persimmon

mimi starts with ...
My potted persimmon tree looks completely dead, I've bought it this year and placed it against an aluminium fence? Any chance it'll grow again in spring?

Melissa says...
Hi mim...relax...it is winter and your persommon is sleeping....we have many persommons and they enjoy the heat...I would mulch them though and give them a good feed towards the end of July/August
depending on frosts...we use chook poo and blood and bone ...by the way if you want fruit ...better check that it is a self fertile tree as many need a cross to set fruit...good luck.

Melissa says...
Thanks Kath....the forum is a fanastic Idea....but is there some way we can be recognised as we come in cause typing up our email addy etc everytime limits the answering or asking re time ...however even if you can't- this is still a very good idea as many people are a little nervous about unusual things to grow.....thanks again
Melissa

Kath says...
Melissa - I believe Correy is working on a simpler log in for us as we chat.
Wendy - Your Fuyu will grow and fruit beautifully for you in a pot. To make it a successful and fruitful tree you will need to repot it every couple of years, this will be best done when it is deciduous. Trim its roots back by about 1/3 and the top accordingly. Pot it up again into a fresh good quality mix, by doing this every two years you will keep your tree small, fresh and happy in a pot. We have made a little video on growing bonsai fruit trees, here is the link
http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/blog/2007/06/dwarf-fruit-trees-bonsai-bags.html

Kath says...
Trees require little pruning, but can be pruned to an open centre or modified central leader. Young trees are initially pruned back to 80cm. New shoots are then thinned and pruned to form a well-shaped tree with wide angled branches. If branches become long and straggly, then these may need reducing in length for manageability and to prevent them breaking under the weight of the fruit. If trees start to overbear or become very straggly, they can be drastically cut back to give them a fresh start. They can also be pruned to form a hedge or an espallier.
From - Susanna Lyles book - Discovering Fruit and Nuts, p183.

Bsilver says...
Val , it could be salinity.

Val says...
Thanks for that suggestion. I have other plants in garden including citrus, that are OK, but tend to lose iron. I was wondering if fuyu need acid soils? Perth soils are chronically alkaline and sandy.

shannon says...
I am having a problem finding out when to prune a persimmon tree. Can you help?

Natalie says...
Does anyone know where I can purchase a persimmon tree in Perth, WA? Would prefer the metro area. Ta

harro says...
Natalie Wandilla do have them and I bought one on Saturday at Dawsons Forrestfield $37.95.

Val says...
Does anyone know where there is a persimmon farm near Perth? The suggestion to get tree from there sounds good to ensure it is self fertile.

Su says...
Can anyone shed some light on how to espalier a persimmon tree? I bought a young tree in a pot which looks like a stick with few leaves at the moment. Can't see any branches yet to train them on wires. Do I hv to plant 2 trees so it is fertile?

tt says...
I have 3 Fuji persimmon trees (all about the same age) but only 2 of them started to bear fruits 2 year ago. The 3rd tree is the best looking tree but bears no fruits.

1. Most of the fruits started to drop on the ground in early June every year, so only about 10 fruits remain on each tree until ready to eat. What can be done to avoid losing the fruits so prematurely?

2. What kind of fertilization do I need to buy? and when should I apply the fertilization ?

3. Will the 3rd tree eventually bear fruit? The leaves are as big as an adult's hand size and the tree is thriving and growing very tall (over 12 ft)

4. Any particular mulch that I need to buy?

Thank you so much for your help. I live in Memphis, TN

jo says...
Sorry, one more question, What is the difference between an astringent variety and a nonastringent variety and which is the best Fuji to get?

