Content
Jujube Candy is a shrub or tree with a spreading crown. The variety was bred by breeders in Crimea. The culture is recommended to be cultivated in natural conditions. They are also used for growing in containers.
Description of the jujube variety Candy
Jujube of the Candy variety is an ornamental plant. Under natural conditions it reaches a height of 5 m, in containers - up to 3 m. In the second method of cultivation, the growth of the main shoot is limited by pruning. Its lifespan is 60 years in containers, 150 years in natural conditions. Unabi is the second name of the plant; it has 2 types of branches:
- Basic - form the skeleton of a tree. They are brown in color with spikes, 3 cm long. Their shape resembles a broken line.
- Seasonal – leaves grow on them. The branches are painted green and straight.
Jujube variety Candy forms a rounded dense crown. During the cold season, the tree sheds leaves and seasonal branches. It is considered a branching plant.
The leaves of unabi are large, oval, with pronounced longitudinal veins.
Forms small flowers of the five-membered type.They can be collected in bundles of 5 pieces. Each bud lives for a day. They do not bloom at the same time, so the flowering period is extended over time.
Consequently, the fruits do not all ripen at once. Biological readiness occurs in 60-80 days. They are removed during the period of technical maturation. The harvested fruits ripen.
Jujube variety Candy produces brown-reddish fruits of oblong or oval shape. They are covered with thin skin and have juicy sweet pulp. Contain useful substances:
- ascorbic acid and other vitamins;
- leukoanthocyanins;
- sugar;
- P-active compounds.
Features of pollination
Unabi Candy is a cross-pollinated plant.
A feature of cross-pollination between different varieties is the lack of coordinated readiness of pollen and pistil for fertilization. The pollen can be ready in the morning after the flower opens, and the pistil in the evening. Or the degree of readiness for pollination in the flower organs may be exactly the opposite. The pistil is ready in the morning, and the pollen is ready in the evening.
Frost resistance of the crop
Jujube variety Candy is suitable for growing in central Russia. It has small fruits, such varieties are more hardy. Experienced gardeners recommend forming the plant in the form of a bush. It is easier to prepare it for the cold period. Jujube tolerates April frosts well and winter frosts down to -25 degrees. A tree damaged by low temperatures quickly and easily restores its crown.
Productivity
Jujube Candy is classified as a high-yielding variety. The fruits are small - from 4.5 to 6 g. But there are a lot of them, so much so that the foliage is not visible behind them.Gardeners collect up to 60 kg from one tree.
Jujube of the Candy variety begins to bear fruit after 4 years. With careful care, it produces fruits for 2-3 years. The productive stage occurs at the age of 10-15 years.
Use of leaves and fruits
Jujube is considered a crop that is used to improve health and prolong youth. Jujube leaves are used to prepare a cough remedy. Ointments are prepared from them to treat skin abscesses.
Jujube fruits are used for various purposes. They are eaten fresh. They are prepared from:
- jam;
- jam;
- jams;
- compotes;
- dried fruits.
The fruits are used for colds. They have a positive effect on the functioning of internal organs: liver, heart, kidneys, stomach. They practice preparing soothing tea and decoction that reduces blood pressure. Fruits are able to remove cholesterol, metabolic products, and heavy metals from the body.
Features of cultivation
Jujube of the Candy variety is an exotic plant, but unpretentious. Propagation by seeds is long and troublesome. Therefore, gardeners purchase ready-made seedlings. They are assigned to a permanent place in May. They also practice autumn planting, but spring planting is still preferable. The risk that unabi will not take root and will suffer from low temperatures is reduced. The seedling develops slowly during the first year. Over time, it forms a wide crown, so the distance between neighboring bushes is maintained at 2-3 m.
Where can I grow
Jujube of the Candy variety is successfully grown in Central Russia. The temperate zone has snowy winters. The bush is pruned to the level of the snow cover. It is harder for him to survive the first years, when the root system is still weak. But the bush itself will be completely covered with snow for the winter, which will help it survive the cold period.
To plant jujubes of the Candy variety, choose a sunny place, protected from drafts. In the shade, yields will be low. Unabi tolerates partial shade well.
