Detailed Explanation of Jujube Tree Planting Methods and Technical Points

The jujube tree is a deciduous small tree, rarely a shrub, reaching over 10 m in height; the bark is brown or grayish-brown; it has long branches, short branches, and budless twigs (that is, new branches) that are smoother than the long branches, purple-red or grayish-brown, zigzag in shape, with 2 stipular spines, the long spines reaching 3 cm, thick and straight, the short spines curved downward, 4-6 mm long; the short branches are short and thick, rectangular in shape, emerging from old branches; the current year's twigs are green, drooping, solitary or in clusters of 2-7 on the short branches.

Planting time: Spring planting should be late, with the best period from April 5 to 20; autumn planting should be early, from October 20 to November 5 after leaf fall.

Planting techniques

1. Choose a good cultivation site. The jujube tree has relatively strong adaptability and is not strict about soil conditions, so wasteland and saline-alkali land can be fully used for cultivation in various places. However, in order to achieve relatively high economic benefits and produce high-quality, pollution-free products, it is best to choose a site with air, water sources, soil, and other environmental conditions free of pollution, flat and open terrain, good drainage conditions, strong soil permeability, good aeration, a relatively high groundwater table, and fertile soil. When planting jujube trees in mountainous and hilly areas, a sunny slope with deep soil should be chosen; shady slopes are not suitable for planting. 

2. Choose a good planting variety. There are many varieties of jujube trees. A high-quality variety must have good tree vigor, strong resistance to pests and diseases, crack-resistant fruit, good fruit shape, good fruit color, high nutrient content, and good taste. At present, excellent varieties used for drying include Jinsifeng, Jinsimi, Wuhehong, Wuhe No. 1, Wuhe No. 3, Zanhuang Big Jujube, and others. Among early-maturing varieties, excellent varieties for fresh eating include Zaocuiwang, Jingwei Fresh Jujube, Early-maturing Pear Jujube, and others, while excellent varieties for processing include Pear Jujube, Zanhuang Big Jujube, and others; late-maturing varieties are mainly used for fresh eating, and high-quality varieties include Jingwei Big Snow Jujube, Winter Jujube, and others. New and special varieties include Mopanzao and Hulugao with peculiar fruit shapes, and Tailihong and Longxugao with peculiar tree shapes. Jujube growers can introduce and cultivate them according to need, or select scions of high-quality varieties for grafting and propagation. 

3. Choose a good cultivation model. The first is dwarf close-planting cultivation, mainly suitable for varieties that bear fruit early and have a small tree type, with a plant-row spacing of 2 m x 3 m or 3 m x 2 m as appropriate. The second is intercropping cultivation, mainly suitable for varieties with a medium or larger tree type that bear fruit relatively late, with a row spacing of 8-10 m and a plant spacing of 3-5 m. Other crops can be interplanted among the trees in the early period. 

4. Choose a good cultivation time. Jujube trees can be planted throughout the entire dormant period from leaf fall to germination the following year, and this is divided into spring planting and autumn planting. According to many years of cultivation experience, when planting with 2-year-old and older root-sucker seedlings, spring-planted trees that are immediately watered thoroughly can easily achieve a survival rate of more than 90%, while autumn-planted trees can hardly achieve a survival rate of more than 90% even if watered after planting. However, autumn-planted trees can still achieve a survival rate of more than 70% even without watering after planting, while spring-planted trees without watering have a survival rate clearly lower than that of autumn-planted trees.