DeannaTiffany says...
My father and his four kids have picked persimmons from the one tree we have found here in TX for years, and two years ago, he found another. Someone is knocking the fruit off the tree prior to it ripening. I am thinking of buying him two persimmon trees off ebay for Christmas, because it wouldn't be Christmas without his persimmon cookies, and we have missed that the last two years. I have found conflicting ideas on the soil type for the American Persimmon tree. Can anyone help me? He said he grew one from a seed about 10 years ago, but it died. I am thinking he overwatered it, or the soil is wrong. I really want this to be a special present to him, as he never really gets a "cool" present from anyone.

elie says...
i bought mine about 10 feet,I cut the top and lower it to about 5 feet it did good and grow big in a year and give me fruits

Randall says...
Hi all, I need advice. In October 09 I planted this Non-A Fuyu and it seemed to grow well.... initially. I was away for 3 weeks over Xmas/New Year and don't believe our house sitter game my plants the love they deserved. We had a run of 40 plus days. When I returned I noted that many of the mature leaves had dry brown tips. I started watering deeply every couple of days and daily on the really hot days. I have now installed dripper irrigation and it gets about 6 litres over an hour. I have been watering every day or two depending o the max temp. The dry brown damaging has advanced to almost 50% of the majority of the leaves and the younger leaves are also appearing damaged (see pics). I fear that I may now be overwatering. Or perhaps the damage was done over Xmas and I just need to ride this season out. I planted it into good citrus soil and have mulched around the base. The base soil is classic perth coastal sand (sh_t). Would pH be an issue. HELP

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Nick says...
Today I bought a 1.5m tall bare-root Fuyu at Laverton Market. When I got home I immediately soaked the roots in a dilute liquid seaweed mix for 2 hours. Then because I don't have anymore room I planted it in a pot that is 47cm wide. Does anyone know what the age is roughly and how long before it flowers. Also are persimmons easy to grow in pots?

Jantina says...
Glory, Hachiya is an astringent persimmon which means it needs to be super ripe at which time it is truly delicious. You can pick them when fully coloured and leave them in the fruit bowl until they are very soft and the skin is almost transparent. It's a bit like eating apricot jam.
Nick I have seen persimmons growing and fruiting in large pots but they do better in the ground.

john says...
Yes, your friend is right . Astringents are less attractive to f.fly but not immune. Nightingale is semi dwarfing but mid season rather than late. i'd go for an astringent and not worry too much about ripening time as only the v. earliest might miss out on f.fly. Nightingale is of the v. best quality, by the way. Don't harvest earlier than full color development.

john says...
Good drainage is important so plant on a slope or ,if unavailable,a mound. The pH should be slightly acid to neutral. WA soils I've heard are often alkaline and have salinity problems. Very hot days will scorch leaves - a shade cloth is advisable.

amanda says...
I can sympathise kim - I battled to keep my Fuyu going for 2yrs up here - but it croaked in the end...it was far too hot, salty and windy for it here.

The leaves kept scorching and the fruit sunburning and dropping :-(

I think I may have upset it with too much water and dynamic lifter this spring in an last ditch effort to get it going again - so it finally dropped dead (really fast)

I am wondering if you should get some shade cloth over it for this first summer - and maybe ease up on fert's - just seasol and a little blood and bone now and then...?

They don't like much salinity either....(so blood n bone a good choice for now - less likely to burn)

Are u near the coast? Does it have any shade at all? Is it windy there?

Be careful not to give it collar or root rot with all that watering...

amanda says...
I don't know for sure kim.. :( I had/have lychee and custard apples in the same orchard too...they were easier for me than the Fuyu?! Mine was a PITA.

Susanna Lyle states "..young trees do not like direct sun, or hot sun, whereas older trees do.....They are not tolerant of windy locations..."

Otherwise they seem to be ok - but maybe someone else here is more familiar with any fussy habits they have?

That's why I was thinking maybe you could get shade over it until it's older...? I'd try to keep the summer sun off it from noon-ish onwards..

A moisture probe ($10) from Bunnings or such should help u out with the watering...I would have thought once a day would be ample - but let the soil guide u.

A bit of humidity around it on our scorching days would likely help too..

There is a product called Drought Shield which may or may not help also...it's like a sunblock for trees.

john says...
ph meters have a reputation for inaccurate readings ; you are better off with powder types ,preferably based on barium salts.

BJ says...
It depends how you like to eat them. If you like them soft, then go with Nightingale. If you like crunchy, go with 'Jiro. I prefer the soft ones, so would choose a Nightingale, but Jiro can be eaten in both states (hard or soft). Jiro also seems to set well on its own. Im not sure about nightingale as I've only ever seen it grown in the company of others.

