Encanto Farms Nursery > Categories > OT: Persimmons

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Aaron4USA

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This is one fruit that used to make me very angry but yet always go back to wanting to eat again and again.
The reason I was angry with this is because just when you think it is ready or soft enough to eat, the base part (close to the stem) starts making your mouth feel dry and curdled (if that's even a word, LOL) 
SO, I was introduced to this idea of "How to make the Persimmons ripen to perfection fast".
 1-You wash them and throw them in the freezer.
 2-When you need few for consumption, bring them out of the freezer and let them how overnight (personally, I wait one more day before eating)when thawed, and back to room temperature, you can eat them and they taste just like perfectly ripe, as they should be for consumption.

Enjoy ;)

20141129_224704.jpg 
I'll post more pics of the thawed and ready to eat ones...

donpaid

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Haha I know exactly what you mean. Unripe hachiya persimmons are extremely unpleasnt...but when they're fully ripe, they're so delicious and unique in flavor. I guess when they're unripe, they're "unique" in flavor too lol

I had no idea about the freezer method. Thanks for sharing Aaron.

greenfig

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Yeap, the freezer works fine but it changes the texture of the persimmons slightly, they become more like a jam.

To ripen in a different way, try in a paper bag with some apples.
Put 2 large apples with 5-6 Hachiya fruit in a paper bag, roll the top to seal and leave for a few days.
They will ripen very nicely, the apples help a lot.

I like to eat them with a few Meyer lemon drops on each slice (or a spoon full) , the result is perfectly sweet-and-sour!

Speedmaster

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They are veeeery sweet when ripe and mushey.

Bass

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besides the freezer which can somewhat alter the flavor, the easiest way i get them to ripen is in bag with an apple. I just put about 10 persimmons to a couple apples. 
This year I attempted this Japanese method of drying them. I peeled the skin, and hung them on a string. 2-3 weeks later I got a delicious sun dried persimmon. They're even sweeter than fresh ones. 
These are the Russyanka persimmon that I dried. 


1781206_10152875932076322_771681740055983236_o.jpg

 

cyberfarmer

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That's a great tip on freezing them Aaron. Like you and me, birds will not eat astringent persimmons. They will eat unripe Fuyu (non-astringent), but they leave Hachiya (astringent) alone until they are ripe. So, if you know how to remove the astringency, you can pick them before the birds get to them.

Rather than freezing the whole persimmon, my wife likes to peel them, mush them up, measure into 2 cup portions, and then freeze them in a zip lock bag. That's just the right amount for one batch of persimmon bread.

The astringency can also be removed by baking or dehydrating them. So, if you plan to do either, you don't need to freeze them unless you plan to eat them raw. My wife dehydrates at least a few bushels of Hachiya persimmons every year. They are like candy!

By the way, I love offering my unknowing friends a nice juicy slice of unripe persimmon. The look on their faces is priceless.

Gofigure

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I had a few not quite ripe enough to eat raw hachiyas. I was going to peel them before drying, but my wife sliced them with the peel still on and put them in the dehydrator over night. Not a hint of astringency in the dried peel or fruit, even though it wasn't completely dried, mostly soft and chewy.

I've been buying flats of fuyu at the Farmers market.

All the trees I bought as described in the other recent persimmon topic are astringent. I didn't want to spray and/or compete with critters like I do with other non-astringent fruit.

Tried freezing and drying native Virginiana unripe fruit but it was still very astringent. They will be getting cut for asian grafts requested from UCD.

I bought two Nesco Gardenmaster dehydrators last year, one for myself and the other for mom. The FD-1018A ia a great deal at $118 shipped and a very quiet and efficient design:

http://www.everythingkitchens.com/americanharvest.html?gclid=CNrx4NubosICFe_m7AodtFUAHg

I bought a case of TR2 expansion trays this year for about $100 or $8.33 per 15" tray. The dehydrator is 1000 watts and rated for up to 30 trays. 

paully22

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Excellent info. Every year I give away hundreds of Fuyu. This is the 1st year where we slice them
them and dehydrate. Man, they taste great. We eat them as snacks, yum yum. By the way do
you guys think the persimmons sold at large stores are ripen with the help of gases ? A friend told
me a large super market chain here have a ripening room for fruits, more so for bananas so that
they are ripen at the same time for sale.

Ogorodnitsa

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Instead of starting another OT Persimmon thread in a fig forum :), I thought I'd just post my question here. It's my understanding that some persimmons have seeds, while others do not. Typically the ones in supermarkets do not, however on a rare occasion I will find a seed or two. Has anyone tried starting persimmons from seed? What is the likelihood of getting a male tree this way? How long would it take to produce fruit? I'd be interested in hearing anyone's tips on growing persimmons. Thanks! :)

Gofigure

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No idea about large grocery stores having ripening storage rooms.

