I have an Asian persimmon that is growing from about 5 shoots, complements of a bad bushog job, which is now about 8 years old and vigorously fruiting. It has the shape of a bowling ball. I want to maintain the low profile and maximum production. I don’t have the slightest idea of where to start snipping to prune.
When it was run over by brush hog, did you cut it to the ground? Usually the trees are grafted several inches above ground, so brush hogging over it would typically destroy the cultivated variety above the graft, leaving only the rootstock.
I don’t remember the height of the cut. The tree (shrub?) is healthy and producing very well - for the two years that it’s been fruiting. I’m just concerned that there is something I should be doing to keep it fruiting as it continues to grow taller. Or should I top the 5 individual leaders? I guess this is a problem that hasn’t been surfaced here before,
Shuf
If you’re happy with the fruit, then what I said doesn’t matter.
If it were my tree, I’d get rid of the low branches immediately. Then I would look for crossing branches throughout the tree. If you see crossing branches, keep the ones that are growing more outwardly. You don’t want branches/stems competing for the same space. Try to make it so that each gets their own space, but light availability will favor the South facing side.
For height, you can top it at the height you want. Each type of tree has an innate size it wants achieve, so you will fight with it continuously.
Thanks, that’s what I was looking for. BTW, the tree is in Wakefield, VA. I saw SE VA as your site.
S
No it’s come up. Follow advice given. Head at height you want and after fruiting remove at least a third of new wood. As mentioned crossing branches damage each other and restrict air flow. Minimize them.
As also mentioned, this could be the rootstock and NOT the variety you purchased. So don’t expect much from the fruit. Sure looks like it’s a rootstock. Isn’t American persimmon used as rootstock? So you probably have an American persimmon tree.
American persimmon and D Lotus are used as rootstock and they have small fruit per my understanding.
If the fruits are large, then it’s also entirely possible the tree could be a seedling from a cultivated variety, or the OP was lucky and didn’t chop the scion.
Take this section in the lower left of your tree picture
That is after I ensure the 2 keepers I marked are actually healthy.
Anything dead take it out. Close branches. Pick one or take them out
1,2,3,4,5 Some of those arches are two narrow. Take out the weak one. Of the remaining some are going to be crossing over with a different branches 1,2,3,4,5 cluster of branches. After removing the other clusters narrow braches, remove one of the two crossing over the other. Now you just one winner occupying that space.
