Glad I found this site!
I just got my first persimmon…ichi, it’s about 2ft tall, leaves. I’m in z6, I want to grow it in a container so I can bring it into an unheated basement in winter.
Need all kinds of advice from best soil, ferts, animal protection, etc.
I want to do this right and you guys seem to know your persimmons!
Thanks!
I got 4 Tam Kam nonastringent Kaki in the 20 gallon pots. I used Miracle gro moisture control potting mix. No pests issue. I overwintered them in my tornado shelter in November. The are loaded with flowers now.
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Toughest thing with containers is weight (moving them around) and height (not breaking a million branches trying to get trees through doorways)… I have no idea about growing persimmon but is a basement too warm?
Use a 15g or bigger container. Might want to rig some wheels up for it or have a dolly. Use a light potting mix but not too light where the tree can tip over in the wind or dries out in 2 seconds. Water often in su mmer during hot dry periods. I use plastic pots and those things heat up like ovens.
Good points. I have a 15g Smart Pot that I was going to use to encourage root growth, I also have a dolly and two strong guys to bring it indoors.
The basement is an unheated outer basement where I’m guessing it stays under 50F, maybe colder. Right now, it’s a 2ft tree, 3 small branches, leaves, trunk under 1” diameter…so I may plant it in a few years when it bulks up.
I’m hesitant about the potting mix because I understand persimmons don’t like a lot of fertilizer and wet feet.
I have a few figs (2 in ground, one potted) and they’re not too fussy about soil.
Thanks
Hi, I read that persimmons don’t like too much fertilizer and wet feet so I was hesitant about a MG MC potting mix. No worries?
This is a very young tree, < 1” diameter trunk, maybe 2ft tall.
I plan on putting it in a 15g Smart Pot to encourage root growth.
Thanks!
Here are mine four Tam Kam and they at 4 years of age in Miracle gro moisture control potting mix and doing great. My 110 potted figs also liking the MMPM and very productive.
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Wow…they look great! Loads of buds.
Mine have the tiniest buds breaking Btwn the branch and the leaf…don’t know how long these take to grow, but it’s a beginning.
Hope springs eternal! 
@tonyOmahaz5 is a pro and has been growing persimmons in pots, and in ground, for many years. His advice is great. I grow some of my potted persimmons in miracle grow moisture control and some in pro mix. Both work fine. I add just a little bit of slow release fertilizer at the start of each season. Constricting roots seemed to make them fruit earlier. I have a few that have been in 3 gallon pots for a few years and they’re loaded with flowers. Last year the same plants ripened several fruits each.
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That’s very interesting…I just put the Ichi into a 15g Smart pot…maybe I should downsize?
I’m expecting a Jiro to arrive this week…I’ll put this one in a smaller pot to compare. Thanks!
BTW…I’m getting confused about these names… are Jiro and ichikekei the same? They are both referred to as Fuyu.
They’re different. A lot of times non-astringent persimmons are called Fuyus or Fuyu-type persimmons. But there are many varieties.
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Thanks. I read that they’re self pollinating but do best with 2…wasnt sure if i got 2 of the same.
A few follow-up questions as I plan my persimmon adventure:
- Any reason not to put them straight into the 15 gal? (vs. uppotting over multiple years)
- When they get root bound, is there anything to do like root pruning while dormant?
- Regular plastic or fabric or smart pot? (My first two are in regular plastic, painted white.)
- How long can they live in containers?
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Not persimmon specific, but these will work for almost any tree:
- Going straight to the large pot is OK, but you have to be more careful with moisture management (soil can stay wet for too long). I recommend moving them up to a pot that adds about 4" of space on all sides compared to the current pot, and keep moving them up until you get to the largest pot you feel like moving. The roots will grow at the same rate no matter what size pot it’s in, so there’s not any real benefit to going to a larger than necessary pot right away.
- Yes, root pruning is essential in the long term, even if you’re up-potting.You need to be more agressive if it goes back in the same pot. Regular root pruning encourages fine feeder roots. You’ll also need to do some pruning up top. If you’re squeamish about root pruning, check out the video below.
- Any will work. An air-pruning pot will reduce the amount of root pruning you have to do, but will not eliminate it.
- So long as you’re doing regular root pruning (every 1-3 years, ideally), they can live in a pot indefinitely.
Edit: I would like to add that, in my limited experience, persimmons are fairly slow to grow new roots, and can be surprisingly resistant to branching. I have a couple that I unpotted, only to find they only grew new roots down at the very bottom where there was already a tuft of fine roots. Also, a lot has been written about the importance of a persimmon’s tap root. There’s nothing magical about the tap root and it can actually be removed if done gradually over a few years. It’s mostly a way for seedlings to get anchored and store resources quickly to resist droughts and browsing. As the tree matures, its importance is greatly reduced. I’m not sure about persimmons, but many tap-rooted species actually lose the taproot once they hit a certain size.
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