I've found one large seed in a hachiya purchased from Publix in Peachtree City, GA.
It's in the fridge currently, in damp paper towel in a zip lock.

The way I understand it is:

The Asian types are tropical. To handle as cold as zone 7, they are grafted to native persimmon, usually Virginiana. If I get a seedling, I'll attempt to develop cuttings for grafting and keep it potted to move inside for winter; definitely the hard way since native seedlings are dirt cheap and cuttings are basically free plus shipping from UCD. UCD also has a few native types that produce larger fruit than the typical wild Virginiana.

Maybe somebody who has had Persimmon trees for a few years will chime in.

 

joann1536

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Lots of persimmons here in the SF Bay Area.  I have a bunch of them from my neighbor's tree sitting on my kitchen counter right now, ripening one at a time.  Thanks for a good way to get them all ripe at one time!

Charlie

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Stopped to make a delivery last week and inspected the large native persimmon tree that makes fairly large fruits for a native, I have been watching all year.  The first fruit was totally seedless. Almost got excited until the next one, but it only had two.  They both were still just a tad puckery.  Very uncommon in my experience for locals to not have many if any seeds.  Fact, I can't remember ever finding them with no seeds.

The few seeds in this year's Fuyu crop were not formed.  Just some flat shells of seeds but none were fully ripe either.  

greenfig

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The persimmons need to be pollinated by male flowers to produce seeds. One way is to plant a Chocolate variety. The tree makes male and female flowers. The downside of having the male flowers neat your female persimmon trees is all the ripe fruits will have the seeds. Some even too many. Not everyone likes this, although the pollinated fruit tastes better. The seeds will sprout and they are good for grafting. You need to start them in deep pots because the tap root is quite long.

Petechanr

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Free seeds of ichi ke jiro
Send an S.A.S.E
5 seeds per request
Pm for my address

RichinNJ

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[QUOTE=Petechanr]Free seeds of ichi ke jiro
Send an S.A.S.E
5 seeds per request
Pm for my address[/QUOTE]

That's a really nice tree your have there Peter.

Aaron4USA

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Does a Persimmon tree require cold winter?

MnMsMom9902

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We live in the San Jose, California, area (Zone 9b), and we have a Giant Fuyu persimmon tree in our backyard.  I am not sure if the tree requires cold winter, but every other year we get a large crop (around 100 fuyus) from that tree.

Aaron4USA

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http://youtu.be/NHEet-YEJb4

cyberfarmer

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[QUOTE=Aaron4USA]Does a Persimmon tree require cold winter?

[/QUOTE]

I planted about 20 persimmons here in Fallbrook this year and so far have only 6 fruits still ripening on one of my Hachiya. However, my wife harvests as much as she can handle from two abandoned trees in our neighborhood. Those trees probably get about the same chill hours as you would in LA and produce heavily - without irrigation.

greenfig

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[QUOTE=Aaron4USA]Does a Persimmon tree require cold winter?

[/QUOTE]

No, I do not believe so. They do just fine in LA.
The seeds, on the other hand, require stratification or going trough an acid environment (coyote's stomach, for example) to germinate better.

cyberfarmer

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[QUOTE=Aaron4USA]
http://youtu.be/NHEet-YEJb4[/QUOTE]


LOVED this video!

Aaron4USA

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I'd love to try that LARGE variety...
Where to find though ;/

Aaron4USA

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Paul, 
how big is your property exactly?
20 persimmon trees, plus you have figs and other fruit i am assuming...;)
you must have a great setup for eatable backyard.

Igor,
we have plenty of Coyotes in Glendale, but how do I feed the persimmons to them, I might need your help. lol

greenfig

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Aaron,

That was ONE of the ways used by the Nature :)
Just Google for the Persimmon seeds germination. You will find how to stratify the seeds in a fridge for a few months and germinate in the Spring.
The seedlings is best to graft with the known varieties afterwords.

The Persimmon scions can be obtained from the UCD, same place you order the figs from!
Just search for "Diospyros Kaki".

Aaron4USA

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OK, here they are, ready to eat, tasted awesome.

20141130_233544.jpg

Vladis

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Aaron- http://www.greffer.net/?p=360. Ð¥.Джиро.2014.Всё..jpg 

Aaron4USA

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Vladik, 
Those look nice and crunchy, thanks for the website.

