An ideal place for planting jujube. What is unabi and how to grow it. Video: what a Chinese date looks like

Ziziphus, unabi, chest berry, Chinese date, jujube - this plant from the Ziziphus family has many names. It has long been cultivated in many countries with warm climate. It is valued not only for its delicious fruits, but also for its healing properties. In Crimea, in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden, a whole collection of various varieties of unabi has been created. Many varieties of Chinese dates have also been bred for cooler climates. Thanks to this, gardeners have the opportunity to grow a tree of youth and health in their garden. But you can count on the longevity of the unabi and generous harvests only if the agricultural practices of planting and further care are observed.

When and how best to plant unabi

Planting is carried out at the beginning or end of the season, when the plant is at rest.

Planting in the spring

The best time for planting seedlings with an open root system is spring: the end of March - April, before the start of the growing season. By this time, stable heat should be established: the air warms up to + 12-14 degrees during the day, the night temperature does not drop to negative values.

Unabi will take root better if the planting is carried out in the spring, and the next year it will bear fruit

If you hurry with spring planting, when the ground is still frozen and cannot be compacted, voids will form near the roots. In these places, the roots without contact with the soil can rot, which will gradually lead to the death of the tree.

Properly planted in spring, plants will take root in a season, begin to build up the root system, and shoots will grow intensively. However, during spring planting, it is necessary to regularly water immature trees so that they do not die from drought.

Unabi seedling blooms already in the year of planting

autumn planting

You can plant a tree in the fall, from September to the end of October. The main thing is to carry out planting work 2 weeks before the first frost. If you are late with planting, the plants may not have time to take root before the onset of cold weather.

After the autumn planting, it is necessary to spud the trees, you can also cover them with agrofiber. Such preparation for winter will not be required in the future - unabi tolerates a significant drop in temperature well. And if it is damaged by frosts, due to its high regenerative capacity, it recovers very quickly. Saplings are unraveled after snow melts in cloudy weather in March - April.

Planted at the optimal time, the Chinese date quickly turns into a powerful stately tree.

Container plants are planted all season, even in summer. But not on a hot afternoon, but in the evening or in cloudy weather to reduce the risk sunburn buds and leaves. Since they are planted by transshipment along with an earthen clod, the root system is not injured during transplantation, the plants quickly and painlessly take root in a new place.

Video: when is it better to plant seedlings of fruit trees

Landing Rules

Unabi loves light and warmth, tolerates drought well. The best place for trees is in the southern or southwestern part of the site, most of the day lit by the sun. In the shade, growth slows down, and the fruits will have to wait a long time. The Chinese date is thermophilic. In a cool climate, the tree will also grow, but is unlikely to bear fruit even in a greenhouse. And in the open air, severe cold can freeze the culture to the roots, but the tree will not die and will recover quickly enough. For unabi, a secluded place should be taken away, protected from strong wind fence or outbuildings.

For unabi choose a site well warmed by the sun

The jujube is undemanding to the composition of the soil, but on saline and clay soils, the yield will be weaker. Trees should not be planted in areas with high groundwater levels. The root system, penetrating into the soil to a depth of 3 m, as a result of constant waterlogging, will begin to rot. If it is not possible to choose another place for plants, with high watering, drainage grooves are made or soil is poured, raising the site by 1 m, and trees are planted on mounds.

Drainage grooves can be made on the site to drain groundwater

For better fruit set in the garden, it is necessary to plant several unabi, which will pollinate each other.

Growing plants in the form of a shrub, you can use them as a green fence, until late autumn, retaining a green outfit of shiny leaves. When forming jujube like trees, it must be taken into account that they have a powerful root system, consisting of a long tap root and a highly branched main mass up to 7 m wide, located at a depth of 20–60 cm. Therefore, they must be planted at a distance of at least 4 m from each other, leaving 4–6 m between rows.

There should be enough space between the trees so that they do not obscure each other.

Video: jujube is no longer exotic

Preparatory work is carried out in the fall or at least 2 weeks before planting:

Landing step by step guide:

1. At the bottom of the pit, a part of the fertilized soil is poured into a mound.
2. A seedling is placed on a mound, its roots are straightened. The container plant is transferred to the pit without releasing the roots from the ground.

   The seedling is placed in the planting hole and the roots are well straightened.

