Common or Chinese jujube (Ziziphus jujuba) is a deciduous tree that produces sweet, cherry- to plum-sized fruits that can be eaten fresh, canned, candied or dried. The trees grow to a height of 15 to 35 feet in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 to 9. Seeds and seedlings are readily available; however, if there is a jujube tree growing nearby, new trees can be propagated by simply digging and transplanting sucker shoots.
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Sharp knife or pruners
- Garden spade
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Select a sunny new planting site for the jujube sucker early in the spring before the tree leafs out. Dig the planting hole 2 feet wide and 1 foot deep.
Dig up the root that joins the jujube sucker shoot to the parent plant. Cut the connecting root 6 inches from the sucker shoot with a sharp knife or pruners.
Slice the soil in a circle around the jujube sucker with a sharp garden spade 6 inches from the trunk. Push the garden spade or a dirt shovel under the sucker shoot at an angle. Lift up the sucker shoot on the tip of the garden spade or shovel.
Set the jujube sucker into the new planting hole. Adjust the depth of the hole, if necessary, so that the sucker is planted at the same level it was growing previously. Push the soil that was removed from the planting hole back into the hole. Do not add soil amendments to the backfill soil. Water the newly planted jujube sucker generously to settle the soil.