How cool is this? A hands-down, hands-on backyard approach, which verifies, reinforces, and substantiates what I just experienced with my old Fuyu tree, in terms of picking and pruning. One thing, Garden Guy that I did not know, was that the fruit is ready when orange. Do you notice any difference in sweetness, between an orange and red Fuyu? Picking when orange can solve a two-fold problem for myself. First, always having the fruit at their crunchiest, by shifting the picking season from hard red and soft red (over ripe), to hard orange and hard red. Second, here in Southern Cal the squirrels, possums, rats and birds, start becoming aggressive towards the fruit as their summer/fall stock of staples become depleted. Harvesting earlier in the season - before the competition starts - can yield a more bountiful supply. I have been using a bird net over the tree for years, which helps curtail the competition. Also, a dehydrator is useful when the fruit becomes overly abundant (and you've already given all your friends a gift bag of Fuyus). Fuyu chips swimming in a bowl of hot, steel cut oats is a pleasant variation. Thanks GreenGardenGuy1! My pith helmet is off to you and your helper!
Stan, It is nice to hear that some one else has figured out you can pick and prune persimmons in the same pass. Could this be the human equivalent of the 100th Monkey Phenomenon? I believe the Fuyu tastes just a bit better if left in the tree until red orange but the difference is minimal from my point of view. I start picking as soon as they are orange and then continue picking until the birds have wiped out the crop. Persimmons picked while orange and set in the garage seem to color red and taste about the same as the ones in the tree. I like the Fuyu in my morning muesli. It also makes excellent salsa if you use lime juice to balance the sugar and mix with peppers, onions, salt and cilantro. We make something similar in Hawaii with Papayas or Mangos. Bill
GreenGardenGuy1...Fuyu salsa - outstanding. I can picture the lime juice in terms of balancing the sugar. Will give it a try this coming season, and hope to advise you in about 9 to 10 months. Till then, take care. - stan
First year with persimmons growing on my Fuyu. Had to go to the internet after the persimmons looked ripe but didn't give when pulled. Bill, you are simply the best. Full of knowledge and presented in a straight forward way. Thanks for everything bud.
Sounds like this video was made just for you! So I imagine you have figured the fruit has to be clipped off no matter how ripe it is. Enjoy the Fuyu's, Bill
I just cut the entire branch, fruit and all. Then we clip them off on the ground. The process combines both picking and pruning in a single pass. The trees tend to stay pretty compact this way.
My dad was watching this with me and he can't understand English. he suddenly yelled "let them ripe, look how they eat and enjoy those snake venoms." Wanna the truth in Iran and specially in Shahriar County you can find persimmons just by a tilt of your head but no one have ever heard about non stringent. We have a word for it's taste and it pronounced just like "gas". And i never let a limb worth of 20 lbs of fruit fall on ground because it's sentence is a kick to the ladder with love from dad.
I had no use for this fruit until I tried the non astringent types myself. Since my first try I have been a lover of this fruit. Not having to wait until the fruit was soft made all the difference.
Thank you for the info! Going to pick mine today, or rather cut. Glad I watched, because I was tugging on them and thought they weren't ready. Now I know! Thank you!
Good morning and happy Saturday! Just double checking on a question I believe you answered since FOR THE FIRST TIME I HAVE A GOOD SIZE CROP OF PERSIMMONS! YAY! You said when harvesting, don't just take the fruit, take the branch from behind the fruit and prune at the same time - some of the fruit is two feet into the branch. I will be lopping off quite a lot BUT I do need to prune the tree since it has overgrown its space (and is hanging over my chicken coop!)?? I want to make sure I do this correctly. We followed your advice last spring and fed the tree around it's perimeter at bud break and have a bumper crop. Thank you.
I am selective about which branches i prune with fruit in place. Persimmon tend to weigh down the branches with fruit and bend them toward earth. I usually leave these alone and only take the fruit. It is the branches that stick straight up and will cause the tree to grow out of reach that get pruned away. When I do this I remove the entire branch all the way back.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 We did this exactly - took the fruit and pruned away all the straight up branches we could reach - have a few more to do since this tree overgrew its spot for sure. Thanks.
I'm hard to keep track of unfortunately. My moves are frequent. The neighbors back in Wisconsin keep asking me questions, the California neighbors are always bemoaning my departure from the Golden State. Now that I sold the California home and moved to Hawaii the locals are dropping in daily for fruit, vegetable, plants and technical assistance. They may be the lucky ones, I am getting tired of moving around. Might be here on the Island for a while. Bill
This video is very informative. I live in New England and have a non-Asian persimmons. I know the fruit ripens when it fall to the ground in the fall, but I don't know when to prune it. I have a feeling since the fruit is on the summer growth it would be best to cut it in the spring, also considering the tree is already dormant by harvest time. Would love to hear any of your thoughts!
Nicole, I have never grown Diospyros virginiana. My persimmon knowledge is centered on the Japanese type, Diospyros kaki. I have seen the trees before and everything about them seems pretty much the same as Japanese persimmon. Although you say you wait for the fruit to fall so in this regard they must be rather different. On Japanese persimmons the fruit is so firmly attached to the branches that they must be cut free. If I waited for them to fall all I would get would be piles of rotten orange goo. When I lived in the eastern USA I would occasionally see American persimmons in the market. These were still firm and had been cut from the tree with a shear. With this in mind I would suggest the fruit can be harvested the same as the Japanese but placed in the garage to soften. Depending on what part of New England you live in would depend on when you prune the tree. American persimmons are only hardy to USDA zone 5. At this edge of the range I would prune after winter is winding down but before the bud break of spring. Persimmons do not like heavy pruning so keep it light. Too much pruning will cause them to skip a year of fruit.
Wonderful, thanks. You are right in line with the info I've received since. Apparently, you can harvest both ways in new englad. I will cut them and let them ripen indoor, this makes for a cleaner yard and no critters to steal 'em. Great advice about avoiding heavy prunning, will do!
I live in central coastal California. I have a lot of sand in my yard and have to mix in other soil with it to help keep in moisture . I just planted a Fuyu a week ago. My question is.....how often to water? Should I get a moisture meter? I think I tend to water to much. What is a good rule of thumb? Thank you! Love your video!
There is no rule of thumb on water other than give plants what they need. Every plant is a little different, as is climate and soil. The age of a plant matters a lot too. There are so many variables that your suggestion of a water meter is a good one. The Fuyu I had in California was on clay soil with a very thick mulch. Other than the first summer I never watered the tree in Fremont. I have Fuyu here in Hawaii too and I never water them here either but here it rains across the calendar unlike the 3 month in CA. Persimmon trees like to have moisture in the root zone during the growing season. I did this by keeping a foot of mulch under the tree at all times. I also use organic fertilizers with mycorrhizal fungi once every year. The fungi attach to the roots and supply the tree with water from a large area once developed. On a sand soil you will have to establish your own water schedule by using the meter. remember that the roots are not on the surface so measure the moisture deeply. Too much water will knock all the fruit off of a persimmon. If large amounts of fruit start dropping then you know you are over watering.
Hi I have a Fuyu persimmon tree in my backyard in southern California.It is about 20 yrs old. In the past, it has very large fruit like yours but in the last two years the fruit became so small. I did not do much in the past. It is close to the grass area and I watered the grass more often. Two year ago due to water restriction I do not water the grass as often. Do you think I should water the tree more ? or what else should i do to get back to big fruits
First I need to understand what you mean by small fruit. If the size reduction is only by 25% or less than I would say poor tree culture, lack of fertility and dry soil are the cause. IF the fruit is smaller than that then I suspect you have a sprouted root stock over running the top of your tree. Diospyros lotus is the usual root stock and it makes persimmons that are only about the size of a quarter. Beyond that all I can really say is you can not expect top quality fruit from a tree that isn't tended. Keep a 4" deep mulch of organic matter over the root system out to the drip line. Use an organic fruit tree food once in the early spring every year. Even if you stop watering the lawn your tree will still need irrigation or it will grow weak and stressed.
Hawaii was a very good choice for me. They graft Fuyu persimmon onto several possible root stocks depending on the grower. Usually in the west it is Diospyros lotus. I have not seen this sucker but possible damage to the root could induce it. If it was grafted to Diospyros viginiana or others it could sucker. There is some sort of wild persimmon on the fence line here that suckers a lot.
Thank you so much, this was extremely helpful. My tree is about 6 ft. tall so I don't get as many as you do, but hey, it's only about 7 or 8 years old. :)
You are at the beginning of the Persimmons bearing age. the crops will only get larger from here. A good annual pruning while picking fruit will help even out the Fuyu Persimmons tendency to bear in alternate years. Happy gardening, Bill
@@kcbknitter This was our first year with LOTS of fruit and a crazy prolific year for all the persimmons around Oakland - one neighbor said he was trying to give them to strangers passing by!
I have a persimmon tree, about 4 years old. It has 150+ persimmons this year. However the tree trunk is small and not strong. I have it staked up, but am wondering if that will make the tree weak in the future. If I didn't have it staked, the tree would bend to the ground. Should I have it staked? How should I prune it for strength? Thank you.
