Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
If you are in 6B or south of it, you should be able to start sexing persimmons. Guys to the north may have to wait a few more days. These pics from today. First pic is a male and last two pics are females.
Love my seedling persimmons
- Thread starter Native Hunter
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ksgobbler
5 year old buck +
I need to run down and look. I know 2 of them are females for sure.If you are in 6B or south of it, you should be able to start sexing persimmons. Guys to the north may have to wait a few more days. These pics from today. First pic is a male and last two pics are females.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
It's hard to believe, but both of those female pics above are from trees topworked in the spring of last year. And it was several flowers on several trees. I've never had them to make flowers the year after topworking before. Will be interesting to see if I get any fruit from those this year.
Another thing I have learned about persimmons - if you have a tree getting fairly large (say 12 feet or more) and haven't seen any flowers yet, there is a good chance it is a female. I've noticed that males start making flowers sooner than females.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
The best I've done is first fruit in the second leaf. I know you know this, but others may not. It is possible to get a fruit or two in the very year you graft. This is not indicative of the trees fruiting development. It occurs when the scion has a flower bud on it. I got one or two of them to fruit in my deck in containers.
By the way, in my zone May 10th is prime time for bark grafting persimmons! The sap is flowing well and the bark is slipping.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Here is something else that can be done with persimmons:
They will often appear in little groves with several different sprouts like in the picture below. You can go ahead and topwork a few of the sprouts and let the others grow. If the ones you leave alone turn out to be female, you can later choose between the native female and the one you topworked. Or, if they are far enough apart, you can leave both of them and have two different varieties within a few feet of each other. Hard to go wrong with persimmons...
I just found this little grove of sprouts this weekend at the edge of a ditch where I mow up to. I have marked them with ribbon and will let them grow and use the methodology mentioned above. I can't tell yet if they are male or female, but it doesn't matter - I'm going to have fruit from them one way or the other...Good Lord willing of course....
They will often appear in little groves with several different sprouts like in the picture below. You can go ahead and topwork a few of the sprouts and let the others grow. If the ones you leave alone turn out to be female, you can later choose between the native female and the one you topworked. Or, if they are far enough apart, you can leave both of them and have two different varieties within a few feet of each other. Hard to go wrong with persimmons...
I just found this little grove of sprouts this weekend at the edge of a ditch where I mow up to. I have marked them with ribbon and will let them grow and use the methodology mentioned above. I can't tell yet if they are male or female, but it doesn't matter - I'm going to have fruit from them one way or the other...Good Lord willing of course....
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
A Civil War Persimmon Tree Story from the Library of Congress
Source: https://www.loc.gov/resource/wpalh3.33011210/?sp=3&st=text
“Another interesting incident father was fond of telling was the story of the persimmon tree, when they marched on Nashville, Tennessee, under General Hoods campaign, during the days of the Confederate struggle. I will try to tell it in his own words. After the fall of Atlanta we marched northward into Tennessee over frozen ground and how cold it was! Our shoes were worn out and our feet were torn and bleeding. As I marched over the rough frozen road I tore up one of my two shirts and made bandages of it to ease the pain. We endured great hardships, the snow was on the ground and there was no food. Out rations were a few grains of parched corn. When we reached the vicinity of Nashville we were very hungry and we began to search for food. Over in a valley stood a tree which seemed to be loaded with fruit. It was a frost bitten persimmon tree, but as I look back over my whole life, never have I tasted any food which would compare with these persimmons.” Not many years ago father walked with me to see a farm which he had recently bought, in it there stood a persimmon tree which was taking from the productiveness of the soil for a large size space surrounding it. I said, “Why do you leave that persimmon tree standing here in the way of farming?” Then he told me the story of the persimmon tree back in the days when they marched on Nashville and said, “Son, when I am gone, I want you to see that this tree is spared and let it be a reminder to all of you of my gratitude to God for the other tree which fed as in those days gone by.” I promised and the tree stands today.
