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Chinese unabi tree: planting care
Unabi is a fruit, medicinal, melliferous and ornamental tree. Its other name is ziziphus. Despite being a tropical plant, it can be grown in Russia.
What does an unabi tree look like?
The tree is medium-sized, up to 5-7 m in height. The crown is wide and spreading, the foliage is dense. Some varieties have thorns on their branches. During the flowering period, which lasts up to 60 days, pale green flowers appear; by mid-September, fruits are already forming. They are spherical or pear-shaped, up to 1,5 cm in length. They weigh up to 20 g. The color of the peel varies from yellow to red or brown. The pulp is firm.
Unabi is also called the Chinese date.
The taste of the fruit differs depending on the variety. They can be sweet or sour, with an average sugar content of 25-30%. The taste may resemble a date or a pear. The fruits contain a large amount of useful substances – rutin, potassium, magnesium, iron, iodine, pectins, proteins, as well as up to 14 types of amino acids.
Varieties of Chinese unabi:
- large-fruited – “Yuzhanin”, “Khurmak”;
- with medium-sized fruits – “Burnim”, “Chinese 60”;
- small-fruited – “Sochi 1”.
Large-fruited varieties are the juiciest.
Planting and caring for an unabi
The culture can be propagated by seeds and cuttings. The first method is suitable for small-fruited varieties, and the last one for large-fruited.
Ziziphus is very thermophilic; it will not grow in regions with cold winters. It is useless to grow it in greenhouses, it will not bear fruit.
The best time for planting is March-April. Choose a sunny, draft-free area. Since the ziziphus has a spreading crown, it needs 3-4 m of free space. The tree is picky about the fertility of the soil, but does not like heavy and saline soils.
Landing:
- Dig a hole up to 50 cm deep. Add a bucket of compost or humus.
- Place the seedling in the center of the hole to a depth of 10 cm, sprinkle the roots with soil.
- Water and add soil little by little.
- After planting, compact the soil around.
The tree begins to bear fruit in the 2-3rd year.
When propagated by seeds, the maternal characteristics of the variety are lost. Trees yield poor harvests.
To wait for fruiting, remove the weeds in the trunk circle and loosen the soil. It is not necessary to water the ziziphus, even at 30-40˚С heat it feels good. An excess of moisture can die.
Unabi fruits can be eaten fresh or dried. Use them for preservation, make candied fruits, make jam or marmalade. You can also make compotes and fruit puree from unabi.