Igor,
I read it at UCD... but I don't even have a Rootstock for scion to be grafted on. Maybe I'll just order entire tree? I want those huge stringent type. the type that I can freeze and then eat. They taste much better then the Fuyu, in my opinion. I need to find out the name and exact the type that I want. I remember when I was 12-14 in Baku, one of my dads friend who was best friend of Aliev (the president) had a dacha and over there...man that place looked like Garden of Eden. anyway, he had this humongous variety of Karalyok, size of a newborn baby's head. They would fall off of the tree early in the morning as they thawed and nobody would touch them...

greenfig

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Oh, man, the best friend of Aliev was a king and the god and just behind Aliev himself :), it is hard to compete with those guys.

The varieties you want are Hachiya and Giombo (you can get at UCD) then. Giombo is a larger version of Hachiya, both are astringent.
I would buy a Hachiya tree from OSH and plant it. A good size tree would run for $50-70 or so, wait for a sale or when they pay the sale tax.
Then you can get a few scions of Giombo and other varieties and graft to Hachiya branches. You will have a nice tree in a few years with everything you want.
The best way of grafting the Persimmons is Chip budding in the Spring when the bugs wake up.

Vladis

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Аарон, мои сеянцы из России. Мой рекорд H ТУ-Ð¥- 571 гр..jpg  achiya - 571 грамм фруктов.

Vladis

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ТУ-Ð¥-10-21..jpg  Fruit size in cm.

Vladis

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ТУ-Ð¥-Высота 13 см..jpg 

paully22

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My Fuyu persimmons -- every other year we get a big harvest. Tree is about 20 yrs old


[IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/29267tz.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i62.tinypic.com/10e3qef.jpg[/IMG]

Vladis

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Ð¥-Ха-Сбор.Много..jpg  In 2014 in Russia a little persimmon trees. In 2013, he was a good harvest.

cyberfarmer

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Aaron, I have four acres, but I am already running out of room. Every available space already has a tree in my nursery ready to go in the ground as soon as my aching back is ready to dig another hole. 

The North County CRFG conducted "Persimmon Palooza" last year on November 15th. I can't find my notes, but I do remember that Greg Rager, a volunteer at the South Coast Research and Extension Center, said that the giant Fuyu had less flavor than most other varieties. He suggested that two of the best varieties available in this country are Nikita's Gift and Hyakume (espcially good for drying). As far as I can tell, no nurseries in California sell either variety and no out-of-state nursery will ship it here.

Ogorodnitsa

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Pete,

Does Ichi Ke Jiro do well in Zone 6B or is it grafted onto another type?

zone5figger

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Aaron, I believe the fruit treatment process you refer to is also known as 'bletting'.  Certain other fruits benefit from this, like medlars and quince.
Up here in the north country, we are at the boundary of the american persimmon.    I've seen a few laden trees of variety 'Meader', although fruit size was much smaller than those depicted here.   I have a few young seedling trees growing here, and intend to try grafting over a few to varieties 'Meader', 'Early Golden', 'Dollywood', 'Szukis'.
Greenfig, I appreciate you sharing your grafting experience, usually I would use chip grafting in the summer season, but I think I have read that it's important to leave some growth above persimmon grafts?   My instinct would be to use whip and tongue, since that's one I've had good results with.   Maybe I'll try a couple of each..

RichinNJ

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[QUOTE=paully22]My Fuyu persimmons -- every other year we get a big harvest. Tree is about 20 yrs old


[IMG]http://i59.tinypic.com/29267tz.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]http://i62.tinypic.com/10e3qef.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

Good looking fruit. Nice pictures.


Petechanr

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Caitlin,

My trees are grafted, bought them from Starkbros nursery. They're very low maintenance, produced from 300-400 persimmons each year. No problems whatsoever except for birds and squirrels when come time to harvest.

Aaron4USA

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Thanks everybody, so much good info and advise. This is awesome.

Vladik,
Those Russian Karalyoks are amazing tasting, they do have seeds but the crunchy/jelatinous tissue sack surrounding the seeds is so fun to eat.

Paul,
Is it my eyes or your Fuyus are unusually big?
They look amazing.

OK Igor,
When I buy the tree you are going to be the one grafting it. I'm not good for grafting.

Paul (Cyberfarmer),
4 acres is plenty, unless you are planting an orchard...what are your plans for the property?
I wish I have a piece of land to plant a fruit forest and a little bungalow to leave in, under the trees where I can chase the birds and dears with couple of Rotwilers.