If I use a stake at all with fruit trees it is only for the first 6 months. It isn't used to support the tree, the wood does that job. The stake is used only to help the roots spread with out breaking off when the tree rocks in the wind. One the root has spread the stake is removed because keeping it in place creates a weak trunk as you have already discovered. My suggestion is to remove the stake this fall and reduce the head of the tree by about half. Once it has grown back to fruiting size the trunk should have toughened up enough to support the fruit. Persimmon wood is very hard and the branches sometimes break from fruit load but the trunk usually supports it's self just fine.
GreenGardenGuy1 I got Ichi-Ki-Kei-Juro in the mail two weeks ago they said it’s ok for zone 6. It’s still in the pot I haven’t plant it in the ground yet it’s a size of stick but the leaves started to open it’s still cold out and I’m afraid it will die. Thanks for sharing your Video.
@@phoebekosaketh4316 It is spelled Jiro, not Juro. The tree is commonly sold in the USA labeled as Fuyu-Jiro. I have one in my orchard here in Hawaii as well as the regular Fuyu. Persimmon are late to leaf. Stark Brothers rates your tree to zone 6. If they are correct you should do fine.
I have had two different types of persimmon planted and the root stock started to grow. At first, I thought the Fuyu was really growing well until I realized it was the root stock and not the Fuyu. Now the Fuyu is on the lower part of the tree. Can I remove the root stock growth without killing the whole tree?
I seldom guarantee that anyone can do anything and have it come out the way you wish. If the work was done by a person with good orchard skills it should come out just fine. If it was my tree it would have been gone already. A sprouted root stock is a bad thing, they generally over run the tree. Just make sure that the cut is as close to vertical as possible and if it is large, arm size, you might want to put a bit of latex paint on the surface. You probably have Diospyros lotus, it makes a good root stock on Fuyu. Nasty little brown berry size persimmons on D. lotus. Bill
I have no problem with the flavor of the soft astringent type. They taste as good or better than the non astringent types. It is the texture that put me off. Goopy and slimy is the impression they level me with. The crunch of the Fuyu type is more appealing to my pallet. The soft ones make an excellent cobbler though and so easy. Grease a baking dish, smash two soft persimmon into the pan, cover with biscuit dough, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, bake till golden at 350.
I live in TN, where we have wild American persimmons that need to be harvested only after a frost or after they've fallen off the tree or else it's like eating sour cotton. I have a fuyu tree in my backyard and although it's only September, the fruit is already orange. The tree is a leggy 3 year old that I planted this year and it has 4 fruits I'm desperate to pick but don't want to pick too early. How do you know the fruit is ready? The tree was staked when I bought it and leans a bit because the trunk is weak (I searched high and low for a fuyu tree and it was the only one available in my area). should I prune it back and if so, to what shape? Or should I just remove the stake and hope it straightens and strengthens this winter? Thanks!
Fuyu Persimmons are ready to eat as soon as they turn orange. The fruit has no astringency, like the native persimmon, so it is just a matter of waiting for the sugar to develop. Orange means they are sweet enough to eat. The deeper the orange the sweeter and the more moisture in the fruit. Eventually they turn soft just like the native fruit. They are still edible that way too. Trees only require stakes for a few months after planting so the roots can spread without being sheared by wind rocking the tree. The stakes should be placed outside the root ball not on the trunk. They should allow motion of the trunk so it grows strong. IF you have a tree that has grown up with a stake and has a weak trunk you will need to pull the stake out and prune the crown of the tree back so the trunk can grow strong. It will stiffen eventually but relieve the top weight so it doesn't crack in the mean time.
Hi Bill, I have a young fuyu persimmon tree that is about 5 ft tall now with several side branches, the lowest being about 2 feet from the ground. It has never been pruned since planting but now I want to train in into a proper structure. You say leave a tall trunk, so should I cut all the lower branches? Also, do I cut the central leader and leave evenly spaced main branches on top, or keep the central leader?
Persimmon trees can be grown either with a central leader or with a modified central leader. I like to use the modified leader form with about 5 to 6 main scaffold limbs. If you us a regular central leader form the trees grow fine but they will be very hard to pick in time since the fruit must be cut from the branch. This requires you can actually get near to the fruit. Because the fruit is very heavy and it drags the limbs downward I often prune the trees from the bottom up. If you leave any limbs attached to the trunk below 4 or 5 feet they will surely hang on the ground eventually.
Hi I know you posted this video a while ago and I know you now live in Hawaii but I am a fellow Bay Area neighbor who lives in Castro valley! Question- I bought a persimmon tree from Davis nursery in a 5 gallon pot and planted it on march 25th, but today there are still no buds coming out. I scratched the skin and it fresh/green underneath. Also when I cut the smaller branches it is also very green. Do you have any explanation for why it is taking so long to open? even though nothing looks dead? When I planted it I used composted soil from the store and added ironIte (not sure why just thought it would help). Thank you
So Ironite is not a fertilizer so that won't do much good or harm, it's neutral. You might call it a trace mineral fertilizer but because it comes from the tailings of an Arizona silver mine it also contains heavy metal. For good soil health we usually avoid it. This is not the source of you're trouble thought. I am guessing that despite the plant having been in a pot it might be a bare root tree that was placed in a pot with compost for the sales floor. Were the roots visible, circling and the held the soil ball together? If yes, then that is good, not not, then not so good. If it was a bare root tree dropped into a pot it is best that it be rooted in the pot above ground and planted in the fall. If it was rooted in place then you did well by planting it. Persimmons are the last trees next to walnut and buckeye to leaf in spring so by worrying over the tree in mid May you are pushing at the envelope. When i ran Navlet's I used to take back about 20% of our bare root persimmons at the return desk because they did not leaf out. The soil is too cold in the Bay area to get a bare root persimmon to root if direct planted. In a black nursery pot in the warm sun they will root quickly but not in the cold soil. As an experiment I used to pot all of the persimmons that were returned to us. 90% of them would eventually root, sometimes as late as July. The tree in my Fremont garden was a return desk tree that I potted, leafed out in late June and then transplanted in October to the garden. Think back and try to determine if this was a container grown tree or a bare root stuck in a container. My guess is it was a bare root. If it was a true container grown tree it should leaf out by June.
GreenGardenGuy1 Hi, thank you for your response. You are right - when I pulled the plant out from the pot before planting, it wasn't stuck together like a ball, it scattered. So I will just keep it in the ground and I'll see how it goes. Thanks again!
The water table where we live in Florida is very high (18" - 2' below ground level) and our soil is quite sandy. Our persimmon tree is about four years old and bore some wonderfully sweet fruit in the fall of 2015, but in 2016 the fruit came on much like it did in 2015 and began to wither on the tree before it ripened enough to harvest. There is also a mossy looking substance that appears to be growing on the trunk and limbs. Is the water table a problem?
Moss or lichen on trees is seldom an issue. Florida has a lot more than moss that grows on trees and most of it doesn't harm the plant. I have never grown a persimmon on high water table conditions but I suspect your shriveled fruit is because of a root rot. Persimmons are fairly drought tolerant and do not care for wet feet. You probably have a phytophora attack on the roots. The problem will probably continue if the trees conditions remain the same. Raising the grade is the only solution. Sometimes this can be done with out digging up the plant. Lifting the tree in wet weather while dormant and back filling with compost can work.
GreenGardenGuy1 Thanks for the quick response. I suppose we'll have to raise our tree this coming fall. Can we accomplish the same thing by putting it in a large pot?
Sort of but no. The trees have very large spreading root systems and are not very successful in containers for long periods. If it was my tree and it wasn't possible to just lift the plant then I would dig the tree up, create a very tall raise mound of soil and replant the tree at near a foot above the grade. This should give the plant enough breathing room. Planting on mounds is a traditional practice in south Florida. Old time gardeners have been using the technique for over a century.
Great information here! We have a 20 foot tree in our back yard but it hasn’t really produced the last 2 seasons. Is the only time to prune when harvesting? We had a hot summer this year is the Santa Cruz mountains, and a tree came down that was providing some shade. Would that affect the fruit? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Pruning on Persimmon can be done in the winter if you chose to. I prune while picking so I don't have to do it in winter. My moto is if you are working too hard you are probably doing it wrong. Persimmon do not need shade, it limits the sweetness and the number of fruit. The tree that was removed is a blessing. The only reason we prune the persimmon is to keep the tree compact. It fruits fine with no pruning.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 great info and thank you. I’m wondering why we’ve had 2 down years in a row. Maybe I’ll leave it alone then see what happens next season with no pruning. Like you said, Many people in our neighborhood don’t touch their trees and they load up big time.
@@woodenyooden Weather has been strange and generally not to the benefit of trees. During the last eruption here in Hawaii even the native trees hardly set seeds and fruit on exotics wasn't like past years. I have no explanation unless our 6.9 quake at the eruption start broke tree roots.
hey bill, hey got got 2 hachiya persimmons on grafted bare roots and they have a single main pole about 6ft tall from the graft, my question is should i cut that in about half or whats you recomendation for the post planting prune for plants that luuke like I < this and are tall like 6ft to make a nice structure to build from, thanks alot bil!! i finaly got my hachiya by waiting at the store when then unloaded there trees and getting the only 2 perssimons this year so far, havent seen any in 5 years of luuking at the store cause was always to late.