Db says...
Somewhere I've read that Jiro is not suitable for cold storage but Fuyu is suitable, I'm not sure how true it is.. Can someone comment on it?

Judoman says...
Hi, I have a new Fuyu persimmon, it is about 1.5 feet tall, I have had it in a new garden bed for several months, but it isn't doing well. Gets heaps of sunlight, some shade too in the morning. Maybe I just need to water it more? (currently doing once a week or so).
As you can see in the pics, the leaves are going black, and getting eaten too i suppose.
Any advice much appreciated!

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Fruitylicious1 says...
Hi Judo

Looks like a caterpillar or grasshopper are feasting on your persimmon leaves. Investigate, if you cant see any caterpillar it might be grasshoppers because they are very active at this time of the year. The hoppers are harder to control because they are very mobile. Spray your fuyu regularly with organic mixture of chili pepper and garlic concoction to make the leaves unpalatable to the critters. You can easily make them but, if you couldn't be bothered just buy a ready made one from bunnies or from your local nursery.

Looks like your diospyros kaki is also suffering from calcium deficiency due to the distorted leaves and blackened edges. Apply lime, dolomite or gypsum according manufacturers specs. Calcium deficiency is also exacerbated by insufficient or irregular watering. Uniform calcium uptake needs regular hydration to be effective. If unsure, have your leaf tissue analyze for more accurate deficiency analysis.

With regards to watering, you should water your fuyu more frequently because of the longer and recurring heatwave. The shade should be from the sizzling afternoon sun not from the pleasant morning light. Some newly planted trees will stop growing and suffer from sunburn if exposed to too much afternoon summer sun. If you can, shelter it from the afternoon fireball and only exposed it to the mild morning sun for half a day. Maybe with these subtle changes, will kickstart your fuyu to show some interest in life.

Happy Gardening :-)

Judoman says...
Does anyone have an opinion on automatic watering bags for my baby persimmon -
would this slow dripping system be good to have also? (and still give a big jugful of water on Sunday)

http://www.ecobagindustries.com.au

Syed says...
Hi
Can anyone provide me suggestions to revive my Persimmon tree.
I planted a Persimmon tree last year. This year it got lots of leaves and flower but none of the flower survived at the end.
I am also noticing that the leaves turn yellow and brown at the edge (Figure attached).
I am based in Western Australia and the soil type is coastal plain soils. It is primarily composed of deep sands. They range from neutral to acid with a pH range of 4.0 to 6.0. Phosphorus retention is extremely low. Nutrient loss occurs readily through the soil into groundwater and via storm-water drains.
I am not an experienced gardener. Not know much about it. Any suggestion will help.
Syed

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Syed says...
Hi David,
Thanks for your reply. It will be nice if you could let me know what should I apply to increase PH and reduced salt level.

Syed says...
Thanks David,
Thanks for your advice. Appreciated.
Syed

Daniel20 says...
Hi
I had a Fuyu persimmon tree that I got from Daleys. The Fuyu graft died and the root stock( I don't know which kind) sprouted with many branches. I would like to try and re-graft the root stock with Scions.
I was wondering if there is a persimmon tree owner near Ashburton, Vic. willing to donate a scion of fuyu, a non astringent variety?
I'm happy to give a Yacon and/or potato bean( Apios americana) in return.
Thank you

Daniel20 says...
Hi David01
Thank you that is great. I'm happy to pick it up from Craigieburn. Can you please tell me when and where I can pick it up?
Have the leaves fallen already? The leaves on root stock are still on the tree.
Cheers

Daniel20 says...
Thank you David for your help.
I would love to come, but the restrictions. I will come when they are over.
The size of the root stock is from the thickness of a pencil to double that.
I have a few branches to try on.

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Alisoga says...
I just planted my first persimmon tree. It is small, about 5 ft, but it already has yellow and brownish leaves that curl up. The area where it is planted is very moist, doesn't drain well. Is it a problem? Can the tree suffer fro having too much moisture? Thank you!

thychea says...
hi guys i just wondering i buy a none dwarf variety persimmon can i still grow them in a 57L pot?