Jesse,
Medlar takes me back to my childhood, haha...we used to throw them in a pillow case and bang it on the walls to bruise them, then, few days later they are soft., Interesting word "Bletting" I had never heard that word, tanks for the info. :)

greenfig

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If you get a nice Hachiya, you may not need any grafting. Not the first year for sure.
Good luck with it! It is a common tree over here.

padsfan

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I really prefer Saijo over Hachiya as a astringent type and they are available in California through Trees of Antiquity and LE Cooke bare root (winter).  You really cant go wrong with Fuyu though and they are the most available type in CA.

cyberfarmer

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Posts: 544

[QUOTE=padsfan]I really prefer Saijo over Hachiya as a astringent type and they are available in California through Trees of Antiquity and LE Cooke bare root (winter).  You really cant go wrong with Fuyu though and they are the most available type in CA.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tip. We are so limited on selection in California compared to other states. I also like that its seedless. That way I can run the fruit through a tomato slicer in one shot. I guess I need to order MORE trees now. 

Charlie

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Nikita's Gift, Prok and Hachiya on the way soon.  Really looking forward to drying them. 

RichinNJ

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[QUOTE=Aaron4USA]
http://youtu.be/NHEet-YEJb4[/QUOTE]

Cool video Aaron. Thanks

paully22

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@ Aaron - This year crop is one of the best. My tree had a big crop and I am so happy that at least 65% of them
aborted at various stages, giving rise to bigger fuyu's. Also, I prune my tree and new branches produces big fuyu's.
We had basket loads of fuyu's from this season harvest and we gave many to friends. I am sure my tree is
not a giant fuyu variety.

ADelmanto

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I'm going to try that freezer method Aaron. I have 1 wild Virginiana tree in my neighborhood and no one I know has a hybrid tree. I love the sweetness of the store bought ones but even the best ones have a bit of astringency. If I can get rid of that, I'll have to get a tree.

aphahn

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Aaron, try England's for a unique selection of persimmons. http://nuttrees.net/

cis4elk

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Andy, are you growing persimmons here?

Aaron4USA

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Aaron D,
I am planning to freeze about 10Ls of stringent type in my freezer chest, for off season cravings. They stay solid like that for as long as you want them to.
I have to go to Super King Market for those.

Andy,
thans for the link, what's an amazing variety those Korean Persimmons are... wow. I had never seen anything in that color in my life.

Here's what I was buying today, with my kids, at a nearby ethnic store, where I buy our cold-cuts usually.
Not bad for a dollar if you ask me.

20141203_185905.jpg 

Vladis

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Ð¥.Джир.Разр.4 Д..jpg  Мягкая, сочная, вкусная Джиро. Никогда вяжущий.

RichinNJ

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[QUOTE=Aaron4USA]Aaron D,
I am planning to freeze about 10Ls of stringent type in my freezer chest, for off season cravings. They stay solid like that for as long as you want them to.
I have to go to Super King Market for those.

Andy,
thans for the link, what's an amazing variety those Korean Persimmons are... wow. I had never seen anything in that color in my life.

Here's what I was buying today, with my kids, at a nearby ethnic store, where I buy our cold-cuts usually.
Not bad for a dollar if you ask me.

20141203_185905.jpg [/QUOTE]

Wholely crap. A pile of persimmons! They are individually wrapped and boxed up here in metro NYC and they are $1-$2.50 or maybe more each.

strudeldog

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photo 4.JPG 

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photo 1.JPG 

photo 3.JPG 



aphahn

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Calvin, no I'm not growing persimmons here... Yet. I know some others that are trying, and not having much luck. I am enjoying the fuyu at the local Asian market for $0.88 per pound though. Aaron, the blue ones are pretty cool. Checkout England's list of scion as well if you are thinking of grafting some. I think they will do custom grafts too.

HarveyC

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Great video, Aaron.  I am growing Fuyu (still have some hanging on the tree) but planted a Saijo last year, an astringent type that I want to use for drying.  Saijo means "the best" (or something like that) in Japanese and a friend that dried several different varieties a few years ago said they came out the best.  He hangs them up inside his house (extra bedroom, I believe) to dry them. I had no idea that soaking in 38F water for 24 hours was a method to remove the astringent taste, I will give that a try.  I have a chest freezer that I have hooked up to an auxiliary thermostat which I can set to whatever temperature I want (for storing cuttings, fruits, etc. while some use for brewing beer).

