Persimmion age

[buckdeer1]

How old do they have to be before they produce fruit?I have some that are probably 6-8 years old that were supposed to be grafted but nothing. I haven't done grafting but I think I am to the point that all the pear trees that were supposed to be FB resistant that aren't are coming down along with the male persimmions. I have more fruit on the walmart trees I bought 10 years ago than any other tree I have planted.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

My best persimmons were on their 5th year when they flowered the first time. Technically 4 years in a tree tube on our place, and they were 1 year old seedlings from MDC. I would say they were around 7-8 feet. Nearly all of them that are out of the 5 foot tubes for a year or two will start to flower.

If your trees are getting that big, they should be flowering already. Look really closely for the flowers. They are very inconspicuous. You may not be getting fruit if you do not have a male amongst your females.

 

[Native Hunter]

I suggest looking at the persimmon flowers before doing anything else. You can see if they are male or female. I once bought 6 grafted persimmons, and one ended up being a male. This happens when a shoot from the rootstock comes up right at the same point a graft was made, and the person didn't notice it when the tape was removed.

It's not unusual for a volunteer female persimmon to remain fruitless for that length of time, but grafted persimmons that are healthy will usually be fruiting by then. For female persimmons to produce fruit with viable seed, they need a male, but they produce fruit with no (or unviable) seed without a male. This process is known as parthenocarpy. I have several 90 chromosome persimmon varieties with no 90 C males in the area, but they still produce good fruit.

Unless your pears are absolutely horrible, I would wait until later before doing something drastic. This year has been the worst for disease that I have ever seen in my life. Even the most resistant apple varieties such as Liberty, Enterprise, etc. are showing at least some signs of disease. However, it is nothing to get overly alarmed about.

 

[bwoods11]

My best persimmons were on their 5th year when they flowered the first time. Technically 4 years in a tree tube on our place, and they were 1 year old seedlings from MDC. I would say they were around 7-8 feet. Nearly all of them that are out of the 5 foot tubes for a year or two will start to flower.

If your trees are getting that big, they should be flowering already. Look really closely for the flowers. They are very inconspicuous. You may not be getting fruit if you do not have a male amongst your females.

I planted 10 this yr in Mercer County MO, I’m hoping for fruit in 5-7 years?

 

[PatinPA]

Mine are 6-7 years old and have yet to flower once. I keep waiting to see which sex they are but this year again nothing. They're planted seedlings. My best one is probably over 12 feet tall and the trunk 1.5-2 inches in diameter.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I planted 10 this yr in Mercer County MO, I’m hoping for fruit in 5-7 years?

I've been really aggressively planting persimmons on all three of our properties. Somewhere between 50 and 100 each year. Because there weren't many around, I wasn't really sure the conditions that they preferred, so I was trying to cast a wide net.

They have done really well in all of our bottom ground with the best soil. If you can get the trees to at least an inch and a half, that tends to be when they start producing the flowers. They tend to prefer mostly full sun but they can also be an understory tree as well.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Mine are 6-7 years old and have yet to flower once. I keep waiting to see which sex they are but this year again nothing. They're planted seedlings. My best one is probably over 12 feet tall and the trunk 1.5-2 inches in diameter.

That's really surprising to me. I wouldn't give up on them. I went from having no flowers on a tree to having dozens on several within a single growing season.

 

[BrushyPines]

I planted 8 common persimmons back in 2019 and so far 3 are males. I'm hoping with how long it is taking for the other 5 to flower that they will be females. Anyone have any experience with this hopeful theory of mine?

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I planted 8 common persimmons back in 2019 and so far 3 are males. I'm hoping with how long it is taking for the other 5 to flower that they will be females. Anyone have any experience with this hopeful theory of mine?

That has been my observation. I would yield to Native's experience though.

Here is another good thread on here that is worth checking out:

M

Thread 'Persimmon seedling?'

Apr 16, 2023

I have 8 American Persimmon seedlings from a local soil and water package. I have a green house as well. Would you reccomend planting them in pots for year or two in the green house? Go ahead and plant at final destination? Do you reccomend tubes? Tia

• Mattyq2402
• Replies: 6
• Forum: Fruit Trees

 

[TreeDaddy]

I've been really aggressively planting persimmons on all three of our properties. Somewhere between 50 and 100 each year. Because there weren't many around, I wasn't really sure the conditions that they preferred, so I was trying to cast a wide net.

They have done really well in all of our bottom ground with the best soil. If you can get the trees to at least an inch and a half, that tends to be when they start producing the flowers. They tend to prefer mostly full sun but they can also be an understory tree as well.

mine seem to flourish at forrest edges

I get giddy when I discover a female persimmon flower or green fruit

bill

 

[TreeDaddy]

That's really surprising to me. I wouldn't give up on them. I went from having no flowers on a tree to having dozens on several within a single growing season.

6-7 years are when mine first started to flower

the male flowers don't last long( involute?) in my experience and are easy to miss

bill

 

[buckdeer1]

My natural planted ones seem to grow faster and produce females as often as the grafted purchased trees

 

[willy]

The prok and meader persimmon from Stark Bros started production fruit at 5 years and set heavy since then. I planted them in 2017, I think.

 

[buckdeer1]

This 2nd year in ground,this was bareroot when planted and it has small fruit this year and is a 1/5 of the size of some others that were grafted but must be males

 

[gurgalunas]

I agree with Native Hunter on the pears. Don't give up yet. Worst case, wait until spring and graft the stumps with other cultivars if you're bent on cutting them down.

 

[bwoods11]

This 2nd year in ground,this was bareroot when planted and it has small fruit this year and is a 1/5 of the size of some others that were grafted but must be males

Wow !!

 

[Catscratch]

I planted 2 Meader's from Turkey in 2020 (I think...). Both had fruit their second year. They're just now putting some fast growth on them though.

 

[buckdeer1]

I checked my older grafted trees tonight and they don't have anything.Do persimmions sprout from root also as theres probably 10 smaller ones in a 20 ft radius? I need to wade into the sandhill plums and see if theres any females in the ones that came up there.