Hi Kush, Glad you found your Hachiya. They have become scarce in recent years because most people want the non-astringent types. Because the persimmon tends to produce downward hanging branches caused by the fruit load I like to plant them with a rather tall central trunk. I usually prune back the side branches by 50% and then cut the tip of the trunk to reduce apical dominance. Keep a good trunk so you can keep the fruit load high.
perfect thanks alot bill! so these tree will be fine for now until they branch out, next pre spring trim ill shorten the branches by half to make them become more sturdy in anticipation of a future fruit load, thanks again bill!
Hi Bill great video, how long does it takes from seed to fruit. Also does it even makes sense to plant the seed, would I get a good crop or is it somewhat like planting apples from seeds. I live in the Caribbean so shipping a tree or seedlings to me is out of the question. Seeds are the only option I got. Thanks
Persimmons would be a bit like apples, the progeny from seed would vary considerably. If you have enough room to plant several dozen trees and then cut down the undesirable plants for firewood you might get a few good trees out of the deal. Big Island. Diospyros nigra is a Persimmon native to Mexico that should be well adapted to the Caribbean. It grows true to seed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_nigra As far how long, few fruit trees take as long to come into fruiting as a Persimmon. A grafted tree can take 6 years to the first fruit, 10 years to a fair crop and 12 for a really big one. From seeds it could take twice that. My suggestion is don't think about how long, just plant the tree. I have dozens of trees in my yard that people consider too slow to bother with. They are with me because I didn't allow the clock in the back of my mind control my actions. Good luck.
Thank you. I just ordered what the seller said to be fuyu persimmon seeds. From my research it seems as thought they will do well in my climate. I'm thinking to plant them more in the cooler mountain region of my island. Hope this works out and I can enjoy fuyus in the next 10 years. Thanks again for your help.
Rosamund Roberts Rosamund, There are quite a few Japanese persimmons that have seeds but Fuyu isn't one of them. One of the main features of Fuyu is it's seedless nature. I have raised this fruit for over twenty years and in that time I have seen only 2 seeds form on my tree. When Fuyu does make seed it is usually because it is cross pollinated with another Japanese Persimmon that is seedy. This would mean that Fuyu seed isn't Fuyu.
okay I see, Here is a link to the seeds that I purchased. bit.ly/1sS7IZr I'm looking to do a bit of persimmon farming. The seller said that they are fuyu seed. What type of persimmon would I get if the fuyu does make seeds?
Rosamund Roberts Rosamund, I couldn't see anywhere in the sellers ad that he claimed these to be Fuyu persimmon seeds. They are labeled Asian Persimmon, that covers several hundred varieties that are not Fuyu. From my reading Fuyu is the only variety that these seeds definitely are not.. At the worst you will have lots of seedlings to use as rootstock if you ever do locate some wood for scions from Fuyu. There is only one way to grow Fuyu and that is by grafting. What comes out of the few rare seeds that Fuyu will produce is anyone's guess. You will always get Diospyros kaki but the quality will be debatable.
You live in the native range of Diospyros virginiana the native American persimmon. The tree in the video is similar but is native to Japan, the Diospyros kaki or Japanese persimmon. The main difference is the fruit has no astringency and can be eaten when still crunchy like an apple.
Thanks for the awesome vid post! I am super curios how it taste :D Quick question.. Will fuyu grow in semi trop? Does it self pollenate? What kind of soil does it like?
Yes the Fuyu is grown in Hawaii between 500 and 6000 feet elevation. They are self fertile and parthenocarpic. They are indifferent to any average soil in the slightly acid to neutral pH range.
Nik Lyons Nik, Fuyu persimmons are parthenocarpic (they make fruit without sex). They have no seeds so trees can be propagated only by grafting to a seedling root stock or air layering. The simplest solution is to buy one and have it shipped if no trees are found locally.
GreenGardenGuy1 Thanks for the info!! I will keep my eye out for one. I have to learn more about air layering. My neighbor was telling e but I forgot. It's basically laying it on top of the ground with a big rock holding down the base of the cutting? Does it have to lose it's leaves if the winter is mild? Thanks again!
Nik Lyons No, the technique you are describing is called "pegging". An air layer is done by girdling a branch up in the tree then wrapping it in a medium like moss and plastic so it forms roots up in the air. The trees have the most beautiful fall leaves, even in tropical climates.
This was a very good video up I enjoyed it, good information I have a question sir I was told that dwarf trees will get being regardless, I have a peach tree that I keep right now at 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide it's still a very young Peach tree, three years of age. I was told that this trees will get much bigger as it gets older, my question is do you can I keep a tree the height and width that you want regardless of what the trees genetics say?
The first thing I would say is review greengardenguy1 Pruning Peach Trees video. It covers most of your question. I can add to that by reminding you that peaches and nectarines require more pruning than any other fruit tree. This makes them easy to keep small. We cut away about 60% of last years growth every year and after 7 or 8 years cut the scaffold limbs back to keep the trees compact. You are the man with the shears, you have the control on sizing your trees. Give the tree a size limit and prune for it.
GreenGardenGuy1 You are the one that knows about trees, I just came in from looking at my dwarf cherry trees, and sometime I have to wonder if this is actually a dwarf and they're only three years old. I will keep all of my trees at 7 feet 4 feet wide. Thanks to the information that you have given me I know that I am the one that control their size. Thank you
***** Dwarf trees take on all sorts of sizes depending on the type of dwarf and the type of fruit. Trees that are natural midgets are called genetic dwarfs, these are the smallest of all. After that there are a variety of root stocks that control tree size. Semi dwarf is actually a pretty large tree. Trees labeled as Dwarf are generally a bit smaller. Trees with Ultra dwarf rootstocks are smaller yet. None of them stop growing so depending on how old they are and how you use your shears all of them can grow quite large. Dwarf is really a rate of growth not an inevitable size when it comes to trees. Dwarfs grow slower than other trees. Pruning shears keep them small.
My greatest mishaps in the orchard often get the best comments. I believe i have several banana videos where i get crushed by falling fruit or stalks too.
thinking about getting a persimmons tree in the yard, and come across your vid - based off your experience, does the tree have some pest issues? thanks.
Very few pest of persimmon in California. What eats your tree depends on where you live. In Hawaii I have terrible issues with rose beetles. In CA I would some times have ants farming mealy bugs around the stem. It wasn't a big deal and they wash off. Other than that birds were a big issue. They will eat all the fruit if you don't pick fast once color shows. The trees can be hard to establish anywhere. I do not recommend using bare root trees planted direct to the field. They are best rooted in the pot for a summer and moved to the field in fall. Keep a deep organic mulch under the trees and us organic fertilizers with pro-biotics. The trees need the fungal association on the roots.
Hi Bill, I have a fuyu that is 1-1/2 year old. I have my first crop but I have noticed that some fuyus are falling off the tree. When I open them up the center is brown. Is this common. Do I need to spray my tree? This is my first time planting anything.
It is perfectly normal for young Japanese persimmon trees to shed fruit. The fruits don't hold reliably to the stems until after the 6th year. You can reduce the losses by not over fertilizing the tree and using a mulch to keep the soil moisture even. Heavy watering and heavy feeding will blow the fruit right off of the young trees. After the tenth year the fruit all stays put on the tree. Before that time the drop slows by the 6th year but may still occur some. Use an organic fertilizer once in the spring and put down 4 inches of compost on the soil out to the drip line every spring. Otherwise there is little else you can do but wait for the tree to mature some. Bill
How do you prevent persimmon fruit drop? The fruit never seems to stay until they ripen. It's going to be august tomorrow and there's a lot of fruit on the ground already. Last year we only had 4 left on the tree that ripened.
Usually any fruit drop on persimmon is long over by August. If they are still falling I would inspect the stem carefully. My thought is you have a rodent like a squirrel or a rat cutting the fruit loose. Usually fruit drop on persimmon only happens for 30 days or so after flowering. Fruit drop is normal on trees under 6 to 8 years old so it isn't a concern. If the trees are older than 6 years and the fruit keeps falling through late summer than we need to think about things a bit. Persimmons that are fertilized more than once per year at the very end of winter will blow off fruit because they grow too hard to hold on to it. Persimmons that are allowed to go dry and then be over watered also blow off fruit. I never had a problem with this on my tree but the tree was dry land farmed with no irrigation and Fertilizer was applied only once each year in February. I maintained the moisture under the tree by keeping a foot thick mulch on the ground.
GreenGardenGuy1 thanks for the reply. You answered my question very adequately. My 2 trees are 3 years old so I guess I have to put up with it until they're 6 years old. Any tips on preventing fruit drops until then?
The only tips I can offer are the ones already offered. Use a mulch under the trees to even out the moisture. Water only if the soil under the mulch begins to dry. Feed only once at the unset of growth. Organic fertilizers with fungal inoculants work best.
