I bought a Fuyu persimmon fruit at Fred Meyer two days ago. It is very firm. Do I let it sit on the counter and ripen/soften or are they ready to eat when they are on the store shelf?
I'm considering planting one (or two) persimmons next year. Do I need two for pollination? What will ripen in Puget Sound area?
Puget Sound does not get a lot of heat units. I would try to get one that ripens early. Many didn't ripen here in Portland, so they'd even be less likely near Puget Sound (less heat and sun). You also probably want a non-astringent variety, because you can't eat an astringent kind until it softens with heat, which means late ripening. I bought Izu for this reason, and they all ripened even in this cloudy, not very sunny year. I would recommend Izu for this reason for one of your other persimmons. Even though Japanese persimmons don't require two to get fruit, you will probably have better pollination, and hence, more fruit. Izu does grow a bit slowly, but it kind of guarantees or at least increases the chances that you'll get fruit. Fuyu appears to be a non-astringent variety, so you can eat it as soon as it turns orange. Color is supposed to be a good describer of ripeness on non-astringent persimmons.
I would buy and try an astringent variety before buying another tree, because the flavor is very different, and you may have a preference. There are early ripening astringent types as well. I hope this helps.
John S
PDX OR
"I bought a Fuyu persimmon fruit at Fred Meyer two days ago. It is very firm. Do I let it sit on the counter and ripen/soften or are they ready to eat when they are on the store shelf?" -- That depends if it's "astringent" or "nonastringent." If it was a "Hachiya," it's astringent or puckery until soft; if it's a "Fuyu," it's ready to eat hard or soft! Hachiya's are acorn shaped: http://images.jupiterimages.com/common/ ... 043792.jpg Fuyu's are more pumpkin like: http://www.aonea.com/services/chefs_toy ... immons.jpg or flat-round.
"I'm considering planting one (or two) persimmons next year. Do I need two for pollination? What will ripen in Puget Sound area?" -- They do not need a pollinator - and I've heard that if you get one, a non-producing male I believe, it would create seeds in the fruiting persimmons. One of my favorite things about persimmons is how, after popping off its cap, you can eat everything! No core, no seeds and tasty skin!
I've 4 persimmon trees, from 10 to 20 years old. Three are basically Fuyu, or a 'sport' of. They barely ripen for me as I'm about two weeks 'behind' Portland at the end of the season due to a cool Coast Range airflow. I've heard that most other persimmons ripen even latter... Find out if your local Nursery's carry persimmons? If you go for one, I'd say an early ripening sport of ‘Fuyu’ would be your best bet. You can eat them crunchy or soft. I just picked mine about 3 days ago (late November!) I have to let them hang as long as possible to ripen. Though they can be damaged with too hard a freeze (like last years Halloween killer that ruined about a third of mine by ‘distorting’ one side before it eventually rotted), after their beautiful leaves drop with the first 'killer frost' my problem is bird-pecking damage.
I have an astringent type that was 'advertised' to ripen earlier than Fuyu... it doesn’t. But it's more like the kind my Mother describes having in the Midwest; smaller and very much astringent! The flavor is rich, and superior to Fuyu once they've 'ripened' fully, generally inside after picking.
Another note on pollination: I had a very light set this year (but between 4 trees, plenty), but last year, in fact most years there are more than you can shake a stick at! I wouldn't want them any more loaded. They’re also very difficult to thin, so I never have; but they have a ‘natural drop’ and appear to be self-thinning.
Warning: They're extremely brittle trees! I lost an "American (native to our Midwest) persimmon" tree years ago when a couple of summer 'gusts of wind' snapped off two major limbs. Out there as it happened, I walked over and snapped off the rest! A passed friend, with his experimental garden was the first person I'd met with Asian persimmon trees. He'd also lost large limbs to fruit load and wind gusts; he had both Fuyu & Hachiya. My Uncle... this is tough -- just lost his entire Fuyu (though I doubt the variety makes any difference) tree to wind gusts this fall - it was loaded with fruit… He'd lost major branches before, and the tree had taken 3 years to 'recover' - now this. I'd grafted that tree for him ... one of three persimmons babies I'd given away… he's now dug it out~
I'm fairly wind sheltered and have not lost anything major from my 4 remaining persimmon trees to either wind or too heavy a fruit set; I have propped their fruit laden limbs though, and one year Raccoons did a job on some smaller limbs, untill I removed the tempting fruit… And as I pick them - I know better than to step off my ladder onto their limbs... Good luck!
I planted two Japanese persimmons four years ago. My varieties are Chocolate and Coffee Cake. I knew it would be difficult to get them to ripen because of our low heat units. (We live in Newberg, Oregon.) I have had success however by planting them in the parking strip next to our blacktopped street. The heat reflected off the pavement seems to be just enough to ripen them by the middle of October. Last fall I had no Chocolates but, a 1/2 bushel of the Coffee Cakes. The year before I had only one half dozen fruit and that was on the Chocolates, go figure. The trees are now about 8/9 feet tall and with a spread of about 5 feet. They appear to be happy and thriving, especially the Coffee Cake.
Shannon,
I don't think persimmons grow from cuttings, but I'm not sure. What I would do is to email someone (Viron or Karen Tillou) who could tell you about rootstock, if it's going to be available at the scion exchange, and if necessary, make sure that someone brings the right rootstock (cheap!!) to the Scion exchange and ask someone to do the make a tree for $10. I think persimmons leaf out very late, so the procedure may be a little different than for apples (later grafting).
My two cents,
John S
PDX OR
Shannon,
I’d say John’s right about the cuttings… Last year we had persimmon rootstock at our “Scion Exchange,†I don’t know if there will be any this year – or who to ask?
I’m bringing scion wood from my Fuyu persimmon; I stored it a good week ago. If you find that we’ll have persimmon rootstock, you can –Right now- gather grafting scions from each of your trees. Check this thread for storage suggestions: viewtopic.php?t=499
If you procure the wood, and we have rootstock, and you can make it to our “Scion Exchange†http://www.homeorchardsociety.org/scion_exchange/ look for me and I’ll do my best to attach them for you; as well as describe my experience with ‘bench grafted’ persimmons. And if you’ve got ‘extra’ wood from those varieties, bring it in!
Now who knows if we’ll have Persimmon Rootstock?
As far as Persimmons ripening, mine will hang on through November in the foothills of the Coast Range. So they should ripen in Damascus (Oregon) 
I will bring the cuttings with me just in case. Have my fingers crossed.Idyllwild
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