RichinNJ

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Posts: 1,687

[QUOTE=HarveyC]Great video, Aaron.  I am growing Fuyu (still have some hanging on the tree) but planted a Saijo last year, an astringent type that I want to use for drying.  Saijo means "the best" (or something like that) in Japanese and a friend that dried several different varieties a few years ago said they came out the best.  He hangs them up inside his house (extra bedroom, I believe) to dry them. I had no idea that soaking in 38F water for 24 hours was a method to remove the astringent taste, I will give that a try.  I have a chest freezer that I have hooked up to an auxiliary thermostat which I can set to whatever temperature I want (for storing cuttings, fruits, etc. while some use for brewing beer).[/QUOTE]

Astringent persimmons will not be astringent when they are fully ripe says the interesting link below.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/persimmon.html

HarveyC

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Rich, I'm aware of that and that's how we would sometimes eat them, but I really prefer the texture when crisp.  I know some people like them fully ripe, but I kind of find them disgusting.

My son takes a bag lunch to school a few days a week and at this time of year he often takes Fuyu persimmon in his lunch.  I cut them up into wedges for him and will sometime include extra as he's got some friends who acquired a taste for them.

RichinNJ

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Posts: 1,687

[QUOTE=HarveyC]

Rich, I'm aware of that and that's how we would sometimes eat them, but I really prefer the texture when crisp.  I know some people like them fully ripe, but I kind of find them disgusting.

My son takes a bag lunch to school a few days a week and at this time of year he often takes Fuyu persimmon in his lunch.  I cut them up into wedges for him and will sometime include extra as he's got some friends who acquired a taste for them.

[/QUOTE]

Locally there is a nursery that has nice fruit trees in the spring. I know of someone who bought a Fuyu from them and it had fruit on it first year. Im going there in the spring to have a look for a Fuyu to compliment the Saijo I bought from Stark bros. 

I recently received a bag full of persimmons (Fuyu) from a local good guy who is on the forum. My wife and I ate some fully ripe (like persimmon jello) and some crisper.

HarveyC

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I can't remember who, but a new member from Long Island posted this past summer that he had some persimmons that were as large as softballs.  I'd like to see a photo of those and know more about them.

figgary

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Here is a picture of my Hachiya. Like Paully's, it seems to bear heavily in alternate years. I also have a Chocolate and Fuyu (Jiro). I planted them a good distance from the Hachiya, as I prefer the Hachiya to be seedless. I am adding Saijo and Coffee Cake this winter. I dehydrate most, as it's easier to store, but I like the freezing idea. IMG_3426.JPG 

Ogorodnitsa

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Has anyone had any experience rooting persimmon cuttings? What was your success rate? Do you use the same method you use to start fig cuttings?


Gary, really beautiful tree and a nice-sized crop! How far away did you have to plant your Hachiya to prevent cross pollination? 

figgary

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Thank you, Ogorodnitsa. Say that 5 times fast:)) The Hachiya is about 10 years old, and the newer ones I am planting several hundred feet away. Not sure if that much distance is necessary, but I have the room, and it's worked so far.

greenfig

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Congratulations, Gary! Very nice Hachiya!
I see a lot of low hanging fruit. You have no animals on the property?
You are a lucky guy!

Ogorodnitsa, my success rooting the cuttings has been so far 0%.
The only thing I managed to accomplish was to grow some leaves but I couldn't get any roots out.

figgary

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Thanks Igor. There are plenty of critters, and the quail and robins just let me know that the fruit is ready. I picked a 5 gallon bucket a few minutes ago, and the rest will be tomorrow. This area has so many orchards and vineyards, that the animals get plenty without wiping out the whole tree. My neighbor up the road has 5 or 6 Persimmons fully loaded right now, and there are still a lot of apples everywhere.

I've heard that Persimmons don't root from cuttings, and to graft them, the best time is in May, here at least.

Charlie

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[QUOTE=Ogorodnitsa]Has anyone had any experience rooting persimmon cuttings? What was your success rate? Do you use the same method you use to start fig cuttings?
 [/QUOTE]

No success here.  I could not even get air layers to take root on Fuyu.  I read in a few places it is best to graft persimmons.  Need to learn that. 

Aaron4USA

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strudeldog,
what a nice collection you have. Havva Fuyu looks very tempting.

Andy, 
custom grafting? Awesome marketing concept. I'm definitely going to find out about that. I want only one Persimmon tree but it would be awesome if it carried several varieties.

Harvey,
What a great idea, auxiliary Thermostat for the Freezer Chest. I have a freezer chest that we used for movie's milk for my kids, ugh...don't ask, LOL
Anyway, I still have that chest running, for frozen veggies and extra great, and meat etc...Now I know what to do with it when I redo the kitchen and the pantry.

Gary,
you have a beautiful garden, the Persimmon tree ads so much beauty.
Are you growing the Olive tree for the Olives or is it a male?
Rosemary bush is another special touch, it's giving a Mediterranean feel to the entire garden.