Good morning. I have an avocado bush question. It’s supposed to be a tree but looks more like a bush! My question is how to prune it. I’d like to send you a photo. We transplanted it two years ago and it’s growing much better in the ground than it did in a pot but blossoms fall off and no fruit. It’s about five years with me and probably a few years old when we got it. Can I send a photo?
Certainly there is no harm in sending me photos but I don't really see how they would help much. If the plant appears too low branched for your purposes then prune away some of the lower limbs as it grows and fertilizer to restore the removal of energy. You have not mentioned the name of this avocado cultivar so I assume it is a seedling. Seedlings are very unpredictable. It may not be self fertile and will require a second variety tree for pollination. Perhaps you do not have pollinating insects interested in the tree. Flies work better than bees on avocado. Some seedlings bear early but I have seen some that took up to 25 years. I have a few here over 15 years that have yet to fruit from seed but one that fruited in 4 years.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 OK, we will prune more and we just fed it again. We feed once or twice a year - this avocado is a few years old already, bought from a greenhouse and allegedly self pollinating - there is a mature avocado about 50 feet away and many others nearby as well. Thank you for the help and I hope a for safe healthy holiday season for you and your family.
@@FrancescaAustin Avocado types are specific to climate. Wrong type in the wrong climate and they may never fruit. Check with sources to find out what types tend to work well in your area.
Be careful with fertilizer on Persimmon. Too much feeding, while fruit is on the tree, will blow all the fruit off on the ground from rapid growth. Feed only once each year in early spring just before bud break. The trees grow much better with organic fruit tree fertilizers. Use products that contain pro-biotic cultures and mycorrhizae. The trees require this sort of fungi to grow properly.
GreenGardenGuy1 that’s good to know ! I also heard that 4-8” of wood chips is good for fruit trees in general (less watering , natural slow release nutrients )
@@lofenoialof5320 There are better and worse materials for mulches. I used my own yard wastes because I could trust the content. When importing wood chips you usually get material from diseased trees that have been removed. You run the risk of bringing in pathogens that you didn't have originally. I usually do not import more than seeds & clean fertilizers. The primary mulch I used on persimmons was the prunings from my raspberry patch. They are very high in nitrogen. Later after the canes got dry and crunchy I would use them for BBQ and replace with fresh stuff.
@@lofenoialof5320 Since I am not in the fertilizer business so I seldom recommend brands. I use what is locally available. What you find on your local nursery shelf will vary from place to place and time to time. It often starts a wild goose chase. I suggest an organic fruit tree fertilizer that contains pro-biotic cultures, particularly mycorrhizae. Persimmons require these beneficial fungi to grow well. It would be used once per year in early spring or late winter. Feeding persimmon while fruit is on the tree usually results in the trees dropping the fruit.
Doesn't matter much whether the tree is containerized or bare root pruning is still the same. I highly recommend that you leave a pretty tall central trunk on a newly planted persimmon. The fruit will drag the branches down due to the weight. If you cut the main trunk too short in planting your branches will all hit the ground in time. I recommend having a look at the tree in this video before you get too busy cutting at the new tree. I generally do more pruning from the bottom up than from the top down with persimmon. ua-cam.com/video/Ijp-6_LD3p0/v-deo.html
GreenGardenGuy1 so it sounds like > 5’ is a good height 😄 you also mention to leave the straight up growth because they will eventually bend down . However how do you know if they are not suckers or purely leaf bearing branches ? Do you recommend looking for leaf buds and fruit spurs and remove more of the leaf buds and keep the fruit Spurs ? Thanks
@@lofenoialof5320 There is no such thing as a "sucker" in the canopy of a tree. This is a novice gardeners myth that some how keeps circulating. The only suckers you might ever see on a persimmon come from the root stock not the tree canopy. All growth in the top of the tree is a branch of the tree. From there we use human value judgments to decide if we like the branch or not.
@@lofenoialof5320 If it doesn't bend and the tree gets too tall just prune it in favor of more horizontal wood. There is no point in being concerned over the growth unless the fruit gets too high in the air. Aloha
I always use Corona wood handle loppers because the handles are replaceable. I purchased one from the local Navlet's garden center while I ran the store and another from Ace Hardware in Fremont. They are also available from Amazon on line. I used a 26" in the video but also own a 20" model. The ones I use are decades old and the exact tool is no longer manufactured. The new versions are similar though. www.amazon.com/Corona-WL-6361-Hickory-Handles/dp/B00004R9Y5
I use entirely Japanese tool when it comes to saw, pole saws and orchard loppers. I use an Astron orchard lopper. They come in different sizes. I bought mine from Shaa's saws in Fremont, CA but they should be on line. lavernepowerequipment.com/astron-n-128-long-reach-pruner Most of the time I use a Silky pole saw with a Zubot blade. www.amazon.com/Silky-Telescoping-Landscaping-13-Feet-272-18/dp/B0014CA2XS/ref=sr_1_4?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1481079565&sr=1-4&keywords=silky+pole+saw
Couldn't find any information on the Astron Orchar lopper other than your link, but in searching I found another Japanese brand called ARS. Don't know if you know them, if so how do you like them in comparison to Astron? Although, yours do look stronger built. www.ars-edge.co.jp/world/02products/product_04longpru.html www.amazon.com/ARS-160ZR305-Telescoping-Reach-Pruner/dp/B000GB8X7U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 www.amazon.com/ARS-180ZR305-Telescoping-Reach-Pruner/dp/B000GB38UW/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1481085192&sr=1-1&keywords=LA-180ZR305 www.oescoinc.com/ars-longreach-lopper-2-lengths.html
I own a few ARS tools like a cut and hold long neck fruit picker. Ars tools work okay but they are weaker than Astron. I am aware that Astron is very difficult to locate on the web. Mostly I find them in chain saw shops around the country. They are worth searching for because no one makes a better pole lopper.
Better try again and listen a bit closer this time. There is no pruning section. The pruning is being done at the same time as the picking. The two are combined into a single operation making both jobs much easier. I thought the idea was fairly clever but I guess I didn't repeat myself enough to make the idea clear. If you look at the text associated with this video I stated the two chores are combined.
+Scott L I suppose your geographical location would be important in how you search for a tree. If you live in California or a place where the Japanese persimmon can be grown your local nursery should have them. Most nurseries in the Fremont, CA area have them a some point in the year. If you have no local nurseries or live in an area where this fruit isn't commonly grown then you will have to order and ship a tree from one of the mail order sources. One Green World & Stark Brothers Nursery both ship the trees nation wide.
I do little for this tree, it hasn't been fed or watered in 15 years. I do keep a think mulch of leaves and raspberry canes under the tree. I believe that it is the variety. There are many trees labeled Fuyu persimmon but only one true Fuyu. This tree is a true Fuyu. Most trees sold and fruit sold is from Jiro which is often sold as Fuyu (Jiro). The growers like it because it is much easier to graft than the true Fuyu.
No one ever told me, the persimmon or the blackberries that they may have a problem with each other so they do quite well growing near by. I am surprised you would mention this though, I didn't think my blackberries were in this particular video. Unless you are referring to the above mentioned Raspberry trash I dump under my persimmon every year. The raspberries i mention are no where near my persimmon I just use the trash as mulch around my tree because the leaves are very high in nitrogen.
How cool is this? A hands-down, hands-on backyard approach, which verifies, reinforces, and substantiates what I just experienced with my old Fuyu tree, in terms of picking and pruning. One thing, Garden Guy that I did not know, was that the fruit is ready when orange. Do you notice any difference in sweetness, between an orange and red Fuyu? Picking when orange can solve a two-fold problem for myself. First, always having the fruit at their crunchiest, by shifting the picking season from hard red and soft red (over ripe), to hard orange and hard red. Second, here in Southern Cal the squirrels, possums, rats and birds, start becoming aggressive towards the fruit as their summer/fall stock of staples become depleted. Harvesting earlier in the season - before the competition starts - can yield a more bountiful supply. I have been using a bird net over the tree for years, which helps curtail the competition. Also, a dehydrator is useful when the fruit becomes overly abundant (and you've already given all your friends a gift bag of Fuyus). Fuyu chips swimming in a bowl of hot, steel cut oats is a pleasant variation. Thanks GreenGardenGuy1! My pith helmet is off to you and your helper!
Stan, It is nice to hear that some one else has figured out you can pick and prune persimmons in the same pass. Could this be the human equivalent of the 100th Monkey Phenomenon?
I believe the Fuyu tastes just a bit better if left in the tree until red orange but the difference is minimal from my point of view. I start picking as soon as they are orange and then continue picking until the birds have wiped out the crop. Persimmons picked while orange and set in the garage seem to color red and taste about the same as the ones in the tree.
I like the Fuyu in my morning muesli. It also makes excellent salsa if you use lime juice to balance the sugar and mix with peppers, onions, salt and cilantro. We make something similar in Hawaii with Papayas or Mangos.
Bill
GreenGardenGuy1...Fuyu salsa - outstanding. I can picture the lime juice in terms of balancing the sugar. Will give it a try this coming season, and hope to advise you in about 9 to 10 months. Till then, take care. - stan
Hi again Bill i kept watching your videos thanks for sharing them i couldn't wait to see your garden
Thank you, keep watching, lots to see here and more to come.