Source: https://www.loc.gov/resource/wpalh3.33011210/?sp=3&st=text
“Another interesting incident father was fond of telling was the story of the persimmon tree, when they marched on Nashville, Tennessee, under General Hoods campaign, during the days of the Confederate struggle. I will try to tell it in his own words. After the fall of Atlanta we marched northward into Tennessee over frozen ground and how cold it was! Our shoes were worn out and our feet were torn and bleeding. As I marched over the rough frozen road I tore up one of my two shirts and made bandages of it to ease the pain. We endured great hardships, the snow was on the ground and there was no food. Out rations were a few grains of parched corn. When we reached the vicinity of Nashville we were very hungry and we began to search for food. Over in a valley stood a tree which seemed to be loaded with fruit. It was a frost bitten persimmon tree, but as I look back over my whole life, never have I tasted any food which would compare with these persimmons.” Not many years ago father walked with me to see a farm which he had recently bought, in it there stood a persimmon tree which was taking from the productiveness of the soil for a large size space surrounding it. I said, “Why do you leave that persimmon tree standing here in the way of farming?” Then he told me the story of the persimmon tree back in the days when they marched on Nashville and said, “Son, when I am gone, I want you to see that this tree is spared and let it be a reminder to all of you of my gratitude to God for the other tree which fed as in those days gone by.” I promised and the tree stands today.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
It's that time of year.
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
I checked mine this past weekend. Some have leaves while others haven't budded out yet. I have 2 year old persimmon trees of varying sizes, some of which are about the size they were when planted or tall and fairly thin. What's the smallest diameter persimmon trees you've topworked? I'm guessing so long as the scion isn't larger, it can be done?
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Probably about an inch diameter but smaller would work with smaller scions.
blueKYstream
5 year old buck +
Great, I'll give it a shot this week or next with Barbara's Blush and Zima Kurma. Do you have any varieties in particular that you're really happy with? I know some of yours have some age on them now. Wasn't sure if you tracked them much with everything you got growing there.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
My best persimmon production so far has been the native seedlings that are starting to bear heavily. They drop all through hunting season. My Miller and Deer Magnet trees that I bought from Nolin River are growing but yet to produce a persimmon. My dog doc trees I topworked are the same way. The Trees I topworked to Yates and Meader are doing great and making loads of persimmons. I need to watch those last two closer for drop times. This spring I added some new ones so in a few years I should have more to report.
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
I went out checking some persimmons this afternoon and felt like I really hit the jackpot.
First, I checked 3 trees that were topworked 3 years ago, and all of them are loaded with female flowers.
Second, I checked 4 native seedlings (probably 7-9 years old) that just came up on their on in good locations not close to each other. I had fenced these this spring. All 4 of the native seedlings had female flowers and 2 of them were literally loaded. So, I will have 7 new persimmon trees producing fruit this fall.
First pic below is one of the seedlings in native grass that was mowed not long ago.
Second Pic is female flowers on a persimmon tree.
Last Pic is male flowers - just in case anyone needs to see these.
Yes, I know - need to go buy a lottery ticket today.....
First, I checked 3 trees that were topworked 3 years ago, and all of them are loaded with female flowers.
Second, I checked 4 native seedlings (probably 7-9 years old) that just came up on their on in good locations not close to each other. I had fenced these this spring. All 4 of the native seedlings had female flowers and 2 of them were literally loaded. So, I will have 7 new persimmon trees producing fruit this fall.
First pic below is one of the seedlings in native grass that was mowed not long ago.
Second Pic is female flowers on a persimmon tree.
Last Pic is male flowers - just in case anyone needs to see these.
Yes, I know - need to go buy a lottery ticket today.....
williams111
5 year old buck +
Any chance my seedling SAAP, Prok and Wapello Persimmons will flower this year? This is their 4th growing season in the ground. I am impressed with their growth for zone 5. They didn't experience any dieback this year like years past. I'm hoping that is due to them being more established, we didn't have a warm winter. I have about 25 growing currently, they're not all this size. Would you suggest grafting to other hardy varieties or wait and see how these seedlings do? I am thinking a mix of the 2 if I can find some good varieties for my zone. Thanks!
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Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Your trees look great. It's hard to say when the flowering will start. All my experience is in Zone 6, so someone else in Zone 5 might be able to advise you better. However, being that far north, I would recommend sticking with 90 C varieties if I were you.
Good luck
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
Two years ago, this seedling persimmon (about 12 years old) produced the grand total of one persimmon as its first crop. I stood in the bed of the truck and found the one fruit. Two years later, every limb is covered with fruit. They are slow to start, but can really take off fast once they get started. This year all of my persimmons are loaded. I could feed all of the deer in the state.
