# Persimmon Growers



## Iron Head

Let's talk about persimmons.
I live in Western Washington and have a few varieties of Asian Persimmons.
I have Saijo, Great Wall, Izu, and Coffee Cake.
This fall I have my first successfully ripen crop of Saijo and Izu and I am expecting to see a full crop of all 4 next year.
So what you guys got for persimmons?
Oh, my persimmons are all on D. Lotus rootstock and I'm also experimenting on propagation and grafting.


----------



## Deleted member 83629

only thing i know about them is if you eat one before it is ripe you're face will fall in your head.
good eating when ripe though.


----------



## Iron Head

jakewells said:


> only thing i know about them is if you eat one before it is ripe you're face will fall in your head.
> good eating when ripe though.


That's only valid for the astringent type.
My Saijo is the astringent type and they are wonderful balls of honey right now.
There are 4 types of persimmons, astringent, non-astringent, pollination-variant, and pollination-constant.
Of all the fruit trees I have, persimmons are the most intriguing.
My ultimate goal is to try and develop a new variety for cold climate.
This means I will most likely start collecting some American varieties for hybridization.


----------



## ChoppyChoppy

I had to Google to see what a persimmon was. Looks almost like a tomato?


----------



## Del_

Iron Head said:


> That's only valid for the astringent type.
> My Saijo is the astringent type and they are wonderful balls of honey right now.
> There are 4 types of persimmons, astringent, non-astringent, pollination-variant, and pollination-constant.
> Of all the fruit trees I have, persimmons are the most intriguing.
> My ultimate goal is to try and develop a new variety for cold climate.
> This means I will most likely start collecting some American varieties for hybridization.



What cultivars would you suggest for the Gainesville GA area?

I've got natives. It's my favorite tree.


----------



## Iron Head

Del_ said:


> What cultivars would you suggest for the Gainesville GA area?
> 
> I've got natives. It's my favorite tree.


You have nearly an unlimited option compared to western Washington.
I am sure your local nurseries can help you out.


----------



## Del_

Iron Head said:


> You have nearly an unlimited option compared to western Washington.
> I am sure your local nurseries can help you out.



I'd do some research.

I've yet to see persimmon at local nurseries.


----------



## Iron Head

Del_ said:


> I'd do some research.
> 
> I've yet to see persimmon at local nurseries.


Here is a YouTube from Georgia.


----------



## chuckwood

I've got one persimmon tree I purchased at a garden center a few years ago. I just checked it and it has a few green persimmon fruits on it. I don't know what variety it is, the label on the tree doesn't have that information. I figure if I don't like the persimmons, the possums around here will.


----------



## Ranchers-son

All I know about persimmon trees is their hard to kill have to spot spray them with remedy and dicaimba. And birds spread the seeds so they can take over a pasture fast


----------



## mohick

Only good thing about them is deer love them!!!!!!!!


----------



## sawfun

Chocolate persimmons, yum. It seems some varieties are great, others, mere pests making nothing but a mess. How big at the base are folks biggest persimmon trees?


----------



## Brushwacker

ValleyFirewood said:


> I had to Google to see what a persimmon was. Looks almost like a tomato?


In the picture they do, in real life I wouldn't say that. When they are ripe they look like small rotten apples. Taste great though, are excellent in jam.


----------



## Brushwacker

Ranchers-son said:


> All I know about persimmon trees is their hard to kill have to spot spray them with remedy and dicaimba. And birds spread the seeds so they can take over a pasture fast


 I planted the variety native to southern Indiana, sold by the state tree nursery. Sounds like them, really spread fast after they start producing fruit. Mostly near the trees here. I assumed off the dropped fruits and may be off the tree roots also. Do attract possums and other animals, even my dog enjoys them. When they are ripe I take a walk to my little grove for a sweet daily vitamin c dose. 
I plan on thinning mine out and trying to contain them in a smaller area. Wouldn't want to get rid of them all unless I get some comparable fruit trees producing first.


----------



## Ranchers-son

@Brushwacker everything has it's pro's and con's. I love my Grandma's persimmon jelly and deer do like them but sometimes cattle get addicted to them and make themselves really sick ( this is rare) worst thing is cattle don't graze amongst them and then the real brush starts growing. I remember something my Grandma told me a long time ago " too much of a good thing can be a bad thing " Keep control and enjoy!


----------



## Oldengr

I have had 1 tree in the back yard for over 20 years. It is an Asian variety but I don't know what. When ripe soft and sweet. Usually get 5 to 6 grocery bags of the tree. A lot of them go to a friend who makes persimmon vinegar out of them.


----------



## StihlBadger

Del_ said:


> What cultivars would you suggest for the Gainesville GA area?
> 
> I've got natives. It's my favorite tree.



I'm NE of Athens.

I'm growing Saijo,Fuyu,and a couple of trees that were labeled as Hachiya,but may be another variety.I have a lot of wild persimmon trees.I have tried to graft Asian varieties on my wild male rootstocks,but they have failed,possibly due to bad weather in the last couple years when I started to graft them.I graft apple,pear,plum,and fig trees,but I have failed with persimmons so far.

You might want to look at this video link for someone growing a number of different varieties in North GA.


----------



## Del_

Thanks for the info and link to the video!


----------

