I'm looking for advice on which American persimmon variety to graft to my small established root stock. I have room for one now and maybe another in a few years.
My understanding is that Early Golden and Garretson are both supposed to be self fruitful, early and good tasting.
Would you pick one of those or something else?
I'm NE of Portland, a little cooler. Hardiness isn't a factor but season length and limited heat (despite this year) are factors.
I would enjoy seeing what anyone has to say on this too. So far my persimmon experience is limited to planting and nurturing some trees for their first to 3rd years, and only one is nonhybridized American ("Yates", same as "Juhl").
Unfortunately, my "Yates" dropped its first fruits. I can't blame it - I just planted it Jan 2015. This variety is reported as parthenocarpic but I can't verify that yet.
I MIGHT be able to taste "Nikita's Gift" this fall, 3 year old tree. Three of the original 5 flowers resulted in fruit so far. If they don't drop off. I know that NG does not count as "American" - apparently 1/4 D. virginiana. What I can say about it, this summer heat has not phased it at all, while "Saijo's" leaves are sunburned looking. Yates also looks excellent so far, with good first year growth. It is originally from Indiana, so should manage winter here without a problem.
This site gives good descriptions and photos of many varieties - just click on the names. I don't know the language - I'm thinking Czech.
Excellent topic. For someone who didn't know how to graft, I would say Meader.
However, Jafar knows how to graft. Meader is the most brittle variety of US persimmon. It also has small fruit. I think it tastes good, but not as good as Garretson. It doesn't do well on taste tests. Early Golden and Garretson do way better on taste tests. They will probably eventually produce a limb or two that are male. That may be after 10 years, or never.
Szukis is reliably both male and female. It is good tasting and will provide better tasting fruit. Many of the early Claypool tests showed that the male was almost as big a factor on the best taste winners as the female. Do you think I'm an American persimmon nerd? You are correct.
Jim Gilbert handed me a Garretson persimmon at the AAFS and it was a highly spiritual experience. I bought one and that is my favorite variety. However, it has occurred to me that you and I don't always have the same preference on types of fruit. Lorraine from OGW told me that she preferred Early Golden over Garretson. Early GOlden is the most popular variety and wins a lot of taste tests.
If you had a friend who had Szukis, like say, me, who would let you have a bud stick, you could try to graft it onto your tree. That would provide more reliable high quality pollination for your tree. If you had a friend that was growing Early GOlden and Garretson, like say me, who was willing to share one with you at say the board meeting, I would ask him to try to bring one to the meeting. Then you could decide. Ask Daniel about trying a Yates, too.
I wouldn't worry too much about ripening with any of these early varieties. If you have a Ruby or other late variety, then you could worry. Especially not the way things have been going.
By the way, Daniel, let me know if you would have any available bud sticks off of that Yates. I could cover your costs, etc.
Thanks,
John S
PDX OR
John, I was hoping you would share your wisdom. Thank you. I'll bet at some point, like you, I'll want to have several. Right now I'm very excited about getting Coffeecake (Nishimura Wase) fruiting. I've got a single tree on Virginiana root stock and another graft parked on my Fuyugaki.
I also have a solitary Chocolate on a rootstock and another V-shaped root stock that is one side Chocolate and the other still Virginiana. I'm assuming I won't need more than one Chocolate.
At this point I'm thinking I'd like to put something on the other half of that V. The reason I asked for "only one" is because it will be the first and when it is mature I'd like it to be able to fruit, not wait around for a male to be available.
Aside from those I also have a "Saijo" planted in a prominent place where I'd like the tree to be a specimen and maybe provide some shade. It is not Saijo, but looks to be another Virginiana. What I don't know is whether it is an overgrown rootstock, or if it is a selected cultivar of Virginiana. It is growing nicely where its at, so I'd just as soon let it keep going and if it turns out to have good fruit, maybe I'll be as well off as I thought I was with the Saijo (or better). I still plan to get Saijo onto one of the Kakis or rootstocks at some point (unless I get a chance to actually taste one and change my mind).
The best "American" persimmon that I've tried, and I've tried very few, is one of the "Prairie" trademarked ones from One Green World at the All About Fruit show last October. Jim wasn't sure which of the two that he sells that these fruit came from. I liked it much, much better than the Nikita fruit that I bought at the OGW retail store, but maybe they weren't the best samples. Nikita certainly has a lot of fans. I didn't think it had very much flavor compared to the rich flavor and texture of Prairie fruit.
The persimmons at the Arboretum looked like they were in for a good season last I checked so I'm really hoping to get to taste some of these varieties I haven't had before.
John, I'll surely take you up on one or more of your offers when I figure out a plan.
It seems that often when our tastes differ it is as much texture as flavor, or that I put more value in brix for fresh eating. But in this case I think we are talking about fruit that are near the top of the scale for sugar already anyway.
Idyllwild
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
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