Pruning Jujube Trees | The Key to Explosive Growth and Production!

Jujube trees are a real gem for us in the desert. They love our hot summers and push through our cold Winters with no issues. Winter is pruning season for these trees, but we're taking a different approach this year to help maximize growth and production.
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[@AbidAli-bv2gl]

Excellent video for Pruning Jujube Trees , My favorite. You are doing professionally.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one Abid!

[@kathleenebsen2659]

Thanks for the pruning tips! I love my Li and Lang trees. These are wonderful producers of delicious fruit. Easy to harvest. I just shake the tree. I saw a very interesting video about how Afghan people grow and use these trees. It’s a desert like Arizona. After harvesting the fruit, the trees are cut down for firewood but spring right back! Incredibly tough and valuable trees.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

You know it would be interesting to prune these back like you're describing to see how they would do. They sure grow like crazy during our hottest months of the year!

[@darylpas2209]

I'm glad to see you pruning the Jujube tree. I have two small Jujube trees that will need pruning in a year or so. Can't find many videos on that. Thanks.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

This was definitely a research project for me (Duane). I ended up on several different websites that were trying to describe what to do (at the end of the terminal buds), so we're keeping our fingers crossed we got it right!

[@Reciprocity_Soils]

Walk us through it, on the edge of nowhere. Thanks for the pruning tips.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one. This year we're incorporating more of the discussions we have during pruning that hopefully show it's not always as straight forward as you might think and requires some decision making as you go!

[@bobbaird1275]

Hi Folks. Can you also do a video on pruning your pomegranates as well. Thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Keep an eye out for the video coming out this coming weekend. 😉

[@yellowdog762jb]

We have a 15 year old Sugarcane Jujube just north of Houston. It's pruned in sort of an open vase. The single trunck comes up about 3 feet and then it splits into the main truncks. We like the shape since it is a landscape tree and a fruit producer. I let it get a bit too tall last year and I couldn't reach all of the fruit even using a ladder. So it's being pruned back by about one third this spring.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

This is really encouraging to hear. We don't mind the height on these as we have the space and want them to grow nice and tall, but that one we had to cut back will wind up being an open center like yours.

[@yellowdog762jb]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm They are very interesting trees, I like their zig zag growth pattern. For those that are thinking of growing their tree as a central leader, you need to be able to reach the fruit to pick it because it's not good once it falls off of the tree. You might be able to use a tool on a long handle, but the fruit is small and not all pickers will work. Plus it's easy to bruise. Maybe they make a special tool for small fruits? Few people in our area have ever tried a jujube. Most that do like them. I often say that the second one is better than the first. They are just different enough that the first one you ever eat seems a bit strange. The second one is enjoyable. P.S. I just recently found your channel and I've enjoyed all of your videos that I've watched so far. Thanks for going to all the trouble to produce them!

[@jillismyname]

Nice! I'm new here and have been enjoying seeing your pruning videos. If you ever feel like talking about why you grow a central leader vs. the open vase shape, I'd love to hear more about that. (or maybe you did and I missed it) There is an old jujube orchard near us -the ones with the ouchy spines were the tastiest. :)

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I don't know that we've done a dedicated video on deciding central leader vs open center, but in a nutshell it depends mainly on preference and then on how the tree naturally grows. If you're trying to control for size on a fruit tree you'll want to use an open center. This goes for all stone fruit (peaches, plums, apricots, etc), pome fruit (apples/pears), figs, mulberries and some nut varieties like Almond. The same would go for a Jujube if you're trying to control for size, but we've decided we prefer to have them grow nice and tall, so we're using this central leader design.

[@lovaleriemullins5813]

Jujube trees! I have to confess, my pecan trees are my hardest project. Have enough information to do a video on best practices for desert pecan trees? ❤

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Boy, I wish I could say we have a great video on pruning pecans, but our pecan trees have just not grown much over the last 4 years. The only pruning we've done is dead/dying branches and anything growing toward the middle of the tree. To date, they're only about 6' tall! Real disappointment for us.

[@lovaleriemullins5813]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm IKR?!!

