Please help!!!Tip how to grow jujube from seed

14 years ago

Hi, I have some fresh jujube seeds.

This is my first time trying to grow a fruit tree so I'd like some advice on what to do. Jujube seeds are hard shelled so do I need to nick the seed or soak the seeds in warm/hot water over night to speed up the seed to sprout?

Any help is appreciated.

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nsmith07

12 years ago

well I too am more than two years late, but I read this post and have to report my results...

70-80% germination with this protocol:
1- Gently tap seed husk with a hammer, increasing in intensity, in middle or slightly towards pointed end until a louder crack is heard on a tap. A small crack should form on ridge of pointed end
2- Gently pry open seed husk at crack with mini screwdriver or continue to lightly tap husk till it starts to split open.
3- 2 seeds should be seen. They are about the size of fat apple seeds and a brownish red color. Remove them carefully.
4- Soak in clean, distilled water heated to about 120 degrees and let cool down. After 24 hours repeat. Do this a few times over 2-3 days. You can then plant the seed and keep at around 70 Degrees or just wrap them in a moist paper towel. 0 cold stratification and 3/4 of my seeds germinated within 4 weeks, and Ill bet the other ones might come on in a few more days now.

Hope this helps, I was so pumped to see a seedling popping up 3 months before they would have with traditional stratification of the whole woody husk! Woohoo!

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Comments (7)

yiorges-z5il
14 years ago
store seed at 70F for 3 months then at 40f for 3 months THEN lightly cover seed soil temp 65-70F
urban8_gmail_com
12 years ago
2 years late to the party on this question, but for the sake of those who find this thread via searching for germination tips on ziziphus jujuba:

Cracking the seed with a small hammer greatly speeds up the process; just don't hit hard enough to damage the endosperm....not difficult, just start tapping lightly and increase force until you hear a crack.

Planted this way, germination in about a month @70F; no pre-chill required, you've overcome the primary germination inhibitors by manually breaking the shell.
Trishcuit
12 years ago
this thread makes me want to eat jujubes (the candy). An all time favorite. Yellow ones are good. :)
nsmith07
12 years ago
The rest of the seeds, except for one, have sprouted! So I have 80-90% germination over a few tries by cracking the seed and repeatedly soaking in warm-hot water. Initial soakings lasted a few days, and then they went into a paper towel full time, with one more soaking in a two week period before germination. Some I left in the woody husk and it takes a bit longer, but germination still occurred.

I completely lost about 1 in 6 or 7 seeds because of the cracking process, but even with a bit of seedcoat damage, germination still occurred on some of the seeds, and in the lack of stratification still makes it worth it to me. Plus, there are two seeds in each husk, so even if one is lost, you will probably get one out of a damaged husk removal.

PS- These seeds were dried, not fresh, and I am not sure if that makes a difference to the process.
jianhuayegreentree
11 years ago
I have read a research paper from China that seedling from seed will have good root system with a main tap root that goes down. So you will not get many root suckers that always happen with those seedling that comes from root sucker. Those have shallow root system and spreading.

I definitely will try too root the seed to see how it goes.
Tom DeCoste
7 years ago
They are super easy and fast if you get them from jiovi®. They are "dehulled" when you buy them and will germinate in soil in 4 days. It's the only way to go.