How do you take care of a Fuyu persimmon tree?

Persimmons begin bearing fruit 2 to 3 years after planting; some grafted trees will bear fruit the year after planting. Most persimmons are not edible until they are soft.

When the need for fertilizer is indicated, use a balanced fertilizer – such as 10-10-10 or 10-20-20. Spread 1 pound of the fertilizer for each inch of trunk diameter under the tree canopy in late winter or early spring when new shoots emerge.

Prune off the tops of young ‘Fuyu’ persimmon trees at or shortly after planting so the tree stands about 3 feet tall. During the next few seasons, selectively remove some of the persimmon’s branches so the tree has three to five main scaffold limbs, spaced evenly around the trunk and about a foot apart vertically.

Oriental persimmons bloom after five years but do not bear fruit until after seven years. Grafted trees bloom within two to three years. American persimmon may take several years to blossom and still not fruit for up to 10 years. Both American and Oriental persimmons have alternate year blooming and fruiting.

Considerations. Most persimmon trees grown in landscaping are specific cultivars, such as ‘Miller’ (Diospyros virginiana ‘Miller’) and ‘Fuyu’ (Diospyros kaki ‘Fuyu’). They were bred for specific traits and must be reproduced asexually using cuttings or grafts to preserve their favorable qualities.

Persimmon trees prefer deep root watering. Regular watering helps the tree to establish a deep root system. Persimmon trees produce more abundant and better fruit when watered regularly, ideally receiving 36-48″ per year.

Persimmon trees are easy to grow and have practically no pests or diseases. The Japanese fuyu variety is the most common persimmon found in nurseries. A dwarf fuyu seedling is one that has been grafted onto a “dwarfing rootstock,” which limits the tree’s growth.

Persimmon roots grow slowly. For best growth and quality fruit, regular watering is required. Water your persimmon tree for 10 minutes once or twice a week in the spring and summer. Persimmon trees will withstand short periods of drought.

Fertilizing can be kept to a minimum. In late winter or early spring, feed your persimmon by spreading a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer evenly under the canopy. Too much nitrogen will cause fruit to drop. Healthy mature leaves will be a deep, glossy green.

Cut back all new growth back by half (or as little as 1/3, up as much as 2/3 depending on length), to an outward-facing bud, making the cut at a 45-degree angle, and 6mm (1/4”) above the outward-facing bud, to shorten the fruiting branches back to a manageable length.

Fuyu Asian persimmons are non-astringent, and the fruit keeps well for several weeks after picking. Fuyus and other Asian persimmons are self-pollinating.

Neither the ‘Hachiya’ nor the ‘Fuyu’ needs cross pollination, which means that the tree will produce fruit without another persimmon tree nearby. In fact, cross pollination can be a problem if the ‘Hachiya’ and ‘Fuyu’ are planted within one-half mile of each other.

Persimmon trees may also be grown in containers and stored in an unheated basement or garage for the winter if they are not cold-hardy to your zone. If grown in pots, these trees should be repotted every second or third year with fresh soil.

How much fertilizer does a persimmon need? It is suggested that using 1 to 2 cups of a balanced fertilizer (like 10-10-10) per year of age is adequate. This should be applied in March, June and September in the first two years. After that, limit persimmon tree feeding to March and June.

A: The smaller than normal size of the ‘Fuyu’ persimmons is more than likely due to a heavy fruit set on a very young tree. … The reason is that it’s wise to allow plenty of time for the tree to develop a sturdy root system so that the tree is able to support abundant yields for many years.

Oriental persimmons emerge from winter dormancy late in the spring. Two weeks after leaves emerge from buds, persimmon flowers appear. This late emergence usually avoids frost damage to cold-sensitive flowers. The actual month of bloom depends on what climate you have and what the local weather is like.

Persimmons can be stringent (shaped like peppers, best for cooking) or non-astringent (shaped like tomatoes, delicious to eat raw). Trees live 75 years.

The roots of the common persimmon are not a problem, notes University of Florida IFAS Extension, but the tap roots of the Japanese persimmon do pose a problem. They are deep and invasive, which makes them difficult to transplant.

“Fuyu” persimmons are supposed to be seedless. … When plants not needing pollination are pollinated, they will produce fruits with seeds, which may be larger and have a different flavor and texture than do their seedless counterparts.

Leaves turning yellow may be from too high of a soil pH. Persimmon flowers falling off or dropping fruit may be due inadequate sunlight, lack of water or too much heat.

The reason persimmons fall from the tree before they ripen is the result of parthenocarpy, which a fascinating botanical phenomenon. … In certain persimmon varieties, parthenocarpically produced fruit is highly susceptible to dropping from the tree before it matures.

The yellow-orange persimmon fruit is an excellent source of fiber, Vitamin A and C, Vitamin B6, potassium and the mineral manganese. Persimmons are fat-free and are a good source of healthy carbohydrates and natural sugar. The two most common varieties of persimmons are fuyu and hachlya.

Dwarf Persimmon Trees mature to be about 8-10′ tall and wide. Even though they are smaller, they produce an abundance of full-size fruit. Asian Persimmon Trees mature to be about 15-20′ tall and wide.

Although there are hundreds of varieties, only two principal types are well known in the United States– the Hachiya and the Fuyu. The Hachiya, which is incredibly sweet when ripe, is full of mouth-puckering tannic acid, while the Fuyu, a newer variety, has had the tannic acid bred out.

Like many other fruiting trees and fruit-producing plants, persimmon trees grow best in full sun. However, partial shade may be tolerated, particularly afternoon shade in areas where intense sunlight and heat may cause plants stress.

Fruit trees prefer an organic, high nitrogen fertilizer. Blood meal, soybean meal, composted chicken manure, cottonseed meal, and feather meal are all good, organic nitrogen sources. There are also specially formulated fruit tree fertilizers.

Because nitrogen supports green growth, using coffee grounds as compost around trees and shrubs encourages them to grow lush and leggy. … Maintaining a regular fertilizing schedule in addition to composting can keep your trees and shrubs healthy, blooming and, in some cases, fruiting.

Read up on summer pruning for size control – I prune my persimmon shoots twice in the summer to keep their height down. In general it slows down the persimmon’s growth enough that keeping it at a smaller size works out OK.

Cut back persimmon trees to half their height, or 3 feet, immediately after planting them in late winter. Cut diagonally 1/4 inch above a set of swollen buds using sharp, clean bypass shears to encourage horizontal, rather than vertical, growth.

– Pruning Persimmons should be done once a year, in late winter or early spring when the tree is dormant, to shape-up the structure and prevent alternate bearing. If the limbs crack or the branches break under the weight of the fruit, you should also prune the Persimmon tree during the fruiting season.

Soil MoistureWell DrainedTasteSweet And MildTextureFirmYears to Bear3 – 4Zone Range7 – 10

You can tell male trees from female trees because male flowers are smaller and appear in small clusters, while the larger female flower appears alone. Inside the female flower you will find the pistil but also sterile stamens, noticeably smaller than stamens in the male flower.

Fuyu persimmon tree – USDA zones 7-10 Bearing non-astringent persimmon fruit, this is — in my opinion — the best persimmon. A Fuyu persimmon tree will grow 15′-20′ tall and equally as wide. It’s self-pollinating, so a single tree will produce fruit. The fruit of a Fuyu persimmon tree stays firm when ripe.