3. They fall asleep in the pit, while slightly shaking the seedling so that the earth sticks tightly to the roots. Sprinkle the soil and tamp it down.

   The soil around the seedling must be tamped so that the earth fits snugly against the roots.

4. The grafting site is not deepened: the root neck should be open - 5 cm above ground level.
5. A circular watering hole is formed and 2 buckets of water are brought into it.

   After planting, the seedling is watered with two buckets of water.

6. The soil around the stem must be mulched with straw, dry mowed grass. A 10 cm thick layer of mulch makes the soil looser, retains moisture in it and prevents the growth of weeds.

One of the features of jujube is the active development of the root system in the year of planting and the slow growth of the aerial part. Therefore, forming pruning is started only a year after disembarkation.

How to plant unabi

It is not difficult to grow unabi in your garden - this unpretentious plant reproduces well by root offspring, cuttings and seeds. The survival rate of planted cuttings is 85%.

Growing unabi is easy from seeds.

Planting seeds

Experienced gardeners prefer to grow seedlings from seeds. Inside the fruit stone are 1-2 seeds. But when sown, they hardly break through a strong bone shell and germinate for a very long time. Scarification helps to speed up the appearance of seedlings - mechanical damage to the hard shell. The bones are soaked in warm water for a day, and then with the help of wire cutters, the integrity of the shell is broken and the seeds are removed. After scarification, sprouts appear in sown seeds in 2-3 weeks.

Seeds of mature fruits are used for sowing.

Seed stratification

Previously, unabi seeds are subjected to cold stratification. You can sow them under the snow on the site or create an imitation winter sleep at home. During the winter, the seeds harden, adapt to climatic conditions, in the spring they will sprout together and turn into strong hardy plants.

For cold hardening in the garden, seeds are sown in cups with moist fertile soil. The containers are placed in a tray so that they do not turn over, covered with agrofiber and sprinkled well with snow. Or sown late autumn on the site, covering with non-woven material. It is very important to sow in a certain temperature regime - not higher than +2 degrees. Otherwise, the seeds may germinate prematurely and die.

For cold hardening, unabi seeds are taken out into the garden under the snow

At home, stratification is carried out in a refrigerator or cellar with a temperature of 0 to + 4ºС.

Warm stratification is also used: the seeds are kept for a month at a temperature of 20–35 ° C. Then they are sown in a container, deepening 3 cm into warm soil, watered and covered with a film. Humidify and ventilate the greenhouse regularly. After 15–20 days, shoots will appear, they, together with a clod of earth, are transplanted into individual cups for growing. And only next year in the spring they are planted in the ground.

Unabi seedlings are planted in a permanent place at the beginning of the season

Video: unabi breeding

How to transplant unabi

When changing the layout of the garden or in too dense plantings, it becomes necessary to transplant the unabi to another place. It is advisable not to touch too old trees or large trees that have reached a height of 6 meters or more. Transplantation is carried out when the plant is at rest - in early spring, before the swelling of the kidneys, or in the fall, after leaf fall.

1. The tree is dug in a radius of 1 m.

   Before transplanting, the tree is dug in and removed along with a clod of earth.

2. Part of the roots extending from the trunk at a great distance will have to be chopped off. However, this must be done carefully so as not to deprive the plant of a significant part of the root system, which can lead to further drying or loss of balance.
3. The lower branches, so as not to break, are tied to the trunk.
4. The tree is removed along with a clod of earth with a diameter of about 1 m and a height of 70–100 cm and transferred to a new place.
5. The pit should be slightly larger - 1 m 20 cm wide, so that the root system fits easily. The tree should be placed taking into account the spatial orientation - which side of the world its branches were facing: the wood on the north side will be slightly darker than on the south.

   A pit for transplanting a tree is dug a little larger in diameter so that the root system is not damaged.

6. The free space is covered with soil with a layer of 10 cm, trampled it down and falls asleep again. Layer-by-layer filling of the pit with earth and compaction contributes to a more durable fixing of the tree.
7. After transplanting, unabi is watered with 50 liters of water and the trunk circle is covered with mulching material. Organic mulch - grass, straw, hay - improves soil composition, retains moisture from evaporation, protects the root system from overheating in summer and freezing in winter.

