How to Grow Green Jujube for High Yield? Key Points of Cultivation Technique Explained
Green jujube contains relatively high amounts of vitamins and trace elements and belongs among health-promoting fruits. It can bear fruit in the very year it is planted, and in the 2nd year of planting it enters the full-production period, so it is deeply favored by fruit growers. So how is green jujube grown? Below is a detailed explanation of the key points of high-yield cultivation techniques for green jujube.
1. How is green jujube grown? What are the key points of high-yield cultivation techniques?
1. Orchard site selection
Green jujube has relatively strong adaptability and does not demand much from the soil, but it has high requirements for fertilizer, sunlight and water sources. It needs to be planted in paddy fields, flat sloping land or terraced dry fields with sufficient light and convenient irrigation. When planted in places with poor light, drought, frequent typhoons or water shortage, its yield and quality will be affected to varying degrees.
2. Variety selection
There are relatively many varieties of green jujube, and different green jujubes differ greatly in yield, quality, fruit shape and flavor, among other aspects. The main varieties include Huangguan, Hongyun and Wuqian. Excellent varieties can be selected for planting based on the actual conditions of the orchard, but care should be taken to plant 2% pollinator trees to increase the fruit-setting rate of green jujube.
3. Reasonable planting
The best planting season for green jujube is March to May, when the temperature is not high, the climate is humid and there is plenty of rain. It begins to flower in August and begins to mature in November. If management is scientific and in place, the yield per green jujube tree can reach 10 kg, allowing production and harvest in the same year. If bagged seedlings are used, they can also be planted in July and August, and they can also flower and bear fruit in the same year. When bare-root seedlings are planted in summer, if packaging is inadequate and transport takes a long time, the survival rate will be greatly reduced. If planting is done by digging holes, the holes should each be 80 cm long and wide and 60 cm deep, with sufficient base fertilizer applied, and shallow drainage ditches opened to facilitate drainage.
Considering the fast growth rate of green jujube, maintain a reasonable density when planting. Based on practical planting experience, 300 to 400 plants per hectare, with a planting specification set at 6 m × 5 m. If the planting density is high, the early yield is relatively higher, but after 5 years of growth, if the canopy is found to be large and shading each other, appropriate thinning will be needed.
4. Fertilizer and water management
The base fertilizer for green jujube accounts for a large proportion, up to 50% of the total annual fertilizer application. For newly planted fruit trees, when digging holes, apply decomposed poultry and livestock manure at 15 kg per hole, phosphate fertilizer and bran fertilizer at 0.5 kg and 1 kg per hole respectively. Mix all the base fertilizer with soil before backfilling, then after all the organic fertilizer is backfilled, return the topsoil, and leave it 20 cm above the ground to avoid water accumulation on rainy days.
For 2-year-old trees, apply enough base fertilizer within 15 days after all the fruit is harvested and the branches are fully pruned. Use decomposed poultry and livestock manure mostly controlled at 20 kg per hole, phosphate fertilizer and bran fertilizer at 1 kg and 1.5 kg per hole respectively. Apply the base fertilizer in ring trenches dug around the canopy, and the amount used should also be appropriately increased.
The root system of green jujube is relatively very well developed, with most of it distributed in the shallow soil layer. After topdressing, results appear quickly and the effect is relatively good. After the growth condition is determined, scientifically regulate the number and amount of fertilizer applications.
Generally, it needs to be done in 3 applications. The 1st application needs to be carried out after shoot sprouting, within April to May, to ensure faster growth of new shoots. The fertilizer can be evenly broadcast directly within the canopy area, appropriately covered with a thin layer of soil, and watered after fertilization. The 2nd topdressing is generally carried out at the beginning of flowering, with fertilization in July to August, taking into account differences in tree age and the amount of topdressing used. The 3rd fertilization is often carried out in November, when the fruit set from the first batch of flowers begins to mature, to ensure that the fruit in the middle and later stages can expand. The fertilization amount is appropriately increased to 30% more than the 1st topdressing amount.
Foliar fertilizer after the beginning of flowering stops at fruit drop. This is generally carried out from July to October, using 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate plus an appropriate amount of 0.2% urea, sprayed once every 15 days, for 3 to 4 consecutive sprays. Trace element fertilizer is generally applied 2 times per month. 15 days before the fruit is formally harvested, 1 spray of 0.2% dipotassium hydrogen phosphate plus 0.5% glucose solution can also be applied to increase the sugar content of the fruit.
5. Pruning and fruit protection
Green jujube branch pruning should mainly focus on lateral slanting growth. The canopy area is large and the branches are relatively numerous, so scientific pruning is needed to form a good tree shape, facilitate ventilation and light, effectively reduce pests and diseases, and improve the yield and quality of green jujube. When training the trunk, ensure that a tall old trunk can promote early flowering and maturity of green jujube.
After the fruit is harvested, generally select 2 old trunks or main branches as the new trunks, at a height of 1.5 m, and all the rest can be cut off completely or ring-barked at the base to let them slowly die. Tree-top pruning is carried out in June, and until fruit setting ends in November, remove overly dense branches, slender branches and those close to the ground. Green jujube has many flowers and many fruits, and each inflorescence can grow into 5 small fruits. Under normal circumstances, some young fruits can drop automatically, but after natural fruit drop, there is still relatively much fruit set, so artificial supplementary fruit protection is needed.
6. Pest control
Green jujube has relatively few pests and diseases, mainly scale insects and fruit flies. If scale insects appear, promptly use Lorsban and similar products to kill them, and for fruit flies, trichlorfon can be used to kill them. Pesticide spraying should stop 20 days before fruit harvest. The fruit of green jujube is yellow-green when mature, full in appearance and glossy in skin color. At this time, timely harvesting is needed. If long-distance transport is required, it can be harvested when 90% ripe.
When harvesting, attention should be paid to handling gently to avoid damage, which would affect its commercial value. If the fruit of green jujube is overripe, the flesh will soften, thus its quality and taste will decline, the selling price will also be affected, and transport will be inconvenient. Therefore, when picking green jujube, attention should be paid to doing preparatory work in advance.
2. What is the prospect for green jujube cultivation?
Judging from the price trends of green jujube in previous years, the yield per mu is about more than 6,000 jin. At an average market price of 4 yuan per jin, the output value per mu is more than 20,000 yuan.
Overall, the fruit of green jujube is eaten fresh and is rich in nutrients. It has health benefits such as purifying the blood, helping digestion and beautifying the face. Eaten fresh, the flesh is crisp, tender and juicy, with high sweetness, good taste and a unique flavor. A single fruit weighs 100-400 grams, hence it has the fine names of “tropical small apple” and “vitamin pill.” It has health benefits such as purifying the blood, helping digestion and beautifying the face, and its market prospect is considerable.