Malay Apple or Jujube ??? Need Opinions

[Johnny Redland]

I want to plant a crunchy apple type fruit. I’m between these two. Any recommendations on which ones taste better and/or names of cultivars for the sweeter varieties? Thanks

[skhan]

based on taste and looks (both tree and fruit) i'd go with malay apple.

based on the season time, season length, preciousness (compared to Malay apple seedlings from PIN) and tree size I'd go with Jujube

Personally, I'd take a crisp Fwang Tung starfruit over both

[Organic Cavalry]

I am not familiar with the Malay apple...
But I do grow jujube... I have li and lang both similar in taste and wonderful crunch... As I understand it the more the tree matures it gets sweeter. The fruit can be eaten crunchy or let them dry and they are really sweet and chewy think Date! Health benefits are good... very productive. There are several varieties.
The bad is they make suckers and have spikes. (Which I like)

[roblack]

I don't know about malay apple, but love my 2 jujube trees. Thai and Indian maybe?

Nice crisp refreshing fruits, mildly sweet, but very satisfying. Also, produces fruit in the winter when most other stuff is not.

Medicinal. Not sure about all the uses. Does away with my kid's growing pains.

Grows great and easy to care for; not a demanding or finicky tree.

[murahilin]

I want to plant a crunchy apple type fruit. I’m between these two. Any recommendations on which ones taste better and/or names of cultivars for the sweeter varieties? Thanks

These are two of my favorite fruit and I’ve grown both.

It’s very difficult to find grafted varieties of good Malay apples in Florida. I recommend buying a seedling and then top working it with budwood from a known quality cultivar. Seedlings quality can be hit or miss. I’ve had fruit from many different Malay apple seedlings in Florida and some are gross while others are excellent.

I wouldn’t also consider Malay Apple to be crunch like a jujube.

The Indian jujubes are best suited for South Florida. Don’t bother with the Chinese jujube in S FL.
The cultivar knows as “Thai” is an Indian jujube. Any of the grafted “Thai”, “Giant Thornless”, etc, cultivars should be fine.

As SKhan said, jujubes fruit a lot more and quicker than Malay apples. Most Malay Apple trees take at least 5 years to fruit and then many of the fruit get this beetle that cause the fruit to abort early. I haven’t had a Malay Apple fruit from my moms tree in over 3 years. Flowers and sets heavily but then the beetles destroy the crop.

[brian]

I ate a bunch of jujubes from street vendors when I was in India.  They were okay but no where near as good as a real (Malus) apple.  They have a apple-like flavor but the texture isn't as good.

I haven't tried Malay apple, I'm growing one from seed so it'll be a long time to tell.

[RodneyS]

I have sugarcane and honey jar jujube, which I bought from Roger Meyer back in 2008.  Both are crunchy and sweet.  Honey jar is a bit more juicy.

[bovine421]

I don't know about malay apple, but love my 2 jujube trees. Thai and Indian maybe?

Nice crisp refreshing fruits, mildly sweet, but very satisfying. Also, produces fruit in the winter when most other stuff is not.

Medicinal. Not sure about all the uses. Does away with my kid's growing pains.

Grows great and easy to care for; not a demanding or finicky tree.

My brother from Cali asked about Jujube and after reading this i am interested now! Also, produces fruit in the winter when most other stuff is not. What their vigor? how manageable are they? Can the thornless variety be maintain to 8 feet 

[Nyuu]

I want to plant a crunchy apple type fruit. I’m between these two. Any recommendations on which ones taste better and/or names of cultivars for the sweeter varieties? Thanks

I would prefer jujube trees but they supposed to do better with two tree .
one nice thing about jujube fruit that you can usually eat on two different stages not fully ripen to fully ripe fruit and some cultivar can be very sweet like cultivar name sugar cane
 
But if you like Malay apple more White cultivar that is really tasty or Syzygium jambos / Rose Apple had a really like as well but it's hollow so only the outer skin
From the white versus Rose Apple I prefer Rose Apple but harder get

[Nyuu]

I'm one of the few people I know who sale the Rose Apple to the public https://youtu.be/HShFg-lt0vE
I only sell seedlings but i going to try graft some

[slopat]

Jujube! At least from my childhood memories back in the 70,80s.

No idea what cultivar just that it had thorns galore, grew like a weed, and my mom got mad at me for eating so many sweet crunchy green ones when she wanted to dry them all for soup ingredients.

If I only knew better and grew some cuttings before they sold the farm.

Have to follow this thread for what's good to get too.

[bovine421]

Montage of post from this forum Jujube Tree Indian Green Thornless Grafted variety  Sometimes called Dounce or bore. Having the texture and flavor of an apple the jujube are often referred to as manzana or manzanita meaning apple or little apple. It is an important commercial fruit crop in Thailand, Vietnam, and India, and it is grown on smaller scales throughout Malaysia and Australia. The trees are bush-like with a weeping habit, and they will bear fruit early. Jujubes are known to be extremely prolific producers They can stand extreme desert temperatures as well as cold temperatures down to -25 and have fruit it as far north as Seattle The cultivar knows as “Thai” is an Indian jujube Thai Giant,Thai jujube very drought resistant, and the fruit is better taste than Chinese jujube.
Depending on the graft you have they are self pollinating with continuous fruiting The Thai Giant is much larger than the Indian Jujube and it is best tasting (sweet and crunchy) when the skin turns light brown.Indian Jujube.   Needs no chill hours.   It will bloom in summer but does not set fruit  from summer blooms.  Will bloom again around late fall and fruit are ready around the Christmas holidays /first of the year.