Large-sized units can be additionally strengthened with supports. To do this, use wooden stands or stretching ropes, which should be changed as the unabi grows. With their help, large trees will be in a more stable position. Over time, having taken root in a new place, thanks to a powerful root system, even strong gusts of wind will not be afraid of unabi.

A well-groomed unabi tree can become a real decoration and attraction of a personal plot. This plant is a long-liver, in one place it can grow up to 300 years and bear fruits that are beneficial to health for half a century. A tree grown from seeds begins to form ovaries already in the third season, and varietal seedlings are able to bring the first berries a year after planting. The main thing is to plant at the optimum time so that the seeds give friendly shoots, and the seedlings are well rooted.

On the sites of modern summer residents, you can increasingly see exotic and unusual plants that not only perform a decorative function, but can also bring a useful harvest. Therefore, in this article we will talk about one of these plants, known under several “names” at once: jujube, unabi and Chinese date.

Zizifus: description of exotic

Like any other plant, unabi has its own characteristics of cultivation and care, but before proceeding to their consideration, you should get to know the Chinese date better.

Jujube is a subtropical fruit crop that has been continuously cultivated in China for more than 6,000 years. In that area, more than 400 varieties grow on an area of ​​200 thousand hectares, which is much larger than the territory occupied by all fruit crops in Ukraine.

Did you know? The most useful unabi fruits are deservedly considered those that grow in mountainous areas where the soil is not rich in humus.

represented by a small tree (or tall bush) no more than 5 meters high. The crown is broad, spreading and has a very attractive shape. Bare, reddish-brown shoots are genuately curved, with thin thorns up to 3 cm long located on bends.

Unabi fruits are oblong, spherical or pear-shaped, 1.5 cm long and weighing up to 50 g. Their color can be very different: from light brown to dark brown. The pulp of the drupe (namely, the jujube fruit is the drupe) is quite dense and has a sweet-sour or sweet taste. In general, both in taste and color, exotic fruits resemble the usual apple drying, although they are valued for the many useful substances that make up their composition (potassium and magnesium should be especially highlighted).

They can be used as fresh, and make blanks from jujube: process into puree, marmalade, compote or candied fruit. They are also widely used in the confectionery industry. In dried form, the fruits can be more than a year, without losing all their useful properties.

However, in order to prolong this process as much as possible, you need to know exactly how to properly store jujube fruits. For example, the most common form of storage of this plant is dried or dried fruits placed in a tightly closed glass jar left in a room with normal room temperature (up to +25 °C). They can be stored fresh in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Important! Since unabi fruits do not have a wax coating, they are easy to dry in the sun without any additional preparation. In this form, they contain up to 5% organic acids, 15-25% sugars, 1.5-3% proteins, up to 2% starch, 3-4.5% fats and up to 1.1% pectins.

Dried and fresh fruits of jujube are successfully used in the treatment of colds, problems with the kidneys, liver, stomach and heart.

Optimal timing and choice of landing site

Having figured out what jujube is, and having firmly decided to grow this plant on your site, you need to know that it is best to plant in early spring, because during autumn plantings there is a serious possibility of unabi freezing with the onset of early frosts.

Important! characteristic feature Chinese date is its slow growth in the first year after planting, so the formation of the crown can be started no earlier than a year later.

Jujube loves light very much and grows very poorly in shady areas, and the flowers always turn out to be empty flowers. That is why for unabi seedlings it is worth choosing a place hidden from drafts, but well accessible to the sun's rays.

For spring planting of Chinese dates, the upper and lower parts of the southern and southwestern slopes, as well as flat and sheltered areas, are ideal. The distance between neighboring plants should not be less than 2-3 m.

Preparatory work before boarding

Despite the fact that unabi is an exotic plant for us, growing it will not be difficult, and caring for it is simple. Unabi is quite unpretentious to the composition of the soil, but responds to additional fertilizer with a bountiful harvest.
Therefore, before planting plants, it is necessary to prepare holes measuring a meter by a meter in advance and apply mineral fertilizers along with diluted cow manure (it can also be mixed with soil).

Important! Before planting jujube seedlings, it must be taken into account that the unabi crown becomes quite sprawling when it grows, which means it is better to adhere to the 3x4 planting pattern.

