Jade,

the persimmon rootstock at the exchange was “American virginian.” Looks like your only ‘problem’ will be with suckering. Keep in mind, suckers can be dug, grafted and turned into free trees! In fact, a couple days ago I added a third (pollinating) variety to a plum rootstock ‘sucker’ that had suckered in the perfect place!

A problem for the Society is having rootstock on hand that will work with whatever’s brought to the show. I was happy to see persimmon rootstock there, though no one brought any to me. It looked as if last year we didn’t have any… Persimmons are a very underutilized fruit in the PNW – with that in mind, as hurried as I am at the show, rarely having (or taking) time to talk with my old friends – I made an effort to stop and thank Jim Gilbert of One Green World (formerly North Woods Nursery).

I reminded Jim of he having inspired me to (well over twenty years ago) plant kiwi, figs and persimmons. They’ve become as, or more useful than my pears, apples or plums! In fact, I’m still peeling away eating 8 kiwi a day – organic to boot! …He recognized me … and has heard it before… but I just wanted to drive home the point " title="Wink" /> And, I believe North Woods and Raintree were originally the same organization (I now buy from both!), thus the ‘mix-up’ with their Fuyu vs. Jiro Whatever it is – mine is a magnificent and consistently productive tree.

As I’d mentioned to you at the show …after not letting me graft your persimmon… be patient with them; they’re a very conservative tree, pushing growth with the oaks. And after mine were grafted it was likely midsummer before they shown life, but all three did – and are now teenagers!

…you’re welcome…

I suspect ‘this’ is the same rootstock my four ‘commercially’ produced persimmon trees are on… They will send up tender root suckers a fair distance from their trunk – but nothing my riding lawnmower hasn’t made quick work of. The problem is ‘me’ -- envisioning another persimmon tree! That far away from the base of the trunk, digging and transplanting would be fairly easy. Let it go dormant and graft a whip & tongue of another NW hardy variety, or a piece from the mother tree and you’ve got two (or ten!).

A friend out this way started an entire “Persimmon Orchard” by walking a mid-western wetland of his childhood, pulling up persimmon starts then grafting them back here with known varities. I’d always assumed they’d been seedlings... but now feel they were ‘suckers’ from another tree.

I also assume the few suckers mine send up each year is ‘the trees’ way of telling me it’s in good condition … as I mow over the tops of its babies…

Allowing / encouraging each tree to get as big as possible, and between the ages of 10 and 20 years, they’re between 8 to 10 feet tall. They seem to limit themselves to ‘that’ height. They need very little pruning, I just pick away at them by habit more than necessity.

One serious downside I tend to forget (living in a wind-sheltered canyon) is their brittleness. Their wood is extremely brittle; so are their “American” cousins. With a moderate to large crop they’ll snap major limbs.

It’s sad how those most interested in growing fruit are usually getting up in years… Of the three persimmon trees I gave away the two I ‘can remember’ went to relative old-timers. Hence they pruned for ‘fruit’ over structural ‘strength.’ I pruned for the opposite, as is my tendency. I’d suggest you do the same. Meaning, allow lateral limbs to beef-up as opposed to becoming the least bit leggy. You must shorten them when pruning to achieve this. And watch the crop load – which is pretty easy as the entire neighborhood will likely be doing the same! Prop and tie up limbs as needed.

As mentioned, mine have done well, but I know of three others who’ve had serious losses; one, the entire tree! With scaffold limbs snapping and splitting its trunk to the ground. My worst damage came from raccoons – past-tense… Neither deer nor insects mess with my persimmons – and, they don’t need a pollinator. I fact, if they’re pollinated they’ll set seeds! As is – you can bite right through them – dodging and wasting nothing.

“I am surprised how small your persimmons have stayed.” -- Me too. The soil’s very good where they’re located. But they’re well within the range of other “Fuyu” varieties I’m aware of. As my own were purchased from various nurseries, I’ll assume they’re on American rootstock. Those I grafted and gave away were on ‘American’ stock, though never showing stronger growth than mine…

I was amazed when touring an HOS member’s farm in Newberg (Oregon) years ago. His “persimmon” tree was enormous. Likely 30 feet high! He attributed it to age… perhaps 80 years, as I believe the palace was a Century Farm within his family. …but I can’t remember if it was an American or Asian? Given the difference in growth habit and size I’ve always assumed it was an American.

My under-stock gives no indication of ‘over-growing’ the Asian scion/s above. They sucker, but trunk diameters match flawlessly at the graft union. But as I described above, allowing them to become leggy will contribute to limb loss due to their brittle nature – Americans included, if not especially; that I learned the hard way