need help identifying a fruit tree (forum)

shadow1458 starts with ...
Hi everyone,
Several years ago we had a neighbor that had a fruit tree in their back yard. The tree hung over the fence and often dropped fruit and leaves in our yard. After they moved away(they took the tree with them) we noticed some sprouts in our yard. The same kind of tree grew in our yard, there are two of them actually. I have no idea what these trees are and would like to take care of them properly.

They have never bared edible fruit but they do bare... something, the fruits that grow on the tree are significantly smaller than the ones our neighbor grew. I've always assumed they were figs but they don't really look like figs to me. They only have one seed in the center but if you open them up they do have a very fig like smell.

The pictures I have are obviously from it's dormant stage but I was able to get a picture of a left over leaf. The leaves are generally a bright green color. I'm going to look around to see if I have any pictures of them in full bloom. So does anyone here know what these trees are?
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2
Picture: 3
Picture: 4
Picture: 5

Time: 17th February 2013 5:46am

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About the Author shadow1458
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MaryT says...
Not really enough to go on... I'll have a guess

Time: 17th February 2013 6:30am

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About the Author MaryT
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shadow1458 says...
Hmm, hawthorn berries don't look quite right but it could be. I found some old pictures(from 2006) of the tree when the leaves were green but I haven't been able to find pictures of the fruit during the growth period, I'm going to keep looking. Maybe someone else will have a better idea as to what they are.
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Picture: 1
Picture: 2

Time: 17th February 2013 6:51am

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About the Author shadow1458
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MaryT says...
OK; not Hawthorn then. It looks familiar... someone?

Time: 17th February 2013 8:05am

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Jantina says...
It looks like a jujube to me.

Time: 17th February 2013 9:16am

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shadow1458 says...
I've never heard of a Jujube before. I did some googling(I don't think that's actually a word) and I do believe your right. So I'm going to call it a Jujube until someone corrects me. Everything I'm seeing on it says that they don't need a lot of care and that's pretty much what they've had for the last 7-8 years they've been growing there(and I thought they were puny figs). So, does anyone have any tips or secrets. My neighbor's Jujube tree produced fruits somewhere in the 4-6 cm range and all I'm getting are 1-1 1/2 cm fruits. Do I need some special fertilizer or massive pruning or what?? Where they are in the yard gets absolutely no shade. Are they getting too much sun?

Sorry about all the questions, I'd just really like to see them make better fruits.


Time: 17th February 2013 9:34am

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About the Author shadow1458
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Jantina says...
I would guess that the original tree was a cultivar and yours are probably seedlings and therefore different to the parent. They do like water when fruiting. Maybe there is a nursery near you who could give advice suited to your area.
Another thing, maybe log on to the Cloud Forest Cafe, an American forum for fruitlovers with many knowledgeable members.
Good luck.

Time: 17th February 2013 9:41am

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About the Author Jantina
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shadow1458 says...
Ah, thank you. Your site was the best one that showed up when I was searching(I know you guys are in Australia but I was hoping it didn't matter.) I'll definitely check out the other forum.

Time: 17th February 2013 9:46am

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About the Author shadow1458
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MaryT says...
Better still, shadow1458

Time: 17th February 2013 11:11am

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About the Author MaryT
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JUJUBE FOR SALE IN MELBOURNE says...
Thanks Mary and Jantina. Yes it is a jujube tree but a seedling one as Jantina said earlier.

Apart from water during flowering time, full sun, aged manure every 8 weeks during growing season and full sun is important. As seedling, fruits may only a touch bigger than they are now.

Good luck

Lucy.

Time: 17th February 2013 3:28pm

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lenn says...
Sorry all, I don't get jujubes . They are kind of sweet ,non -descript when green and seem to go bad as they brown (probably better suited to a dry summer) Birds do leave them alone and that's a clue.