[@annburge291]

Don't prune pecans. Don't make them into short trees. When they sprout near the trunk and in the centre of the tree, rub off the sprouts as they appear. Remove suckers. A left alone tree will grow into a beautiful balanced tree productive tree. If you prune, you will end up removing branches when the tree is mature.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@annburge291 good to know!

[@seanz7804]

Thank you!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you found this one useful!

[@ForTheWin2007]

Great video. When is usually the best time to plant a new jujube tree?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed it. Ours all came in bareroot which you would plant in the winter. If its potted you can plant them fall through spring.

[@kathleenebsen2659]

I’m thinking plant some seedlings as future rootstock for grafting. Some can be cut back to test how vigorously jujube grows back.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That's a solid idea. They do grow like crazy!

[@Paul2603W]

Every Jujube tree I have seen (here in Switzerland) is producing suckers like crazy! In contrast, growing them from seeds seems to be realy tough. Also most seeds I've seen are not developed (even tough pollinators around). But not even the good looking seeds sprouted for me.

[@bdprist]

Great video, thanks for posting. Why do you paint the trunk white?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one. I'll link a video for you here where we discuss the trunk paint; kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYfLkHynfceLqZI

[@bdprist]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thank you!

[@renoc8330]

Hi Dwayne, can a Jujube tree (Li) be cut/kept down to manageable 6-8ft growth for easier harvesting? Climbing ladders can be tricky as we get older.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We're testing that out with the Shanxi Li that we filmed in this one. I think it will be fine, but will take heavier pruning in the dormant season.

[@drtonylytle]

Do you know which jujubes are thornless? i want to grow some in maricopa south of you. You guys are awesome by the way.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Ok, so I can't say for sure that there is a completely thornless Jujube variety. We had an Indian Thornless that still had small thorns on it! Either way, I would really encourage you to give one a shot.

[@muskepticsometimes9133]

when to prune? put in small tree spring 23, grew a little, pruned a little. 2024 - holy cow it exploded every which way. Can I prune in late spring or summer? Or wait for dormant time in winter ?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Your best bet with deciduous trees is to prune in the Winter, but this tree grows so aggressive you could probably get away with some Summer pruning as well.

[@muskepticsometimes9133]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Thanks!

[@CynthiaDragonfly]

Can you prune a Jujube tree to stay a dwarf size for a small garden?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I imagine you would be able to. It would probably need some Summer pruning as well as Winter, especially in the first few years.

[@mofomoco]

My little jujube tree looks like it died over winter. I cant imagine it will really come back to life.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hopefully it's just dormant. They do look dead in the middle of Winter, but come back to life once the temps are regularly in the 80's and the overnight temps get well above freezing.

[@nathanfalvo4429]

Are you worried about yield reduction by pruning so aggressive?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

These are young trees that we're still trying to train, so eventually we'll back off a bit to encourage more fruit set.

[@user-hu4fr5iz8v]

Mine is near 12 feet tall. I noticed you kept yours tall. Any reason? I am tempted to shorten mine.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

The only reason we're allowing these to get this tall is because we have plenty of space and want a big, beautiful tree that also produces for us.

[@cynthiaj4863]

*

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Cynthia!!

[@taylorvanbuskirk8040]

I hate one particular Palo Verde tree. It's in my neighbors yard. It's the healthiest and biggest Palo Verde tree in the world. That's right! It's the King of all Palo Verde trees, and it's blocking my Superstion Mountain view. I see so many Palo Verde trees which topple over during strong winds or heavey rains. Oh no!!! Not this tree. THIS TREE will survive a nuclear explosion! It would survive an alien invastion that devasted the entire surface of the planet. The only thing that would survive that type of explosion are: Cockroach, scorpions and Palo Verde trees...OK...and maybe flies. All I'm asking is this....that the mountain view in front of me if restored, but is hiding behind the Mother of all Trees....The Palo Verde tree! OK...I'm done complaining.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Oh my goodness, it sounds like you're just as fond as I am of those trees! The good news for us was eventually a storm did take it out. Needless to say, it was quickly replaced by.....you guessed it, a fruit tree!!

[@taylorvanbuskirk8040]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm, excellent choice. At least a fruit tree is productive!

[@kzziggy]

🪵 🪓

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Love those emojis. They were pretty much made for our pruning style! ❤️