Author Topic: Grafting Jujube Question  (Read 664 times)

DesertDust

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Grafting Jujube Question
« on: December 20, 2023, 06:20:24 PM »
I really want to attempt my first grafts this spring on my jujube..

I have a GA-866 which this was the second year in ground and it produced 6 fruit.  8)

My problem with this tree is that it is 14 ft tall with a SINGLE primary shoot. This year the new secondary shoots are about 1ft long and curl downward. Last years secondary branches are only about 6-7 inches with 2-3 nodes also curls down..

I planted a Shanxi li tree this spring, and it already has 4 primary shoots!!

Well, I was thinking of cutting the GA-866 back to 8ft, plus cut back some of the secondary shoots to hopefully encourage some branching since this thing is so tall and skinny... I was also thinking of grafting other varieties to last years secondary shoots.

So my question is,
Is it possible to graft a primary shoot scions from my shanxi li (or another variety) to a secondary shoot of the GA-866?
And if I was to get scion wood from another tree, does it need to be from a primary shoot, or will secondary shoots work for grafting?

« Last Edit: December 20, 2023, 06:25:19 PM by DesertDust »

sc4001992

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Re: Grafting Jujube Question
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2023, 04:00:33 AM »
Yes, it doesn't matter where you get the scion wood cutting from the other tree and graft it on your tree. Primary or side branches is the same when you graft any of these fruit trees.
« Last Edit: December 25, 2023, 07:21:00 AM by sc4001992 »

nexxogen

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Re: Grafting Jujube Question
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2023, 09:17:12 AM »
I would cut it much lower than 8ft. Well-established jujube trees can even be cut to the ground and they will likely fruit the next year, that's how vigorously they grow.

As for grafting, I highly suggest grafting to new primary shoots while they're still green. Yes, graft a brown, woody scion onto a green non-woody primary shoot. It sounds really weird, but I'm having almost 100% success with this method. The technique would be a simple cleft graft, as there aren't many options because of the soft green shoot. Something like whip and tongue is pretty much impossible.

So my suggestion to you would be to top the tree to a height you want it to start growing from and also prune off a couple of side branches closest to the top. This should induce new primary shoots and then use them to graft whichever varieties you want.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2023, 09:21:38 AM by nexxogen »

DesertDust

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Re: Grafting Jujube Question
« Reply #3 on: December 22, 2023, 02:31:30 PM »
Yes, it doesn't matter where you get the scion wood cutting from the other tree and graft it on your tree. Primary or side branches is the same when you graft any of these fruit trees.

Perfect! I will attempt all different combinations of grafts then this spring.

So my suggestion to you would be to top the tree to a height you want it to start growing from and also prune off a couple of side branches closest to the top. This should induce new primary shoots and then use them to graft whichever varieties you want.

By the time it produces new primary shoots, how do you get fresh scions or keep dormant scions long enough for grafting? I would like to try this method too.


I was even expecting to get root suckers I could try to graft onto, but nothing in two years... Both trees are definitely grafted so maybe this year I will find one 50ft away ;D

nexxogen

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Re: Grafting Jujube Question
« Reply #4 on: December 23, 2023, 02:05:51 AM »
Just like you would keep any scion. I would suggest you get scion online (Cliff England is a good source for example), wash them with dish soap, leave to dry, wrap in parafilm, put in a ziplock bag and store in the fridge. In my experience, jujube scions are very durable and will stay fresh for a long time.