First year with persimmons growing on my Fuyu. Had to go to the internet after the persimmons looked ripe but didn't give when pulled. Bill, you are simply the best. Full of knowledge and presented in a straight forward way. Thanks for everything bud.
Sounds like this video was made just for you! So I imagine you have figured the fruit has to be clipped off no matter how ripe it is. Enjoy the Fuyu's, Bill
I just cut the entire branch, fruit and all. Then we clip them off on the ground. The process combines both picking and pruning in a single pass. The trees tend to stay pretty compact this way.
My dad was watching this with me and he can't understand English. he suddenly yelled "let them ripe, look how they eat and enjoy those snake venoms." Wanna the truth in Iran and specially in Shahriar County you can find persimmons just by a tilt of your head but no one have ever heard about non stringent. We have a word for it's taste and it pronounced just like "gas". And i never let a limb worth of 20 lbs of fruit fall on ground because it's sentence is a kick to the ladder with love from dad.
I had no use for this fruit until I tried the non astringent types myself. Since my first try I have been a lover of this fruit. Not having to wait until the fruit was soft made all the difference.
Thank you for the info! Going to pick mine today, or rather cut. Glad I watched, because I was tugging on them and thought they weren't ready. Now I know! Thank you!
In California Persimmons are over ripe and half eaten by birds in December. I hope yours are still in edible condition.
New subscriber, love persimmons.
Welcome! Here are two other persimmon videos
ua-cam.com/video/Q0a7A0n35RU/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/Ijp-6_LD3p0/v-deo.html
Good morning and happy Saturday! Just double checking on a question I believe you answered since FOR THE FIRST TIME I HAVE A GOOD SIZE CROP OF PERSIMMONS! YAY! You said when harvesting, don't just take the fruit, take the branch from behind the fruit and prune at the same time - some of the fruit is two feet into the branch. I will be lopping off quite a lot BUT I do need to prune the tree since it has overgrown its space (and is hanging over my chicken coop!)?? I want to make sure I do this correctly. We followed your advice last spring and fed the tree around it's perimeter at bud break and have a bumper crop. Thank you.
I am selective about which branches i prune with fruit in place. Persimmon tend to weigh down the branches with fruit and bend them toward earth. I usually leave these alone and only take the fruit. It is the branches that stick straight up and will cause the tree to grow out of reach that get pruned away. When I do this I remove the entire branch all the way back.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 We did this exactly - took the fruit and pruned away all the straight up branches we could reach - have a few more to do since this tree overgrew its spot for sure. Thanks.
@@FrancescaAustin Sounds good.
wish we could find a yard like yours to buy! would save us years we don't have. keep the videos coming, tnx
If you can wait three years it's all yours. My plans are to move to the house in Hawaii and sell this one as I retire. Start banking the down payment.
thats a plan ;-)
I wish you were my neighbors. Good video
I'm hard to keep track of unfortunately. My moves are frequent. The neighbors back in Wisconsin keep asking me questions, the California neighbors are always bemoaning my departure from the Golden State. Now that I sold the California home and moved to Hawaii the locals are dropping in daily for fruit, vegetable, plants and technical assistance. They may be the lucky ones, I am getting tired of moving around. Might be here on the Island for a while. Bill
Thank you for your good advised.
You're welcome.
Wow a lots amazing fruit has a bless !
Fuyu Persimmon are remarkably productive trees. Planting even just one requires a plan to deal with the fruit.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 Did you do the voice of Uncle Jesse on Dukes of Hazard?
@@samboherring3673 Never watched the show.
@@samboherring3673 Never watched the show.
This video is very informative. I live in New England and have a non-Asian persimmons. I know the fruit ripens when it fall to the ground in the fall, but I don't know when to prune it. I have a feeling since the fruit is on the summer growth it would be best to cut it in the spring, also considering the tree is already dormant by harvest time. Would love to hear any of your thoughts!
Nicole, I have never grown Diospyros virginiana. My persimmon knowledge is centered on the Japanese type, Diospyros kaki. I have seen the trees before and everything about them seems pretty much the same as Japanese persimmon. Although you say you wait for the fruit to fall so in this regard they must be rather different. On Japanese persimmons the fruit is so firmly attached to the branches that they must be cut free. If I waited for them to fall all I would get would be piles of rotten orange goo. When I lived in the eastern USA I would occasionally see American persimmons in the market. These were still firm and had been cut from the tree with a shear. With this in mind I would suggest the fruit can be harvested the same as the Japanese but placed in the garage to soften. Depending on what part of New England you live in would depend on when you prune the tree. American persimmons are only hardy to USDA zone 5. At this edge of the range I would prune after winter is winding down but before the bud break of spring. Persimmons do not like heavy pruning so keep it light. Too much pruning will cause them to skip a year of fruit.
Wonderful, thanks. You are right in line with the info I've received since. Apparently, you can harvest both ways in new englad. I will cut them and let them ripen indoor, this makes for a cleaner yard and no critters to steal 'em. Great advice about avoiding heavy prunning, will do!
I live in central coastal California. I have a lot of sand in my yard and have to mix in other soil with it to help keep in moisture . I just planted a Fuyu a week ago. My question is.....how often to water? Should I get a moisture meter? I think I tend to water to much. What is a good rule of thumb? Thank you! Love your video!
There is no rule of thumb on water other than give plants what they need. Every plant is a little different, as is climate and soil. The age of a plant matters a lot too. There are so many variables that your suggestion of a water meter is a good one. The Fuyu I had in California was on clay soil with a very thick mulch. Other than the first summer I never watered the tree in Fremont. I have Fuyu here in Hawaii too and I never water them here either but here it rains across the calendar unlike the 3 month in CA. Persimmon trees like to have moisture in the root zone during the growing season. I did this by keeping a foot of mulch under the tree at all times. I also use organic fertilizers with mycorrhizal fungi once every year. The fungi attach to the roots and supply the tree with water from a large area once developed. On a sand soil you will have to establish your own water schedule by using the meter. remember that the roots are not on the surface so measure the moisture deeply. Too much water will knock all the fruit off of a persimmon. If large amounts of fruit start dropping then you know you are over watering.
GreenGardenGuy1 thank you!
Hi I have a Fuyu persimmon tree in my backyard in southern California.It is about 20 yrs old. In the past, it has very large fruit like yours but in the last two years the fruit became so small. I did not do much in the past. It is close to the grass area and I watered the grass more often. Two year ago due to water restriction I do not water the grass as often. Do you think I should water the tree more ? or what else should i do to get back to big fruits
First I need to understand what you mean by small fruit. If the size reduction is only by 25% or less than I would say poor tree culture, lack of fertility and dry soil are the cause. IF the fruit is smaller than that then I suspect you have a sprouted root stock over running the top of your tree. Diospyros lotus is the usual root stock and it makes persimmons that are only about the size of a quarter. Beyond that all I can really say is you can not expect top quality fruit from a tree that isn't tended. Keep a 4" deep mulch of organic matter over the root system out to the drip line. Use an organic fruit tree food once in the early spring every year. Even if you stop watering the lawn your tree will still need irrigation or it will grow weak and stressed.
Hi Mr Bill how is Hiawai treating you,have you ever seen Fuyu put up sprouts from their roots?
Hawaii was a very good choice for me. They graft Fuyu persimmon onto several possible root stocks depending on the grower. Usually in the west it is Diospyros lotus. I have not seen this sucker but possible damage to the root could induce it. If it was grafted to Diospyros viginiana or others it could sucker. There is some sort of wild persimmon on the fence line here that suckers a lot.
Thank you so much, this was extremely helpful. My tree is about 6 ft. tall so I don't get as many as you do, but hey, it's only about 7 or 8 years old. :)
You are at the beginning of the Persimmons bearing age. the crops will only get larger from here. A good annual pruning while picking fruit will help even out the Fuyu Persimmons tendency to bear in alternate years. Happy gardening, Bill
GreenGardenGuy1 Thank you.
Seasons greetings, say it with persimmons. Bill
@@kcbknitter This was our first year with LOTS of fruit and a crazy prolific year for all the persimmons around Oakland - one neighbor said he was trying to give them to strangers passing by!
I have a persimmon tree, about 4 years old. It has 150+ persimmons this year. However the tree trunk is small and not strong. I have it staked up, but am wondering if that will make the tree weak in the future. If I didn't have it staked, the tree would bend to the ground. Should I have it staked? How should I prune it for strength? Thank you.
If I use a stake at all with fruit trees it is only for the first 6 months. It isn't used to support the tree, the wood does that job. The stake is used only to help the roots spread with out breaking off when the tree rocks in the wind. One the root has spread the stake is removed because keeping it in place creates a weak trunk as you have already discovered. My suggestion is to remove the stake this fall and reduce the head of the tree by about half. Once it has grown back to fruiting size the trunk should have toughened up enough to support the fruit. Persimmon wood is very hard and the branches sometimes break from fruit load but the trunk usually supports it's self just fine.