Rich,
it's funny you mentioned ...that's exactly what my kids called it when I served them the ripe persimmons in the bowls with spoon. Jello fruit. Well, my daughter said YUCK but she finished it at the end.

Charlie,
I read, long time ago, somewhere that you could separate suckers with root from Persimmon trees successfully.
Has anyone tried that?




aphahn

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My dad has propagated D. virginiana using suckers with reasonable success. Remember though, a sucker from a grafted tree will just give you a rootstock.

Aaron4USA

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oh yes...the modern trees.

Ogorodnitsa

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Thanks, Igor and Charlie, for sharing your experiences with rooting...This means I need to learn grafting. I guess I'll make it a New Year's resolution :-)

Aaron4USA

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Maybe you guys read the other thread that I had to go buy Rat poison? anyway...
On my way home I stopped by at the local Korean Market called HK Market to buy cooked seafood (they prep it really well) and saw these humongous Persimmons.
The price was $1.20/Lbs and it was labeled "Hachiya". I was glad to recognize thanks to you all :)
I couldn't resist so I brought some home. I ate one there (was too tempting not to, and left one out on top of the fridge to ripen by itself  (has some tear on the skin) the rest f'em are in the freezer. 8 of them weighed 7Lbs + I payed $9.

20141205_154205.jpg 

Charlie

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[QUOTE=Ogorodnitsa]Thanks, Igor and Charlie, for sharing your experiences with rooting...This means I need to learn grafting. I guess I'll make it a New Year's resolution :-)[/QUOTE]

Not saying it can't be done, just didn't work for me, but maybe it's useless.  The limbs were girdled and wet peat moss, some double foil wrapped and a few modified to fit jars.  They were done on June 9 and stayed on until first frost.  All that happened was big hard globs forming at the edge of the girdling.

The fruit ripened and leaves stayed on until frost but I think it killed those limbs.  They were sent to a forum member who informed me there was no green to graft with.     

TucsonKen

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I also tried air-layering  my Hachiya. No luck--just a  big knob where I hoped to see roots. They are very easy to graft, though--I've had excellent success using Joe Real's "bark graft" technique. Joe Real's bark grafting tutorial I think this link will work--if not, google it. You have to register as a member of the Citrus Growers Forum to see the photos.

Now my real reason for posting today:
A few years ago I grafted Saijo onto a 1-gal American Persimmon seedling, and also top-worked it onto a 15+ year old Hachiya. Both trees produced their first Saijo fruits this year--dinky things maturing about the size of my thumb joint. The taste is okay, but not as good as Hachiya. Slightly grainy. So, Saijo experts--is the small size/low quality due to the young age of the graft, and will they get bigger and better with the years, or is this as good as it's likely to get?

indestructible87

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Is anyone growing any of England's persimmons? Hokkaido, Shin na da, Steiermark, Korea kaki or any of his hybrids? I have his Kassandra and am looking to add another next year.

swizzle

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I just read an interesting article about propagating persimmons from root cuttings. I found the article on permies.com The article came from a USDA Native Persimmon Bulletin I, dated 1915. It is a very good article for other methods and uses for native persimmons but I assume it would work for other Asian persimmons as well.

strudeldog

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I don't know of any selected cultivar available on it's own root, unless folks have had more success on cuttings than I am aware, I have had no success with airlayer but some have I understand and on those the the plant would come true but almost every named cultivar you find would be grafted and what would be propagated would be the root stock. I am saving my Kaki and hybrid seeds this year if something was impressive in a few years That would be an option.

Smyfigs

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Yes, i know what u mean about waiting...lol. My persimmon fruited about 10 yrs ago but never again. Not sure why. Any idea why please tell me. I miss having persimmons from my tree. Im STILL waiting. The store bought are so expensive. Thanks for any input.

TucsonKen

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My parents had a Hachiya in their back yard in San Bernardino, Ca. It didn't get any special care beyond watering, and it fruited regularly and heavily. It's probably 50 years old now and as far as I know (the house was sold a couple of years ago) is still very productive. No idea why your tree isn't fruiting, but maybe you could check with your local extension, or a good nursery, to see if other people in your area are successful, and ask what varieties work best in your local conditions.

Smungung

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Hey guys I have a question that I would appreciate a very quick answer to because I'm doing a trade and debating if I should get persimmon cuttings. So my question is are persimmons good if they are from cutting or are they like apples and they should be grafted. Thank you and I hope to get a reply. Are any of your trees from cuttings?