Planting jujube seedlings on the site

When choosing Chinese date seedlings, give preference to early frost-resistant varieties that are planted from March to May or from October to November. Young plants are buried in a hole no more than 10 cm, and after planting, they are watered abundantly.

It is also important to take into account that for the best survival of Chinese dates, jujube agrotechnics provides for mulching the soil under young plants, which are replaced by digging. When performing mulching, organic matter is periodically introduced into the ground.

After placing the seedling in the fertilized hole, cover it tightly with soil and tamp it down. After that, all young trees must be carefully watered.

You can even use a seedling that was independently grown from a seed, only in this case you need to understand that this breeding option is more complicated and troublesome.

Pollination of jujube

Jujube is a cross-pollinated plant that is not able to bear fruit on its own. Therefore, in order to obtain a crop, it is necessary to plant several varieties of unabi at once on your site. The closer they are to each other (of course, taking into account all the requirements), the easier it will be to pollinate.

Ziziphus care

Proper planting is only half the battle, but you still need to ensure that the jujube is properly cared for. In fact, this is not such a troublesome business, but the main thing is to guarantee the plant timely watering, fertilizing and removing weeds.

Watering should be done infrequently and in small quantities, especially when there is no rain for a long time. Drying out of the soil is harmful to the unabi and can lead to a rather meager harvest.

Due to the structure of its root system, jujube not only has a high level of frost resistance, but also easily copes with drought. At the same time, do not forget that excessive moisture is detrimental to the plant, so watering should be dosed. Moreover, in June, when the fruit set occurs, the plants need dryness, so watering should be completely canceled.
With the onset of the first growing season, you can begin to feed the jujube. It is performed twice per season and is often used "Crystal", soluble in water at the rate of 15-20 g per 10 liters of water. With the onset of full fruiting, the amount of top dressing is increased by adding ready-made mineral fertilizers.

Reproduction of jujube is very difficult, and often seeds are used to breed plants in their area, which germinate and germinate very poorly. In addition, exotic reproduction can also be performed using budding, but this is a rather difficult task. Therefore, many gardeners resort to purchasing ready-made seedlings from trusted specialists.

Care for unabi also provides for the timely cleaning of the site from emerging weeds, which are extremely undesirable neighbors of this plant.

Before the arrival of winter cold, young seedlings are spudded, and their tops are wrapped with non-woven material. Mature plants are subject to warming only in those regions where the temperature in winter period falls below -35 °C.

Pruning and shaping the unabi crown

Like many other plants, the Chinese date needs crown formation, but it is better to perform this procedure 1-2 years after rooting, which will help avoid unabi injuries.

Most often, the crown is cupped with 4-5 main branches that are placed around the trunk. In this case, the main shoot should be cut to 15-20 cm, and other branches should be shortened at the same level with it. During the growth and formation of jujube, sanitary pruning of branches that grow inward is also periodically carried out. A beautifully designed and elegant plant will decorate any garden and will be able to delight you with its flowering for a long time.

Fruiting: harvesting jujube

The period of fruiting in unabi seedlings begins only 4-5 years after sowing the seeds, and the productive period in plants begins only after 10-15 years. However, with good care, even a “breast berry” grown from a stone will begin to form ovaries already in the 2nd or 3rd year, while varietal seedlings, subject to high-quality rooting, can bring berries in the first year after planting in open ground.

Jujube blooms late, which allows it to avoid residual spring frosts. There are a lot of flowers, and a very pleasant, sweetish aroma emanates from them, attracting a large number of insects. The duration of the flowering period is about 60 days. Despite the fact that some of the flowers remain unpollinated, when fruiting, unabi can produce up to 60 kg of berries (from one adult plant).

The non-simultaneity of flowering of jujube affects the ripening of fruits, which also proceeds unevenly. In a fine, warm autumn, fruit picking is often delayed until the end of October (begins in September).

Did you know? The weight of the jujube fruit can vary from 3 to 20 g.

If for fresh consumption it is necessary to wait for the full ripening of the fruits of jujube, then for processing they are removed from the branches when a light brown integumentary color appears on a third of the surface. In general, the fruits of unabi can not be removed for a long time, leaving them hanging on a tree.