Thank you.
They look so delicious I wish I could grow Fuyu in my area. It’s too cold in North East in Zone 6.
They are best in 8 to 10. Zone 6 is probably too cold
GreenGardenGuy1 I got Ichi-Ki-Kei-Juro in the mail two weeks ago they said it’s ok for zone 6. It’s still in the pot I haven’t plant it in the ground yet it’s a size of stick but the leaves started to open it’s still cold out and I’m afraid it will die. Thanks for sharing your Video.
@@phoebekosaketh4316 It is spelled Jiro, not Juro. The tree is commonly sold in the USA labeled as Fuyu-Jiro. I have one in my orchard here in Hawaii as well as the regular Fuyu. Persimmon are late to leaf. Stark Brothers rates your tree to zone 6. If they are correct you should do fine.
That’s where I got it from Stark Bro’s. Thanks I will plant it this weekend. I’m so excited .
@@phoebekosaketh4316 Best wishes to you.
I have had two different types of persimmon planted and the root stock started to grow. At first, I thought the Fuyu was really growing well until I realized it was the root stock and not the Fuyu. Now the Fuyu is on the lower part of the tree. Can I remove the root stock growth without killing the whole tree?
I seldom guarantee that anyone can do anything and have it come out the way you wish. If the work was done by a person with good orchard skills it should come out just fine. If it was my tree it would have been gone already. A sprouted root stock is a bad thing, they generally over run the tree. Just make sure that the cut is as close to vertical as possible and if it is large, arm size, you might want to put a bit of latex paint on the surface. You probably have Diospyros lotus, it makes a good root stock on Fuyu. Nasty little brown berry size persimmons on D. lotus. Bill
With all due respect, soft persimmons esp hachiya ones, are absolutely delicious, just like honey.
I have no problem with the flavor of the soft astringent type. They taste as good or better than the non astringent types. It is the texture that put me off. Goopy and slimy is the impression they level me with. The crunch of the Fuyu type is more appealing to my pallet. The soft ones make an excellent cobbler though and so easy. Grease a baking dish, smash two soft persimmon into the pan, cover with biscuit dough, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, bake till golden at 350.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 thanks for the recipe!!
@@michaelo6124 Sure thing. I was hungry and in a hurry the night this was first tried.
I live in TN, where we have wild American persimmons that need to be harvested only after a frost or after they've fallen off the tree or else it's like eating sour cotton. I have a fuyu tree in my backyard and although it's only September, the fruit is already orange. The tree is a leggy 3 year old that I planted this year and it has 4 fruits I'm desperate to pick but don't want to pick too early. How do you know the fruit is ready? The tree was staked when I bought it and leans a bit because the trunk is weak (I searched high and low for a fuyu tree and it was the only one available in my area). should I prune it back and if so, to what shape? Or should I just remove the stake and hope it straightens and strengthens this winter? Thanks!
Fuyu Persimmons are ready to eat as soon as they turn orange. The fruit has no astringency, like the native persimmon, so it is just a matter of waiting for the sugar to develop. Orange means they are sweet enough to eat. The deeper the orange the sweeter and the more moisture in the fruit. Eventually they turn soft just like the native fruit. They are still edible that way too.
Trees only require stakes for a few months after planting so the roots can spread without being sheared by wind rocking the tree. The stakes should be placed outside the root ball not on the trunk. They should allow motion of the trunk so it grows strong. IF you have a tree that has grown up with a stake and has a weak trunk you will need to pull the stake out and prune the crown of the tree back so the trunk can grow strong. It will stiffen eventually but relieve the top weight so it doesn't crack in the mean time.
Hi Bill, I have a young fuyu persimmon tree that is about 5 ft tall now with several side branches, the lowest being about 2 feet from the ground. It has never been pruned since planting but now I want to train in into a proper structure. You say leave a tall trunk, so should I cut all the lower branches? Also, do I cut the central leader and leave evenly spaced main branches on top, or keep the central leader?
Persimmon trees can be grown either with a central leader or with a modified central leader. I like to use the modified leader form with about 5 to 6 main scaffold limbs. If you us a regular central leader form the trees grow fine but they will be very hard to pick in time since the fruit must be cut from the branch. This requires you can actually get near to the fruit. Because the fruit is very heavy and it drags the limbs downward I often prune the trees from the bottom up. If you leave any limbs attached to the trunk below 4 or 5 feet they will surely hang on the ground eventually.
Hi I know you posted this video a while ago and I know you now live in Hawaii but I am a fellow Bay Area neighbor who lives in Castro valley! Question- I bought a persimmon tree from Davis nursery in a 5 gallon pot and planted it on march 25th, but today there are still no buds coming out. I scratched the skin and it fresh/green underneath. Also when I cut the smaller branches it is also very green. Do you have any explanation for why it is taking so long to open? even though nothing looks dead? When I planted it I used composted soil from the store and added ironIte (not sure why just thought it would help). Thank you
So Ironite is not a fertilizer so that won't do much good or harm, it's neutral. You might call it a trace mineral fertilizer but because it comes from the tailings of an Arizona silver mine it also contains heavy metal. For good soil health we usually avoid it. This is not the source of you're trouble thought.
I am guessing that despite the plant having been in a pot it might be a bare root tree that was placed in a pot with compost for the sales floor. Were the roots visible, circling and the held the soil ball together? If yes, then that is good, not not, then not so good. If it was a bare root tree dropped into a pot it is best that it be rooted in the pot above ground and planted in the fall. If it was rooted in place then you did well by planting it. Persimmons are the last trees next to walnut and buckeye to leaf in spring so by worrying over the tree in mid May you are pushing at the envelope. When i ran Navlet's I used to take back about 20% of our bare root persimmons at the return desk because they did not leaf out. The soil is too cold in the Bay area to get a bare root persimmon to root if direct planted. In a black nursery pot in the warm sun they will root quickly but not in the cold soil. As an experiment I used to pot all of the persimmons that were returned to us. 90% of them would eventually root, sometimes as late as July. The tree in my Fremont garden was a return desk tree that I potted, leafed out in late June and then transplanted in October to the garden. Think back and try to determine if this was a container grown tree or a bare root stuck in a container. My guess is it was a bare root. If it was a true container grown tree it should leaf out by June.
GreenGardenGuy1 Hi, thank you for your response. You are right - when I pulled the plant out from the pot before planting, it wasn't stuck together like a ball, it scattered. So I will just keep it in the ground and I'll see how it goes. Thanks again!
The water table where we live in Florida is very high (18" - 2' below ground level) and our soil is quite sandy. Our persimmon tree is about four years old and bore some wonderfully sweet fruit in the fall of 2015, but in 2016 the fruit came on much like it did in 2015 and began to wither on the tree before it ripened enough to harvest. There is also a mossy looking substance that appears to be growing on the trunk and limbs. Is the water table a problem?
Moss or lichen on trees is seldom an issue. Florida has a lot more than moss that grows on trees and most of it doesn't harm the plant. I have never grown a persimmon on high water table conditions but I suspect your shriveled fruit is because of a root rot. Persimmons are fairly drought tolerant and do not care for wet feet. You probably have a phytophora attack on the roots. The problem will probably continue if the trees conditions remain the same. Raising the grade is the only solution. Sometimes this can be done with out digging up the plant. Lifting the tree in wet weather while dormant and back filling with compost can work.
GreenGardenGuy1 Thanks for the quick response. I suppose we'll have to raise our tree this coming fall. Can we accomplish the same thing by putting it in a large pot?
Sort of but no. The trees have very large spreading root systems and are not very successful in containers for long periods. If it was my tree and it wasn't possible to just lift the plant then I would dig the tree up, create a very tall raise mound of soil and replant the tree at near a foot above the grade. This should give the plant enough breathing room. Planting on mounds is a traditional practice in south Florida. Old time gardeners have been using the technique for over a century.
Great information here! We have a 20 foot tree in our back yard but it hasn’t really produced the last 2 seasons. Is the only time to prune when harvesting? We had a hot summer this year is the Santa Cruz mountains, and a tree came down that was providing some shade. Would that affect the fruit? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Pruning on Persimmon can be done in the winter if you chose to. I prune while picking so I don't have to do it in winter. My moto is if you are working too hard you are probably doing it wrong.
Persimmon do not need shade, it limits the sweetness and the number of fruit. The tree that was removed is a blessing. The only reason we prune the persimmon is to keep the tree compact. It fruits fine with no pruning.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 great info and thank you. I’m wondering why we’ve had 2 down years in a row. Maybe I’ll leave it alone then see what happens next season with no pruning. Like you said, Many people in our neighborhood don’t touch their trees and they load up big time.
@@woodenyooden Weather has been strange and generally not to the benefit of trees. During the last eruption here in Hawaii even the native trees hardly set seeds and fruit on exotics wasn't like past years. I have no explanation unless our 6.9 quake at the eruption start broke tree roots.
hey bill, hey got got 2 hachiya persimmons on grafted bare roots and they have a single main pole about 6ft tall from the graft, my question is should i cut that in about half or whats you recomendation for the post planting prune for plants that luuke like I < this and are tall like 6ft to make a nice structure to build from, thanks alot bil!! i finaly got my hachiya by waiting at the store when then unloaded there trees and getting the only 2 perssimons this year so far, havent seen any in 5 years of luuking at the store cause was always to late.