Petechanr

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They won't root, need to be grafted

Smungung

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[QUOTE=Petechanr]They won't root, need to be grafted [/QUOTE]

But that guy that's offering the cuttings said that the cuttings have already developed roots and are growing...

HarveyC

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I'd be very skeptical of anybody offering rooted persimmon cuttings.

Gary has got me into dehydrating lots of Fuyu.  I've dried about 200 so far (8 batches of 6 trays like his) and still think I have more than half the fruit left on my tree.  I've been leaving it to get more ripe since it seems they are nicer if really dark orange and a little soft before dried.

sarahkt

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Dried Fuyu slices, when thick and still a little chewy, are delicious. I had a huge bag of them from my folks and we dried about 3/4 of it.

A Fuyu tree was one of the last non-fig fruit trees on my wishlist, until we went to Home Depot and took care of that last weekend. ;)

Smungung

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But this person has been on garden web for a while.

[QUOTE=HarveyC]I'd be very skeptical of anybody offering rooted persimmon cuttings.

.[/QUOTE]

waynea

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Chances are that they could be seedlings and I have no clue if they would be identical to parent or are the same outcome as fig seedlings.

Sas

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Since my Fuyu tree hardly produced this season, I Just picked these up at the local store.

What is the best way to dry some of these?

  20151202 Fuyu a.jpg 

Smyfigs

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Sas: if you dont have a dehydrator, I have heard of people dehydrating in an oven under extremely low heat but i must admit, I havent tried it myself.

Sas

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I'll probably eat those one faster than I could dry them. I usually eat about half a dozen in one sitting. When you peel them and slice them they go fast. 

Smyfigs

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Lol...yup, Sas, thats what I do too!. Only i have to buy mine when theres a good price. Its feast or famin for me with both figs & persimmons.

tennesseefig

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What time of the year is too late in the season to plant.  For instance, we are not quite in winter yet in zone 7a, could Fuyu be planted this late in fall?  To make it relevant to the forum, what about figs as well?

Sas

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As long as the ground is not frozen it could be done anytime.
Unless the trees are fully dormant, I just move them from pot to in ground without disturbing the roots. It might take longer for them to adjust, but no shock will occur. Make sure that no air pockets exist in the soil if you plant them this late and cover with lots of mulch. In TX I planted some trees in ground in January, but over here it hardly freezes and when it does it does not last for too long.

jdsfrance

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Hi,
Potted trees can be planted whenever you want. Due to their high prices -here- persimmons trees are always sold as potted trees. So you can plant them when you want.
But, normally trees are planted now for less heat stress . Don't forget to water more the two first years . They really need it !
Be careful with persimmons, in Zone7, you' (and I) re pushing them towards their hardiness limit.
A neighbor here lost a persimmon in the winter of 2012 (lost the graft but not the rootstock ) - I lost 10 in ground fig trees that same winter ...
My newly planted Fuyu currently has an 80 liters  trashcan around the trunk and graft point, just like some of my fig trees.

Smyfigs

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[QUOTE=Bass]besides the freezer which can somewhat alter the flavor, the easiest way i get them to ripen is in bag with an apple. I just put about 10 persimmons to a couple apples. 
This year I attempted this Japanese method of drying them. I peeled the skin, and hung them on a string. 2-3 weeks later I got a delicious sun dried persimmon. They're even sweeter than fresh ones. 
These are the Russyanka persimmon that I dried. 


1781206_10152875932076322_771681740055983236_o.jpg

 [/QUOTE]

Bass:  Great pictures!  Love the idea. 

Smyfigs

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[QUOTE=Aaron4USA]Maybe you guys read the other thread that I had to go buy Rat poison? anyway...
On my way home I stopped by at the local Korean Market called HK Market to buy cooked seafood (they prep it really well) and saw these humongous Persimmons.
The price was $1.20/Lbs and it was labeled "Hachiya". I was glad to recognize thanks to you all :)
I couldn't resist so I brought some home. I ate one there (was too tempting not to, and left one out on top of the fridge to ripen by itself  (has some tear on the skin) the rest f'em are in the freezer. 8 of them weighed 7Lbs + I payed $9.

20141205_154205.jpg [/QUOTE]

Aaron, great find!  Huge!  And, I love HK Market.  So much good food there!  These make my mouth water!

Smyfigs

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[QUOTE=Charlie][QUOTE=Ogorodnitsa]Has anyone had any experience rooting persimmon cuttings? What was your success rate? Do you use the same method you use to start fig cuttings?
 [/QUOTE]

No success here.  I could not even get air layers to take root on Fuyu.  I read in a few places it is best to graft persimmons.  Need to learn that. [/QUOTE]

Charlie:  I would love to know if and when you get a successful rooted cutting!