Soil requirements
Jujube variety Candy is undemanding to soil. Grows well on loose loamy and gravelly soil. Unabi does not tolerate heavy and saline soils. Under such conditions, sand is added to clay during planting, and lime or gypsum is added to saline soils. The culture does not like heavily moist areas. The roots go deep into the ground, with high humidity they rot and the tree will die. Create drainage to drain water. To avoid excessive moisture, pour soil in the form of a hill - up to 1.5 m. Plant jujubes on it.
Rules for planting and care
Before planting, prepare a hole 100 by 70 cm. Fertilizers are added to it - 200 g. Humus or vermicompost is added. When placing jujube of the Candy variety in a certain place, perform the following actions:
- Prepared soil is poured 2/3 of the way to the bottom of the hole.
- Place the seedling on the ground and straighten the roots. If jujube is planted with a closed root system, it is moved along with a lump of earth.
- Cover the roots and shake them periodically to prevent voids from forming. The earth is lightly compacted.
- The place where the grafting was carried out is left above the ground at a height of 5 cm. According to other sources, the grafting site of the plant is buried 10 or 20 cm into the soil. This is done in case the winters are very cold, and there is a threat of death of the above-ground part of the unabi. Then a new tree crown can be formed from the buried part with the buds.
- Make a ditch near the trunk, pour out up to 20 liters of water.
- The soil surface is mulched.
Planting is carried out when the daytime temperature is positive, staying within +10-12 degrees. The night should not be negative. Under such conditions, jujube of the Candy variety will take root well. After this, above-ground shoots will also begin to grow.
Further care involves removing weeds. Culture does not like being next to them.
Watering schedule
The Candy jujube variety is drought-resistant. Unabi is watered rarely, during periods of complete absence of rain. There is little water pouring. Excessive moisture has a detrimental effect on the crop. During fruit set, excess moisture is harmful, so moisturizing is stopped completely.
Plantings are watered up to 5 times per season per year. Moisture is necessary for good survival of unabi.
Top dressing
The Candy jujube variety responds to feeding. Fertilizer application during planting provides it with nutrients for 2-3 years.
At 4-5 years old, the tree is fed at least 2 times during the season. They use “Kristalon” - take 20 g of the product per 10 liters of water. In its absence, in the spring, nitrogen-rich substances are added in an amount of 18 g. In the fall, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are added. They take 12 and 10 g, respectively.
For a 6-year-old tree, the mass of nutrients for fertilizing is doubled.
The jujube crown is sprayed with the preparation “Vympel” 2 times during the season. Add 20 ml of product to 10 liters of water. It helps increase the amount of sugar in fruits.
Do I need to prune jujube Candy?
Pruning of jujubes of the Candy variety is carried out in order to give the crown the desired shape. Start pruning 1-2 years after planting. More often they form a cup-shaped or fan-shaped crown. To get this result, the tree has 4 to 6 main branches. They should be evenly spaced around the trunk.It is shortened, leaving 20 cm. All other branches are cut to the same level as it. Subsequently, sanitary pruning is performed. Remove branches whose growth is directed inward; they make the tree look unsightly. Remove dry and broken branches.
Preparing for winter
Young jujube of the Candy variety is prepared for winter. Tree trunks are hilled up and the tops are covered. Adult unabi are covered if winter temperatures are down to -35 degrees. The root system is covered with leaves and grass. Later, when snow falls, it will also serve as shelter. Even if the Candy jujube freezes slightly, it will quickly recover.
Diseases and pests
The jujube variety Candy is resistant to various types of damage. The tree practically does not get sick. But it can be affected by the unabia fly. It was discovered recently and is similar to the cherry pest. The fruits serve as a place where she lays eggs. Later, the larvae make tunnels in them, leaving their excrement, which deteriorates the taste of the fruit. The fact that there is a pest is known by the carrion. For prevention, the soil near the tree is dug up.
Ripening fruits can be pecked by birds, so you need to protect them from them.
Conclusion
Jujube Candy is a completely unpretentious plant. With a minimum of effort, you can have a luxurious tree in your garden with healthy and tasty fruits. The Candy variety is adapted for Russian conditions.