Hi Kush, Glad you found your Hachiya. They have become scarce in recent years because most people want the non-astringent types.
Because the persimmon tends to produce downward hanging branches caused by the fruit load I like to plant them with a rather tall central trunk. I usually prune back the side branches by 50% and then cut the tip of the trunk to reduce apical dominance. Keep a good trunk so you can keep the fruit load high.
perfect thanks alot bill! so these tree will be fine for now until they branch out, next pre spring trim ill shorten the branches by half to make them become more sturdy in anticipation of a future fruit load, thanks again bill!
Hi Bill great video, how long does it takes from seed to fruit. Also does it even makes sense to plant the seed, would I get a good crop or is it somewhat like planting apples from seeds. I live in the Caribbean so shipping a tree or seedlings to me is out of the question. Seeds are the only option I got.
Thanks
Persimmons would be a bit like apples, the progeny from seed would vary considerably. If you have enough room to plant several dozen trees and then cut down the undesirable plants for firewood you might get a few good trees out of the deal. Big Island. Diospyros nigra is a Persimmon native to Mexico that should be well adapted to the Caribbean. It grows true to seed. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_nigra
As far how long, few fruit trees take as long to come into fruiting as a Persimmon. A grafted tree can take 6 years to the first fruit, 10 years to a fair crop and 12 for a really big one. From seeds it could take twice that. My suggestion is don't think about how long, just plant the tree. I have dozens of trees in my yard that people consider too slow to bother with. They are with me because I didn't allow the clock in the back of my mind control my actions. Good luck.
Thank you. I just ordered what the seller said to be fuyu persimmon seeds. From my research it seems as thought they will do well in my climate. I'm thinking to plant them more in the cooler mountain region of my island. Hope this works out and I can enjoy fuyus in the next 10 years. Thanks again for your help.
Rosamund Roberts Rosamund, There are quite a few Japanese persimmons that have seeds but Fuyu isn't one of them. One of the main features of Fuyu is it's seedless nature. I have raised this fruit for over twenty years and in that time I have seen only 2 seeds form on my tree. When Fuyu does make seed it is usually because it is cross pollinated with another Japanese Persimmon that is seedy. This would mean that Fuyu seed isn't Fuyu.
okay I see, Here is a link to the seeds that I purchased. bit.ly/1sS7IZr I'm looking to do a bit of persimmon farming. The seller said that they are fuyu seed. What type of persimmon would I get if the fuyu does make seeds?
Rosamund Roberts Rosamund, I couldn't see anywhere in the sellers ad that he claimed these to be Fuyu persimmon seeds. They are labeled Asian Persimmon, that covers several hundred varieties that are not Fuyu. From my reading Fuyu is the only variety that these seeds definitely are not.. At the worst you will have lots of seedlings to use as rootstock if you ever do locate some wood for scions from Fuyu. There is only one way to grow Fuyu and that is by grafting. What comes out of the few rare seeds that Fuyu will produce is anyone's guess. You will always get Diospyros kaki but the quality will be debatable.
Persimmon tree are growing wild in the Carolinas.
You live in the native range of Diospyros virginiana the native American persimmon. The tree in the video is similar but is native to Japan, the Diospyros kaki or Japanese persimmon. The main difference is the fruit has no astringency and can be eaten when still crunchy like an apple.
Thanks for the awesome vid post! I am super curios how it taste :D
Quick question..
Will fuyu grow in semi trop? Does it self pollenate? What kind of soil does it like?
Yes the Fuyu is grown in Hawaii between 500 and 6000 feet elevation. They are self fertile and parthenocarpic. They are indifferent to any average soil in the slightly acid to neutral pH range.
Cool Thanks!
I think I'll try one out if I can get a seed around here :D
Nik Lyons Nik, Fuyu persimmons are parthenocarpic (they make fruit without sex). They have no seeds so trees can be propagated only by grafting to a seedling root stock or air layering. The simplest solution is to buy one and have it shipped if no trees are found locally.
GreenGardenGuy1
Thanks for the info!! I will keep my eye out for one. I have to learn more about air layering. My neighbor was telling e but I forgot. It's basically laying it on top of the ground with a big rock holding down the base of the cutting? Does it have to lose it's leaves if the winter is mild? Thanks again!
Nik Lyons No, the technique you are describing is called "pegging". An air layer is done by girdling a branch up in the tree then wrapping it in a medium like moss and plastic so it forms roots up in the air. The trees have the most beautiful fall leaves, even in tropical climates.
This was a very good video up I enjoyed it, good information I have a question sir I was told that dwarf trees will get being regardless, I have a peach tree that I keep right now at 7 feet tall and 5 feet wide it's still a very young Peach tree, three years of age. I was told that this trees will get much bigger as it gets older, my question is do you can I keep a tree the height and width that you want regardless of what the trees genetics say?
The first thing I would say is review greengardenguy1 Pruning Peach Trees video. It covers most of your question. I can add to that by reminding you that peaches and nectarines require more pruning than any other fruit tree. This makes them easy to keep small. We cut away about 60% of last years growth every year and after 7 or 8 years cut the scaffold limbs back to keep the trees compact. You are the man with the shears, you have the control on sizing your trees. Give the tree a size limit and prune for it.
GreenGardenGuy1 You are the one that knows about trees, I just came in from looking at my dwarf cherry trees, and sometime I have to wonder if this is actually a dwarf and they're only three years old. I will keep all of my trees at 7 feet 4 feet wide. Thanks to the information that you have given me I know that I am the one that control their size. Thank you
***** Dwarf trees take on all sorts of sizes depending on the type of dwarf and the type of fruit. Trees that are natural midgets are called genetic dwarfs, these are the smallest of all. After that there are a variety of root stocks that control tree size. Semi dwarf is actually a pretty large tree. Trees labeled as Dwarf are generally a bit smaller. Trees with Ultra dwarf rootstocks are smaller yet. None of them stop growing so depending on how old they are and how you use your shears all of them can grow quite large. Dwarf is really a rate of growth not an inevitable size when it comes to trees. Dwarfs grow slower than other trees. Pruning shears keep them small.
4:52 I laughed soooo loud.
My greatest mishaps in the orchard often get the best comments. I believe i have several banana videos where i get crushed by falling fruit or stalks too.
thinking about getting a persimmons tree in the yard, and come across your vid - based off your experience, does the tree have some pest issues? thanks.
Very few pest of persimmon in California. What eats your tree depends on where you live. In Hawaii I have terrible issues with rose beetles. In CA I would some times have ants farming mealy bugs around the stem. It wasn't a big deal and they wash off. Other than that birds were a big issue. They will eat all the fruit if you don't pick fast once color shows. The trees can be hard to establish anywhere. I do not recommend using bare root trees planted direct to the field. They are best rooted in the pot for a summer and moved to the field in fall. Keep a deep organic mulch under the trees and us organic fertilizers with pro-biotics. The trees need the fungal association on the roots.
Hi Bill, I have a fuyu that is 1-1/2 year old. I have my first crop but I have noticed that some fuyus are falling off the tree. When I open them up the center is brown. Is this common. Do I need to spray my tree? This is my first time planting anything.
It is perfectly normal for young Japanese persimmon trees to shed fruit. The fruits don't hold reliably to the stems until after the 6th year. You can reduce the losses by not over fertilizing the tree and using a mulch to keep the soil moisture even. Heavy watering and heavy feeding will blow the fruit right off of the young trees. After the tenth year the fruit all stays put on the tree. Before that time the drop slows by the 6th year but may still occur some. Use an organic fertilizer once in the spring and put down 4 inches of compost on the soil out to the drip line every spring. Otherwise there is little else you can do but wait for the tree to mature some. Bill
GreenGardenGuy1 Thank you.
Ha! Old video, but enjoyed it just the same! You seem like a nice congenial fellow who'd make a great neighbor. :-) Enjoyed the video, take care!
All depends on who moves in next door. Thanks.
How do you prevent persimmon fruit drop? The fruit never seems to stay until they ripen. It's going to be august tomorrow and there's a lot of fruit on the ground already. Last year we only had 4 left on the tree that ripened.
Usually any fruit drop on persimmon is long over by August. If they are still falling I would inspect the stem carefully. My thought is you have a rodent like a squirrel or a rat cutting the fruit loose. Usually fruit drop on persimmon only happens for 30 days or so after flowering. Fruit drop is normal on trees under 6 to 8 years old so it isn't a concern. If the trees are older than 6 years and the fruit keeps falling through late summer than we need to think about things a bit. Persimmons that are fertilized more than once per year at the very end of winter will blow off fruit because they grow too hard to hold on to it. Persimmons that are allowed to go dry and then be over watered also blow off fruit. I never had a problem with this on my tree but the tree was dry land farmed with no irrigation and Fertilizer was applied only once each year in February. I maintained the moisture under the tree by keeping a foot thick mulch on the ground.
