Starting Persimmons from seeds advice needed

[silver pigeon]

I have a Prok and Yates persimmon trees in my yard beginning to drop fruit. I have started persimmon trees from seed in the past with limited success. Please point me in the right direction. I am looking for tips, tricks, youtube videos, forum threads etc. about starting persimmon from seed. I know the seed needs to go through cold stratification. Just trying to up my success rate. Thanks.

 

[White Oak]

I have a Prok and Yates persimmon trees in my yard beginning to drop fruit. I have started persimmon trees from seed in the past with limited success. Please point me in the right direction. I am looking for tips, tricks, youtube videos, forum threads etc. about starting persimmon from seed. I know the seed needs to go through cold stratification. Just trying to up my success rate. Thanks.

This would probably be faster than seeds , and I guess it would work for a fruit tree https://www.wikihow.com/Root-Trees

 

[yoderjac]

I have a Prok and Yates persimmon trees in my yard beginning to drop fruit. I have started persimmon trees from seed in the past with limited success. Please point me in the right direction. I am looking for tips, tricks, youtube videos, forum threads etc. about starting persimmon from seed. I know the seed needs to go through cold stratification. Just trying to up my success rate. Thanks.

Forget the cuttings. Persimmons dormant cuttings won't root. I've even tried a cloning machine: http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/cloning-machnines-transferred-from-qdma-forum.5584/ and http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.p...mons-take-2-transferred-from-qdma-forum.5586/

Persimmon seeds need to be cold stratified and scarification can help. You can get seeds from coyote or fax scat that are already scarified by stomach acid or you can glue sandpaper inside a 5 gal bucket and tumble them. You can cold stratify them just like chestnuts and there are plenty of thread on that. They don't have the mold issue that chestnuts do, so they are easier.

You can use a root pruning container system to grow them or direct seed them. Don't try to grow them in regular smooth pots, The tap root will circle quickly causing problems when the tree gets older. If you are not set up with a root pruning container system, direct seeding is your best bet. You can scarify them and plant them in the fall with protection and let nature cold stratify them, or you can do it in the fridge like chestnuts.

Keep in mind that persimmon seedlings will take many years to mature. They are dioecious and only female trees will bare fruit. Plant your seeds and then let the trees grow until they are about 1" in diameter and then bark graft them. Here is a thread on that: http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/sex-change-operation-transfered-from-qdma-forum.5547/

Thanks,

Jack

 

[The Fishman]

glue sandpaper inside a 5 gal bucket and tumble them.

I asked this same question last year. Scarring the seeds with sandpaper really did the trick. My success rate went up tremendously when I rubbed the seeds with sandpaper before stratification.

 

[yoderjac]

Also, for the OP who seems to be new at this. Persimmons are not true to seed. Planting seeds from Prok will not produce more Prok trees for example. The only way to get the same variety is to graft a seedling. There are several ways to this. One is to plant seeds like you are planning on in the field and when they hit an inch in diameter, bark graft them over using scions from the variety you want. Another way is to buy inexpensive common persimmon seedlings. Many state wildlife and forestry nurseries sell them. You can graft them with W&T and then plant them in the field or you can plant them as-is in the field and wait for them to hit an inch in diameter and bark graft them to your selected variety.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[TreeDaddy]

I tried growing persimmon seeds using Rootmaker techniques and was not very successful

Bareroot seedlings are readily available from MDC,Arborgen,Superior Trees, and pretty much every state forest service

Further, they don't seem to be of high browse preference and don't require protection( in my experience)

Grab your Wolverine tree spade,surveyor flags and get going!!

bill

 

[yoderjac]

I tried growing persimmon seeds using Rootmaker techniques and was not very successful

Bareroot seedlings are readily available from MDC,Arborgen,Superior Trees, and pretty much every state forest service

Further, they don't seem to be of high browse preference and don't require protection( in my experience)

Grab your Wolverine tree spade,surveyor flags and get going!!

bill

I tend to agree. I had great success growing them in rootmakers while they were in the container. If I kept transplanting them (as you are supposed to) until the roots has filled a 3 gal RB2, they did great in the field, but if planted from a smaller container most died or languished. I find this generally true in my area for most trees, but it seems more extreme with persimmons. With a root pruning container system, you are trading off a long tap root for a much more efficient root system that covers less area. If you don't provide supplemental water and live in a more dry climate, the more benefit you get from a tap root and larger but less efficient root system. Also, the larger the efficient root system must be physically when you plant them. If you live in a climate like me that has occasional dry periods in the summer with ample rain fall and spring, you get faster growing better trees with the root pruning container system, but you still need to make sure the root system is large enough at planting time. Here 3 gal as the final stage works well.

Consider you climate and the supplemental care time you can afford before choosing a root pruning container system. The setup cost is high so you need to be talking quite a bit of volume in growing trees for it to make sense even if you have the right climate. In any case, avoid smooth containers. folks are better off direct seeding than using these.

Thanks,

Jack