Jujube varieties for deer - Transfered from QDMA Forum

[yoderjac]

Good info jack thanks for sharing I’ve considered trying Jujube.

Catscratch makes a good point. Just to flesh it out a bit more: Most Jujube are grafted on what is called "wild" or "sour" jujube rootstock. According to the research I did, this rootstock is quite aggressive, produces new sprouts from the root system as far as 20' from the tree, and those new trees are very thorny and produce little, low quality, fruit.

I selected Tigertooth for several reasons. It is self-fruitful, it is a heavy producer, and the fruit ripens and drops during our hunting season. A key factor was that it is available grown on its own roots. I find it too produces root sprouts quite a bit. They are easily controlled by mowing. When selecting a wildlife tree, I don't think just about how it will perform under management. That is one reason I favor low to no maintenance trees over trees that require care. Not only can I grow enough to impact deer because I don't have to maintain them, I also don't have to worry about what happens when I stop maintaining them. With TIgertooth, since the suckers are coming from the original root system, any trees they produce will have the same quality as the parent tree.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Catscratch]

Catscratch makes a good point. Just to flesh it out a bit more: Most Jujube are grafted on what is called "wild" or "sour" jujube rootstock. According to the research I did, this rootstock is quite aggressive, produces new sprouts from the root system as far as 20' from the tree, and those new trees are very thorny and produce little, low quality, fruit.

I selected Tigertooth for several reasons. It is self-fruitful, it is a heavy producer, and the fruit ripens and drops during our hunting season. A key factor was that it is available grown on its own roots. I find it too produces root sprouts quite a bit. They are easily controlled by mowing. When selecting a wildlife tree, I don't think just about how it will perform under management. That is one reason I favor low to no maintenance trees over trees that require care. Not only can I grow enough to impact deer because I don't have to maintain them, I also don't have to worry about what happens when I stop maintaining them. With TIgertooth, since the suckers are coming from the original root system, any trees they produce will have the same quality as the parent tree.

Thanks,

Jack

Interesting. I have had my Tigertooth in the ground since spring of 2016. I haven't seen a single sucker from it yet. It has grown ok and is a beautiful tree but getting fruit has been slow. It blooms and sets fruit, but mostly they drop before ripening. I suspect I'm on the edge of where they can thrive.

 

[yoderjac]

Interesting. I have had my Tigertooth in the ground since spring of 2016. I haven't seen a single sucker from it yet. It has grown ok and is a beautiful tree but getting fruit has been slow. It blooms and sets fruit, but mostly they drop before ripening. I suspect I'm on the edge of where they can thrive.

Mine get root sprouts but they seem to be fairly close to the tree. I've been able to dig some up when dormant and transplant them. I was putting them in rootmakers for a year before putting them in the field. I was also successful at taking some root cuttings. I put them in a mix that was mostly sand and put them out over the winter. I had about 30% of them root and produce top growth. I grew them in rootmakers for a couple seasons and transplanted them to the field.