For accurate removal, special “combs” are used, with teeth every 1 cm. With such a “comb”, the fruits of jujube are combed onto a film, after which they are separated from fruitful shoots and leaves. Up to 30 kg of fruits are harvested from one tree. The dried crop can be stored for more than two years.

Of course, for planting on the site, you need to have varietal plants, and it is better to buy jujube, among the main properties of which are early ripening. Only such unabi not only successfully grow in our climate, but are also able to actively bear fruit until the first autumn cold. It is to these varieties that the large-fruited variety of Moldovan selection called Mori dzher is referred. A variety with an average fruit ripening period called Vakhsh deserves no less attention (the weight of its fruits reaches 14-16 g). However, no matter what plant you choose, you should always remember the basic rules for growing such exotics.

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Despite their exoticism, fruits or Chinese are available for cultivation in Russia, in the southern regions with a warm climate. The plant, which is also called jujuba or jujube, is one of the oldest fruit trees in the world. It was cultivated, according to historians, about 7-8 thousand years ago. During this time, unabi spread throughout the globe. With the help of photos and opinions of gardeners, the article will tell about the features of an overseas fruit, planting and caring for it, and common diseases.

Description of the Chinese date. Beneficial features

Unabi grows as a small tree up to 7 m in height. On the branches of some varieties you can see sharp thorns. The foliage of the tree is dense and leathery. During the flowering period, the plant is covered with small pale green flowers. By mid-autumn, fruits grow in their place:

• shape - spherical or pear-shaped;
• size - 1.5 cm in length;
• weight - an average of about 20 g;
• color - from light yellow to rich red or even brown;
• taste - sweet and sour or sweet, vaguely reminiscent of dates, pear and pineapple.

Unabi fruits are eaten fresh, pre-dried or used in recipes. They make jam and jam, compote and juice, sweets, marmalade and candied fruit. In any form, jujuba contains many useful trace elements and vitamins. IN folk medicine the leaves and shoots of the plant are also used.

Useful properties of unabi:

• lowering blood pressure;
• help with atherosclerosis, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, urinary system;
• beneficial effect on the nervous system;
• anesthetic effect;
• help with coughing;
• treatment of skin diseases.

The length of the growing season of the tree is 160-190 days. Zhuzhuba lives up to 150 years. Ripe unabi fruits remain on the tree without damage for 2-4 weeks. Their taste even improves when dried in the sun. Chinese dates are stored for a long time in the refrigerator at + 4 ° C (about 2 months), they tolerate transportation well.

Attention! This culture is also used against soil erosion and in the fight against landslides. The root of the tree goes 5-6 m deep.

Features of planting jujube

The Chinese date is thermophilic. In a cool climate, the tree will also grow, but is unlikely to bear fruit even in a greenhouse. And in the open air, severe cold can freeze the culture to the roots, but the tree will not die and will recover quickly enough. The growing season for unabi begins in April or May. IN individual years may fluctuate due to weather conditions.

Flowering falls in the summer and can last up to 3 months. The culture prefers cross-pollination. Therefore, a representative of a different variety should grow nearby. Fruiting occurs in the 2-3 season of life in the garden. At this age, the yield is 10-16 q/ha. Over time, the fertility of the tree continues to grow until it reaches 150-300 centners.

Jujube is grown from seeds or cuttings. Seed propagation is relevant only for small-fruited varieties. In species with large fruits, seeds have poor germination. For landing:

1. Pick well-ripened fruits.
2. Remove the pulp.
3. Warm up the seeds. To do this, put them in the sun or keep them in warm water (60 ° C).
4. For 1 month. make a warm stratification for the material (20-35 ° C).
5. Preheat the soil: pour warm water and cover with a film.
6. Seal the bones 3-4 cm and again cover the ground with a film.
7. After about 20 days, shoots will appear in the ground. Transplant each into an individual container.
8. The zhuzhuba will be ready for rooting in a permanent place in a season.

Advice. Before planting a seed, gardeners advise lightly tapping the seed with a hammer. Then it will be easier for the sprout to break through the dense shell.

Chinese date trees grown from seeds will not have varietal characteristics, will bloom later and will be less prolific compared to their parents. Such samples are usually grafted to correct these shortcomings. Chinese date rootstocks are also grown using root cuttings. Select samples at least 8-12 cm and land flush with the ground.