Time: 17th February 2013 3:35pm

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BJ says...
I had a few from a local growers trees which were pleasant but a bit astringent when green/yellow ripe and rather like a granny smith apple. I let them 'blett'/dry in a mesh box on top of the fridge and they were fantastic. As good as dates.

Time: 18th February 2013 9:11am

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About the Author Theposterformerlyknownas
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Jantina says...
That was my experience too BJ. lenn you've been eating duds.

Time: 18th February 2013 10:29am

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shadow1458 says...
Thanks all, I was told to graft the trees to get good growth out of them but they said to use grafts from the original tree or the same variety of tree and I don't know what variety it is. So I really don't know what I'm going to do with the trees now.

Time: 18th February 2013 10:43am

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BJ says...
Just graft on any other good cultivar you can get your hands on. You have some great selections available in the US, like Honeyjar and Thai Giant, plus the standard Chico, Li, Lang, Tajian types we have here.



Time: 18th February 2013 11:14am

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About the Author Theposterformerlyknownas
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Michael D says...
My personal taste is for the Indian Jujube which is hard and crunchy .The chinese ones which most of the people here are reffering to is better eaten dried and will taste like sweet dates

Time: 18th February 2013 12:37pm

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About the Author Michael D
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VF says...
BJ, so are they actually worthwhile to grow in SEQ? I had assumed that drying would be an issue here with the humidity and associated mould. Sounds like you found a way around it.

Time: 18th February 2013 7:01pm

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About the Author VF
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BJ says...
Dont let them dry on the tree, as they wont dry unless we have a drought. You need to dry them somewhere dry. Seems obvious but not very easy for those north of Sydney and east of the ranges. I personally think that the grafted ones sucker too vigorously to be grown in ground here. Though I would be happy to put up with the constant maintenance if I could get my hands on the top large sized selections being grown in the US, which appear to thrive in more humid areas.

Time: 19th February 2013 9:44am

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About the Author Theposterformerlyknownas
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VF says...
Thanks for the advice.

Time: 20th February 2013 6:50am

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Linton says...
Jujube desert tasted exquisite!!!

A few months ago I was lucky enough to have a Chinese desert prepared for me. It contained sliced Jujubes, canned Lotus nuts, and a fine green seaweed. It was served in a chilled liquid and was amazingly refreshing on a hot day, the taste being so soft and delicate.



Time: 20th February 2013 5:25pm

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About the Author Linton
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shadow1458 says...
@rafael,

;D I sent you a message. I watered the trees daily when they first started growing(because I had no idea what they were), now I water them a couple times a week.

Time: 14th April 2013 12:32am

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About the Author shadow1458
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Anonymous says...
i was actually hoping you'd tell me you didn't water them, especially during summer.
am certain these toughies will survive vegas' winters, spring, and fall without being watered, but have been aching to know if an established tree(~three years old or older) will get by without being watered during the summer.
unfortunately i cannot afford to put the "water deprivation test" on any of the plants i currently have, as these plants cost ~30 bucks each, and has no warranties since they are shipped from out of state.. At least, not yet, while am waiting for the newly planted ones to fruit this summer. Will probably try it on the varieties that are slow-growing and/or relatively unproductive or poor in taste.

btw, did you say you left a message? Was it a voice message?

at any rate, thanks for the info. Any info on these plants in vegas, be it success stories or the opposite, they are all valuable info to a relatively newbie like myself

rafael

Time: 18th April 2013 11:16am

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Original Post was last edited: 18th April 2013 11:20am

About the Author 81
 
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shadow1458 says...
I went a whole year without watering them (except rain) and they still thrived. Just be vigilant if your going to do a water deprivation test. Where did you buy your plants, obviously not from any of our local nurseries, although considering how hardy these plants are I don't see why they are not a staple of our water smart landscaping. Seems like it would be a no-brainer to have them available locally.

Time: 14th May 2013 9:21am

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Prplrse says...
We found these growing on a vine in our garden but no one in the area seems to know what they are. Any ideas
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Time: 15th October 2018 2:04pm

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