Persimmons in Upstate NY

[Hoytvectrix]

Wild so I could have some that never produce fruit but are needed for politization? Ive been growing fruit trees my whole life and haven't run into a tree like this yet if that's the case.

Yes, @RGrizzzz mentioned that above. There are some great threads on this forum on how to graft persimmon trees. You can convert some of the males over to females to produce fruit.

You can also apparently propagate persimmons by cuttings, but it looks like the success of this is even less than grafting and of course you need to have the plant material first:

 

[Teeder]

If I read it correctly on Blue Hill's website, the female trees I bought do not need a male to produce fruit.

 

[RGrizzzz]

Wild so I could have some that never produce fruit but are needed for politization? I've been growing fruit trees my whole life and haven't run into a tree like this yet if that's the case.

Correct. I'd suggest planting twice as many as you think you need, and prune out the males, or graft them to female. I believe I read you need about 1 male for 6 female trees. There are self-fertile female trees, which is what most people will buy. Folks have mentioned the named varieties here. They're exceedingly rare, so don't expect anything you grow from seed to be self fertile.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

Correct. I'd suggest planting twice as many as you think you need, and prune out the males, or graft them to female. I believe I read you need about 1 male for 6 female trees. There are self-fertile female trees, which is what most people will buy. Folks have mentioned the named varieties here. They're exceedingly rare, so don't expect anything you grow from seed to be self fertile.

Next year I was going to start grafting some females into male trees. These are all American persimmon from MDC and are for wildlife, so I am not quite as concerned about fruit production. Would I be better off leaving a few branches of the males or just top work the trees and switch them over to female?

 

[RGrizzzz]

Next year I was going to start grafting some females into male trees. These are all American persimmon from MDC and are for wildlife, so I am not quite as concerned about fruit production. Would I be better off leaving a few branches of the males or just top work the trees and switch them over to female?

I'd top work most of them to known cultivars. Pick ones that drop around the times you want to hunt.

 

[Native Hunter]

Female persimmon trees don't need a male to pollinate them in order for the females to set fruit. Persimmons can set fruit parthenocarpically. You only need a male if you want viable seed in the fruit that is set. With no male pollination, the females will still produce fruit, but the seed (if any) inside the fruit will be sterile.

 

[Teeder]

Right, and it's the fruit the deer want and not the seed.

 

[Belo]

Well shit, that changes things. I couldn't care less about the seed.