Jujube
Can I Grow Li?
Li is the best jujube for fresh eating — large, round fruit with crisp, sweet, apple-like flesh. Also called Chinese Date, it thrives in heat and drought where other fruit trees struggle.
Growing Requirements
Chill Hours
100
Hardiness Zones
6-7-8-9-10
Harvest
September to October
Results
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Pruning dates, harvests, spray schedules, what worked. The gardeners who get the most from their trees are the ones who kept records.
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About Li
Li is the best jujube for fresh eating — large, round fruit with crisp, sweet, apple-like flesh. Also called Chinese Date, it thrives in heat and drought where other fruit trees struggle.
Li requires 100 chill hours — the number of hours between 32°F and 45°F during winter dormancy. Without enough chill, the tree may fail to flower properly or produce poor fruit.
⚠️ Common Challenges
Needs long, hot summers to ripen; thorny branches; suckers aggressively from roots.
❌ Common Misconception
Will Li produce more fruit in colder climates?
Not necessarily. Li only needs 100 chill hours. Planting in very cold zones (5 or colder) risks winter damage without improving fruit production. The ideal zones are 6-10 where the tree gets enough chill without excessive cold stress.
If you plant it, write it down.
Variety, rootstock, planting date — and every pruning and harvest after that. Future you will thank you.
Free for up to 30 plants. No card needed.
Other Jujube Varieties
Chill hour data from Open-Meteo Historical Weather API. Variety information compiled from university extension services.