Smyfigs

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Cyberfarmer, amazing to have so much goodness!  I would love to be able to graft some of your nice varieties onto my 13 year old tree.  It has only fruited once but that was early on when I first bought it.  Never again after that.  It's a beautiful tree and stands about 15 feet but no fruit.  PLEASE, if you are interested, I would be happy to buy some cuttings from you. 

Thanks in advance,

Meg

Charlie

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[QUOTE=Smyfigs][QUOTE=Charlie][QUOTE=Ogorodnitsa]Has anyone had any experience rooting persimmon cuttings? What was your success rate? Do you use the same method you use to start fig cuttings?
 [/QUOTE]

No success here.  I could not even get air layers to take root on Fuyu.  I read in a few places it is best to graft persimmons.  Need to learn that. [/QUOTE]

Charlie:  I would love to know if and when you get a successful rooted cutting![/QUOTE]

I'm with Harvey on this one and would be seriously skeptical of anyone offering rooted persimmon cuttings but not saying it's not possible.  Perhaps I'll try a few more air layers this year for longer duration and maybe add some rooting hormone, something I've never used.

This morning I ordered seven new trees from England's. Early Jewel, Wonderful, Lehman's Delight, Kasandra, Zima Khurma, Sestronka and Rosseyanka.

Definitely am going to do some grafting this year.  Got one of those tools off ebay and itchin to give it a try. 

None of my current four varieties, Fuyu, Prok, Nakita's Gift and Hachiya made any fruit last year.  Well they started to but heavy, persistent Spring rains caused all the fruit to drop.  They did put on some reasonable growth though so perhaps we'll get some fruits this year.

In my work travels, a  native? tree was located that makes very early ripening, very good tasting fruit, normal native size of about 1.5 inch diameter, some seedless and most either one or just two seeds but never found one with more than two.  Going to try and graft some of that onto more local natives, closer to home.

Also located some unknown Asian variety, growing behind an apartment complex that is situated directly behind a business that was formerly an Asian restaurant.  The tree is as tall as the two story apartments and was absolutely loaded with fruit last year.  It doesn't appear to be grafted.  Must get up the nerve to go ask about it.   

Smyfigs

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Charlie: You can do it!  Go ask about it :-D  People really appreciate this.

Charlie

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[QUOTE=Smyfigs]Charlie: You can do it!  Go ask about it :-D  People really appreciate this.[/QUOTE]

If I knew which was the right apartment door to knock on.  If I see somebody out there I'll be sure to ask.  

Here's a story about germinating persimmon seeds.  Last winter I gathered a bunch, like a thousand and kept them in the crisper drawer.  Went to quite a lot of effort to separate them from the remnants of persimmons that had fallen off the trees.

Well, I forgot about them with everything else going on and when cleaning out the crisper drawer last summer I found them.  A big blob of mold was pretty much it.  Thought what the heck and dumped them out into a large plastic trash can, full of composted stuff and watered it.

About a week or so there were persimmons sprouting everywhere, a lot of persimmons.  They just kept on sprouting and they were so thick it was crazy.  Didn't expect that at all.  
So like I said it was hot summer.  Tried keeping them watered but I guess with the sun beating on the side of the dark can and them being so crowded, they just didn't make it.  Had hopes of keeping them alive until they went dormant, separating them and replanting somewhere to use for grafting rootstock.

This year it's going a little different.  I've kept some seeds and am putting 40 each into five gallon, white buckets full of the composted stuff.  40 is about as many as will fit with some spacing, I'm thinking enough that even if all sprout they won't be overly crowded and can thin if needed. They will come out at the natural spring time and have a better time of it, theoretically.

The ones that make it, I'll tend all summer and hopefully then come next winter I will have many to separate, replant and use for rootstock for the many other desirable varieties.   

strudeldog

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Charlie,

Did you get any grafts to take from the scion I sent you a couple years ago?  Or were you trying to root them back then?

Charlie

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[QUOTE=strudeldog]Charlie,

Did you get any grafts to take from the scion I sent you a couple years ago?  Or were you trying to root them back then?[/QUOTE]

Sadly no.  I tried to root some and didn't get around to trying any grafting.  

DonCentralTexas

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Ok, Now of course I Need a persimmon.  I really like the non astringent types when I can find them in the store.

If one had to choose from one of these listed below, which would you choose?  These are on sale at Ison's right now.

Fuyu
Hana-Fuyu
Jiro
Matsumoto

Thanks!