You can also graft a seedling of a plant with a kidney - to carry out budding. Rootstocks should be 6-10 mm in diameter at the root. A bud can be either dormant (end of summer) or germinating (May). Graft it with a lateral wedge behind the bark or in a lateral incision.

Growing and caring for Chinese dates

Jujube is thermophilic, drought-resistant and is able to produce crops only in a well-lit area. The tree feels great even at +50°C. In the conditions of the southern regions of the Russian Federation, jujuba will grow even in dry areas where grapes do not survive. Although watering and fertilizing with mineral fertilizers will only benefit the plant. The Chinese date is undemanding to the composition of the soil, but does not like highly saline and heavy soils.

In spring, the tree is planted on flat areas, as well as in the upper or lower part on the southern or southwestern slope. Deepen the seedlings by 10 cm. There should be at least 2 m between them. In warm regions, grow jujube in the form of a tree. In places where there may be freezing of the soil in winter, - in the form of a shrub.

Jujube is resistant to diseases and pests. The plant must be strongly run so that it becomes infected with a fungus or virus. But the birds can be flattered by the harvest. Therefore, you need to either scare them away, or collect ripe fruits faster.

Varieties of Chinese dates

The cultivated plant has many varieties. You can choose based on personal needs in terms of fruit ripening, their size, intended purpose. For example, large and dense fruits of the Chinese 2A variety are perfect for preservation as a whole in the form of candied fruits or for jam. Candy like to eat fresh - it is very juicy, ripens early and has a high yield. The late variety Koktebel has very large fruits, up to 52 g.

Also in domestic gardens there are varieties:

• large-fruited - Khurman, Date, also Vakhsh, Yuzhanin;
• with medium fruits - Chinese 60, Chinese 93, Burnim;
• small-fruited Sochi 1.

Unabi is still far from being popular in Russia. So you can seize the moment and surprise your friends and family with jam or compote with an unusual taste.

Unabi: video

Unabi is a thermophilic plant. Due to its medicinal properties, it has become widespread in the regions with subtropical climate. China is considered its homeland. Here this plant began to be cultivated more than four thousand years ago. Currently, unabi can be seen on the territory of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Crimea, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, Europe, America and Africa. This plant is called differently: jujube, Chinese date, chest berry, jojoba ... Unabi is a tree of youth and health, as they say in China.

Description

This plant from the buckthorn family has more than fifty species. Breeders different countries winter-hardy varieties have long been bred. But, like any southern plant, unabi needs a lot of heat and light. Planting and care are carried out in well-lit areas with loose soil and groundwater occurring at great depths.

This is a fabulously beautiful tree. Its crown is openwork, spreading, large. The leaves are shiny, have a light green tint and stretch towards the sun, forming a right angle. The vegetation process begins late - in late April or early May. Accordingly, unabi blooms by the end of June. Up to several hundred thousand small yellow-green flowers appear on the tree. But not all of them form an ovary. The tree itself selects viable flowers that will give a good harvest in the future and continue the genus.

The fruits ripen in late September - early October. They are large, medium and small in size. Shiny glossy Brown the skin protects the juicy flesh. By appearance fruits resemble dates.

Useful qualities

All parts of the plant have healing properties: fruits, branches, bark, leaves and roots. The bark is harvested during the movement of the juice, when it is easy to separate it from the trunk. The leaves are harvested and dried in the middle of summer, and the fruits are removed after full ripening. The roots are dug up before the onset of the winter period.

The fruits are famous for their medicinal, nutritional and taste properties. They are consumed fresh, dried, canned and smoked. Compotes, preserves, jams are cooked from them. This plant is widely used in the pharmaceutical, perfume and confectionery industries.

In China, dried fruits are ground into powder, which is added to the dough. Bread from it does not stale for a long time. The fruits have a sweet taste and pleasant aroma. Unabi are healthy fruits from China, they contain many vitamins, proteins and organic acids. The date is rich in vegetable fats, tannins, alkaloids, folic acid and carotene.