GreenGardenGuy1 thanks for the reply. You answered my question very adequately. My 2 trees are 3 years old so I guess I have to put up with it until they're 6 years old. Any tips on preventing fruit drops until then?
The only tips I can offer are the ones already offered. Use a mulch under the trees to even out the moisture. Water only if the soil under the mulch begins to dry. Feed only once at the unset of growth. Organic fertilizers with fungal inoculants work best.
Good morning. I have an avocado bush question. It’s supposed to be a tree but looks more like a bush! My question is how to prune it. I’d like to send you a photo. We transplanted it two years ago and it’s growing much better in the ground than it did in a pot but blossoms fall off and no fruit. It’s about five years with me and probably a few years old when we got it. Can I send a photo?
Certainly there is no harm in sending me photos but I don't really see how they would help much. If the plant appears too low branched for your purposes then prune away some of the lower limbs as it grows and fertilizer to restore the removal of energy. You have not mentioned the name of this avocado cultivar so I assume it is a seedling. Seedlings are very unpredictable. It may not be self fertile and will require a second variety tree for pollination. Perhaps you do not have pollinating insects interested in the tree. Flies work better than bees on avocado. Some seedlings bear early but I have seen some that took up to 25 years. I have a few here over 15 years that have yet to fruit from seed but one that fruited in 4 years.
@@GreenGardenGuy1 OK, we will prune more and we just fed it again. We feed once or twice a year - this avocado is a few years old already, bought from a greenhouse and allegedly self pollinating - there is a mature avocado about 50 feet away and many others nearby as well. Thank you for the help and I hope a for safe healthy holiday season for you and your family.
@@FrancescaAustin Avocado types are specific to climate. Wrong type in the wrong climate and they may never fruit. Check with sources to find out what types tend to work well in your area.
É uma fruta maravilhosa. It's a wonderful fruit.
Indeed it is. I shall hope my orchard is never without a Fuyu Persimmon. Aloha, Bill
great info. thank you sir
+LeftyLouis You are welcome.
How often and with what do
You fertilize these with ? 🕊
Be careful with fertilizer on Persimmon. Too much feeding, while fruit is on the tree, will blow all the fruit off on the ground from rapid growth. Feed only once each year in early spring just before bud break. The trees grow much better with organic fruit tree fertilizers. Use products that contain pro-biotic cultures and mycorrhizae. The trees require this sort of fungi to grow properly.
GreenGardenGuy1 that’s good to know ! I also heard that 4-8” of wood chips is good for fruit trees in general (less watering , natural slow release nutrients )
@@lofenoialof5320 There are better and worse materials for mulches. I used my own yard wastes because I could trust the content. When importing wood chips you usually get material from diseased trees that have been removed. You run the risk of bringing in pathogens that you didn't have originally. I usually do not import more than seeds & clean fertilizers. The primary mulch I used on persimmons was the prunings from my raspberry patch. They are very high in nitrogen. Later after the canes got dry and crunchy I would use them for BBQ and replace with fresh stuff.
GreenGardenGuy1 that’s good to know. What would you consider to be a safe fertilizer ? Thank you
@@lofenoialof5320 Since I am not in the fertilizer business so I seldom recommend brands. I use what is locally available. What you find on your local nursery shelf will vary from place to place and time to time. It often starts a wild goose chase. I suggest an organic fruit tree fertilizer that contains pro-biotic cultures, particularly mycorrhizae. Persimmons require these beneficial fungi to grow well. It would be used once per year in early spring or late winter. Feeding persimmon while fruit is on the tree usually results in the trees dropping the fruit.
What height could these be trained to when planting a new barefoot fuyu ? Thank you
Doesn't matter much whether the tree is containerized or bare root pruning is still the same. I highly recommend that you leave a pretty tall central trunk on a newly planted persimmon. The fruit will drag the branches down due to the weight. If you cut the main trunk too short in planting your branches will all hit the ground in time. I recommend having a look at the tree in this video before you get too busy cutting at the new tree. I generally do more pruning from the bottom up than from the top down with persimmon.
ua-cam.com/video/Ijp-6_LD3p0/v-deo.html
GreenGardenGuy1 so it sounds like > 5’ is a good height 😄 you also mention to leave the straight up growth because they will eventually bend down . However how do you know if they are not suckers or purely leaf bearing branches ? Do you recommend looking for
leaf buds and fruit spurs and remove more of the leaf buds and keep the fruit Spurs ? Thanks
@@lofenoialof5320 There is no such thing as a "sucker" in the canopy of a tree. This is a novice gardeners myth that some how keeps circulating. The only suckers you might ever see on a persimmon come from the root stock not the tree canopy. All growth in the top of the tree is a branch of the tree. From there we use human value judgments to decide if we like the branch or not.
GreenGardenGuy1 wow ! Thanks for clarifying that myth .
I will let the upward growth continue and let the fruit do all of the bending 😄 thank you !
@@lofenoialof5320 If it doesn't bend and the tree gets too tall just prune it in favor of more horizontal wood. There is no point in being concerned over the growth unless the fruit gets too high in the air. Aloha
what brand of orchard lopper is that and where can you buy one?
I always use Corona wood handle loppers because the handles are replaceable. I purchased one from the local Navlet's garden center while I ran the store and another from Ace Hardware in Fremont. They are also available from Amazon on line. I used a 26" in the video but also own a 20" model. The ones I use are decades old and the exact tool is no longer manufactured. The new versions are similar though. www.amazon.com/Corona-WL-6361-Hickory-Handles/dp/B00004R9Y5
What about the long reach loppers? (brand and where to buy)
I use entirely Japanese tool when it comes to saw, pole saws and orchard loppers. I use an Astron orchard lopper. They come in different sizes. I bought mine from Shaa's saws in Fremont, CA but they should be on line. lavernepowerequipment.com/astron-n-128-long-reach-pruner
Most of the time I use a Silky pole saw with a Zubot blade. www.amazon.com/Silky-Telescoping-Landscaping-13-Feet-272-18/dp/B0014CA2XS/ref=sr_1_4?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1481079565&sr=1-4&keywords=silky+pole+saw
Couldn't find any information on the Astron Orchar lopper other than your link, but in searching I found another Japanese brand called ARS. Don't know if you know them, if so how do you like them in comparison to Astron? Although, yours do look stronger built.
www.ars-edge.co.jp/world/02products/product_04longpru.html
www.amazon.com/ARS-160ZR305-Telescoping-Reach-Pruner/dp/B000GB8X7U/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
www.amazon.com/ARS-180ZR305-Telescoping-Reach-Pruner/dp/B000GB38UW/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1481085192&sr=1-1&keywords=LA-180ZR305
www.oescoinc.com/ars-longreach-lopper-2-lengths.html
I own a few ARS tools like a cut and hold long neck fruit picker. Ars tools work okay but they are weaker than Astron. I am aware that Astron is very difficult to locate on the web. Mostly I find them in chain saw shops around the country. They are worth searching for because no one makes a better pole lopper.
Well said
Thank you.
Where in the bay area are you located?
We used to live in Fremont, CA. A year ago we sold that home and moved to Hawaii near Hilo.
Nice! Grow big huge Avocados!
Where is the pruning section?
Better try again and listen a bit closer this time. There is no pruning section. The pruning is being done at the same time as the picking. The two are combined into a single operation making both jobs much easier. I thought the idea was fairly clever but I guess I didn't repeat myself enough to make the idea clear. If you look at the text associated with this video I stated the two chores are combined.
Here is another video on pruning persimmon that might be more useful to you.
ua-cam.com/video/Ijp-6_LD3p0/v-deo.html
where can I buy a persimmon tree?
+Scott L I suppose your geographical location would be important in how you search for a tree. If you live in California or a place where the Japanese persimmon can be grown your local nursery should have them. Most nurseries in the Fremont, CA area have them a some point in the year. If you have no local nurseries or live in an area where this fruit isn't commonly grown then you will have to order and ship a tree from one of the mail order sources. One Green World & Stark Brothers Nursery both ship the trees nation wide.
Fast Growing Trees. com
@@GreenGardenGuy1Green garden Guy1
How do you get them so big?
I do little for this tree, it hasn't been fed or watered in 15 years. I do keep a think mulch of leaves and raspberry canes under the tree. I believe that it is the variety. There are many trees labeled Fuyu persimmon but only one true Fuyu. This tree is a true Fuyu. Most trees sold and fruit sold is from Jiro which is often sold as Fuyu (Jiro). The growers like it because it is much easier to graft than the true Fuyu.
so blackberrys do well with persimmons nearby?
No one ever told me, the persimmon or the blackberries that they may have a problem with each other so they do quite well growing near by. I am surprised you would mention this though, I didn't think my blackberries were in this particular video. Unless you are referring to the above mentioned Raspberry trash I dump under my persimmon every year. The raspberries i mention are no where near my persimmon I just use the trash as mulch around my tree because the leaves are very high in nitrogen.
I can't wait for my to grow and bear fruits.
It takes a while but they are worth the wait. Japanese persimmon are reliable trees once they begin to produce.