soil before application to prevent fertilizer burn. Use fully decomposed organic fertilizer (including bio-organic fertilizer) as the main component, supplemented by quick-acting chemical fertilizer.

2. In plots with severe salinity-alkalinity and widespread iron-deficiency yellow-leaf disease, supplement chelated iron, boron, etc.

3. Base fertilizer is the most important fertilization of the year, accounting for about 60% of the total effective nutrients for the year. It includes all the organic fertilizer and 1/5 to 2/5 of the chemical fertilizer.

4. Topdressing is applied in three rounds: the first in mid-March, the second from mid-June to early July, and the third in early August. The allocation at each stage can be adjusted according to tree vigor; for weak trees, the early application rate can be moderately increased, and for vigorous trees, the early application rate can be moderately reduced.

IV. Integrated control techniques for the main pests and diseases of winter jujube

1. Strengthen soil and fertilizer management and improve orchard soil improvement, increase soil fertility, ensure drainage during waterlogging and irrigation during drought, promote healthy tree growth, and improve resistance to pests and diseases. This has a clear effect on reducing the occurrence and damage of jujube rust, jujube anthracnose, red spider mites, jujube tortoise wax scale, etc.

2. Prune reasonably; through pruning, maintain good ventilation and light penetration in the orchard, and carry out timely intertillage and weeding. This can reduce the occurrence of red spider mites, jujube rust, jujube anthracnose, etc.

3. For pesticide control, choose the appropriate timing to achieve the best control effect.

(1) Before bud break, spray 10% diesel emulsion or 5 degrees Be lime-sulfur mixture to control red spider mites and jujube tortoise wax scale.

(2) In early March, tie a plastic film band around the base of the trunk, apply a sticky insecticide band on the upper edge, and tie a ring of straw rope below; replace it once every half month and burn the removed one, to prevent female jujube looper moths from climbing the tree, and also to lure female moths to lay eggs in it for concentrated killing.

(3) Before leaf expansion, spray the tree with a 0.067%-0.1% solution of 50% monocrotophos; in late April, apply 50% phoxim to the ground about 1 m around the base of the trunk at 7.5 kg per hectare, which can kill mature larvae of the jujube gall midge that enter the soil to pupate.

(4) In early May, from the initial hatching of jujube tortoise wax scale to before shell formation, spray the tree with a 0.03%-0.05% solution of 2.5% deltamethrin emulsion to kill them.

(5) In early June after rain, apply phoxim granules to the ground around 1 m beneath the canopy to kill peach fruit borer emerging from the soil.

(6) At the end of June, spray the tree with a 0.1% solution of 50% monocrotophos or a 0.125% solution of omethoate to control red spider mites and jujube tortoise wax scale.

(7) In mid-July, spray the canopy with a 0.167% solution of 50% thiram powder or a 0.067% solution of triadimefon to control jujube rust.

(8) At the end of July, spray the tree with a 0.03% solution of 2.5% deltamethrin to control peach fruit borer and jujube tortoise wax scale nymphs.

(9) In mid-September, spray the tree with a 0.2% solution of carbendazim or a 0.33%-0.5% solution of fosetyl-aluminum to control jujube anthracnose.

4. Based on the biological characteristics of the main pests and diseases of winter jujube, physical control can be used to manage pests and diseases.

(1) In autumn and winter, promptly sweep up fallen dead branches and leaves under the trees; together with pruning, cut off diseased and pest-infested branches and mummified fruit, scrape off old cracked bark, and burn them in a concentrated manner.

(2) At the same time, use autumn and winter to plow and turn the orchard soil, destroying overwintering sites for pests, reducing pest population density, and lowering the damage from jujube tortoise wax scale, jujube looper, peach fruit borer, red spider mites, jujube rust, jujube anthracnose, and other pests and diseases.

(3) In winter when there is ice, promptly tap the branches, which can shake off jujube tortoise wax scale. During the 1st-2nd instar of jujube looper larvae, take advantage of their death-feigning behavior to shake off the larvae and eliminate them promptly.

In the process of growing winter jujube, fertilization and pest and disease control are both very important elements, so we must do well in these two aspects when growing winter jujube. Only in this way can we guarantee the yield and quality of winter jujube from the level of cultivation techniques, thereby ensuring the economic benefits of growing winter jujube.