• The fruits have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anesthetic and anti-sclerotic effects.
• They are taken for diseases of the stomach, Bladder, kidneys, oral cavity.
• The use of unabi fruits lowers blood pressure.
• A decoction of them strengthens the body, treats anemia and baldness, improves memory. It is used to eliminate bronchitis, whooping cough, dizziness, shortness of breath.
• The fruits of this tree treat an advanced form of hypertension.
• The decoction is milk-producing for nursing mothers, normalizes metabolism and is considered a general tonic.
• Dried dates are used to treat colds and heart disease.
• A decoction of the roots of the plant promotes hair growth.
• An infusion of branches, bark and leaves heals wounds, treats gastritis and tuberculosis.

Contraindications to the use of fruits can be individual intolerance, pregnancy and low blood pressure.

Reproduction by seeds

With this method of reproduction, plants with small fruits are obtained. A culture bred in this way can be used as a decorative element or stock for valuable varieties. Due to the hardness of the seeds, their germination rate is very low. To stimulate this process, they are stratified and scarified. To do this, in the fall, soaked seeds are placed in moss, wrapped in polyethylene and sent to the refrigerator for the whole winter. Twice a month, unabi seeds are unfolded and aired in the air. Planting and care are carried out throughout the growing season.

Seeds are sown at the permanent place of growth in spring. To do this, grooves are marked at a distance of 20 cm and the seeds are laid out in them, deepening 4 cm into the ground. After about two months, shoots will appear. On well-drained soil, this crop begins to bear fruit faster.

Reproduction by cuttings

For cuttings on a young shoot 10 cm long, all leaves are removed, except for the top two. Their plates are cut in half. This is necessary so that the leaves do not take moisture from the unabi cuttings. carried out in loose garden soil. Washed sand is poured on top with a layer of 5-6 cm. A cutting is placed there.

Landing should be covered with a glass jar for better root formation. Lift it up for a few minutes every day. And when shoots begin to appear on the handle, remove the jar first for a few hours, and then for the whole day or night. So, young plants get used to environment, and after a few days they will not need to be covered.

When the cutting takes root, you can transplant the unabi. Planting is carried out in larger pots or boxes. In the first year after cutting, let the unabi winter in the house, and plant it in the garden in the spring of next year, determining a permanent place of growth.

How to

Unpretentiousness is distinguished by unabi. Landing and care are carried out as needed. This culture grows on any soil except clay and saline. If groundwater passes close to the surface of the earth, it is better not to plant a tree at this place. Even if it does not die and begins to bear fruit, the harvest will still be low. The best place for planting are the southern slopes of the site.

The date is very fond of warmth and does not tolerate cold winds. Therefore, for its landing, choose a place well lit by the sun and not blown by the winds. The soil should not be fertilized with humus, otherwise the plant will lose its healing properties.

If you have decided on the site, start digging and loosening it. Then determine the places for planting holes at the rate of 4x3 meters of area for each tree. Dig holes half a meter deep and 60 cm in diameter. At the bottom, make drainage from brick fragments and small pebbles. Add a glass of ash to each hole and plant the future unabi tree. Planting and care are accompanied by abundant watering. Tamp the earth around the trunk a little and mulch it with improvised means: straw or sawdust.

The best time to plant this crop is the beginning or middle of autumn. But you can plant a tree in the spring, in the middle or at the end of May, when the air warms up to 12-14 degrees.

Features of competent care

When caring for this plant, you need to remember about the close occurrence of its roots to the soil surface. In order not to damage them, you do not need to loosen the ground deeply. An unpretentious culture is the Chinese date (unabi, jujube). Care, growing problems and diseases can be minimized with rational and timely watering and the application of appropriate fertilizers.

This tree tolerates hot weather. In a drought, it will not die, but without enough water, the yield will decrease. Therefore, if there is no rain for a long time, moisten the soil around the trunk with plenty of water. In the first year of life, the tree needs to be watered up to 7 times a season. That way it will fit in better. During flowering, watering is not needed, since fruit set occurs only in dry weather.

Date does not need frequent feeding. It is enough to add humus or humus to the soil at the rate of 5-6 kg for each tree with a frequency of three years.

Tree care includes pruning. It is necessary to remove dry branches and create a productive crown, which can be formed within 1-2 years, and subsequently maintain its shape. Young trees are pruned in May, and adults - in March or April.

Diseases and pests, their control

The unabi tree is not susceptible to diseases, therefore it does not need to be treated with chemicals. But sometimes you can see bites on unripe fruits. By whom they are made, it is impossible to establish precisely. Presumably it's a locust. But mature fruits often suffer from birds.

IN last years it has become very fashionable to have some kind of exotic plant in your garden. Such "exotics" are especially popular with both experienced and novice gardeners. Moreover, preference is usually given to fruit-bearing crops that are unpretentious in care. One of these plants is jujube. It is also known under other names: Unabi, Chinese date, Jojoba, etc.

Its homeland is Northern China, where it has been grown for several centuries. Currently, this fruiting plant can be found in many countries with a warm subtropical climate, where summers are hot and winters are mild. Ziziphus also grows in the Caucasus, Ukraine and the southern regions of Russia.

Today we will talk about jujube, popular with gardeners: planting and growing jujube, how they are produced, we will give a description of the plant, let's say how its fruits are useful - we will find out, learn and discuss all this:

What does jujube look like? plant description

This is a small tree or tall bush. One and the other name will be true, since the height of an adult plant does not exceed 5 meters. It has a wide, spreading, very beautiful crown. Ziziphus does not lose its attractiveness at any time of the year and, like any fruit-bearing tree, it is especially valued for its fruits.

The fruits of the Chinese date are drupes with thick, dense flesh, which has a sweet or sweet and sour taste. In general, in taste, and in color too, they resemble apple drying. The fruits are rich in valuable useful substances, especially potassium, magnesium and have healing properties. They are harvested while still immature, as soon as the color of their skin is no longer green. Then they are dried, or compotes, mashed potatoes are prepared, marmalade is cooked.

Fresh, dried fruits are used in the treatment of colds. They will help with diseases of the liver, kidneys, as well as the stomach, heart, etc. When fresh, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a whole month. Dried, dried - stored for at least a year. At the same time, they do not lose healing properties.

Planting and growing jujube

Landing:

Planting of seedlings is carried out in early spring to prevent freezing of the roots in winter, which sometimes happens during autumn plantings. Before planting, prepare a hole, the size of which should be about a meter by a meter. Apply mineral fertilizers, manure there, mix with the soil. Plant a seedling, cover it tightly with soil, tamp. After planting, water young trees abundantly.

The plant is very demanding on the quality of the soil. It prefers to grow on moderately moist loam, where moderate nutrients are applied. If the soil is too dry, depleted, the yield will be low. Too fertile soil can provoke an abundant growth of green mass, to the detriment of fruiting.

Don't forget that jujube is a cross pollinated plant. Therefore, you should not plant only one tree. To actively bear fruit, plant several different varieties on the site. Do not worry that young trees grow very slowly during the first year after planting. This is one of the features of the Chinese date. Therefore, the forming pruning of the crown begins only a year after planting.

In addition to seedlings, you can plant the seeds of a plant. However, in this case, the decorative and healing qualities of the plant will be significantly lower. Seed-derived jujube is usually prickly with small fruits. But if you still decide to experiment, remember that the seed coat is quite hard, from which the percentage of their germination is not high. Before planting seeds, scarify and stratify.

The fruits of young plants will begin to form at 4-5 years of vegetation. However, you can get a full harvest only after 10 years.

Growing jujube - care:

As we have already mentioned, the tree is unpretentious, does not require any special care. However, some of its features must be taken into account so that the fruiting is plentiful, and the fruits are tasty and sweet.

Immediately, we note that the Chinese date is a drought-resistant, heat-tolerant plant. He will not suffer from strong, even 40-degree heat, in the absence of watering or rain. But the first year, if the summer is too hot and dry, it is better to water young trees occasionally.

When forming a plant in the form of a bush, the root growth must be cut off, or dug up for further reproduction.

Jujube withstands not only extreme heat, but also frosts up to 25 degrees. It easily restores a damaged crown. He is not afraid of spring April frosts. At the same time, having once planted a Chinese date on your site, your children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren will enjoy the fruits of your labor. After all, a tree can live up to a hundred years.

Jujube practically does not get sick, pests do not damage it. Therefore, no preventive measures are needed.

To get a high percentage of fruiting in the spring, place a transparent film around it, 3 m high, on 3-6 supports to create a microclimate. To increase frost resistance, feed jujube with a small amount of nitrogen fertilizer in early spring, and add some potassium and phosphorus to the soil in autumn. Good luck, dear gardeners!