Hello!
Izu seems to be one of those trees that eludes me. Failed grafts. Purchased tree died. Scion wood in bad condition come grafting time.
I’m growing a number of Asian, American, and hybrid persimmons at this point. And starting more. Including other PCNA Asians like Jiro, Fuyu, and Suruga.
Should I just let the dream of Izu go? Or should I keep trying? Is it worth it?
Why not try something else super early?
Several folks on the board are trying this one.
Interesting. They won’t ship trees to me in California though, due to an agricultural quarantine. And being trademarked, I’m not sure about grafting it. Probably ok if I just call it by it’s Korean name, I think.
You can graft it, just can’t sell it as ‘Cardinal’.
I had read in the past izu can be inconsistent in cropping, but perhaps in California it would be fine.
When I purchased an Izu from a local nursery, the nurseryman told me it can be hard to establish. The graft union never looked great. I wonder if it often struggles on D. lotus. I had intended to graft to kaki & virginiana this year.
It must be fine on lotus sometimes. But mine never looked terribly happy and it’s pretty much the only casualty in my orchard.
Tell me if I’m wrong, but I believe that Cardinal is out of stock at OGW.
I grew Izu in California. It was the most boring Asian type persimmon I grew. It was also the only Asian persimmon that died.
I hope its worth growing, I’ve gone through a lot of effort to get it. I imagine its appeal is greater for those who need an early ripening cultivar.
My first tree was from Burnt Ridge and they say its a Dave Wilson tree, so presumably on Lotus rootstock. Mine ripens late and doesn’t have the right shape, probably Jiro. I’ve grafted Izu to it, got scions from Fruitwood Nursery, and the grafts are doing great. I also did a backup onto my Fuyugaki - possibly with Coffeecake in between (also backed up on that tree).
My Cardinal is one of my few commercial trees that didn’t survive its first winter. Also the smallest commercial tree I’d received - sold at full price. I plan to graft Jo Choo. or whatever we call Cardinal when someone can share some scion wood with me. I’d rather graft to an established tree, than try again to establish on of their tiny Cardinal. Plus it can be hard to find spots.
Right on. Maybe I just focus on all the others for now. Plenty other persimmons out there. Thanks!
Provided that you already grow Ichi Ki Kei Jiro would you care to grow Izu as well? Comparing the two would be of interest to me.
Following and hope you get more answers. I have been trying to graft lots of different american and asian persimmon cultivars on wild american seedlings. I have two izu takes out of those attempts over the last couple years. Both look good so far but they aren’t old enough to get fruit yet.
@Harbin – My notes (from readings) have Izu as “very early” vs IKKJ as “early/mid.” So that’s a plus. But Izu is described as hardy to +5 F vs IKKJ at -5 F. I’d take the hardiness estimates as very approximate.
For me here, earlier would be nice but less cold hardy would be outright bad. So my answer to your question is No.
Following up almost 2 years later. My three IKKJs nearly died from the cold last year. Meanwhile I put Saijo and Sheng and Giboshi in the ground. I won’t add more Kakis, especially more cold-sensitive PCNAs, at least for now. But meanwhile, I have added some others in pots.
Today’s news is that my new Izu tree just arrived. I’m trying it because it appears earlier than IKKJ and because it was a release from the Japanese breeding program. I’m hoping that they would not release a variety that is inferior. It is destined for a pot.
I see others complain of problems with Izu. One had it on D. Kaki rootstock, another on D. lotus. This one is on D. virginiana. Fingers crossed.
p.s. If you report on Izu, please tell the rootstock. Thanks!
p.p.s. I just opened the box with the tree inside. To my surprise, it is leafed out and blooming! I guess that’s what happens when ordering from FL (JF&E). The tree was very well packed and while some leaves had dropped / shoots broken, I’d say damage was light. I put it immediately under my LEDs.
A nursery bought Izu, that didn’t wake up year two, was grafted on lotus. I’ve put chip buds on the trunk of other kaki, but in fairness, I’ve tried that with other persimmons and it hasn’t worked on any of those attempts. I may have tried virginiana, but maybe not.
I’ve been living without it. So far, so good
Earlier today I was told by a credible source that many PCNA varieties are graft-incompatible with many other Kakis. Also that Japanese growers routinely use Fuyu or Taishu as interstock. I’m planning to research further.
In the meantime, I’m going to be skeptical of any reports on PCNA vigor or quality if the scion is not grafted either to DV rootstock or to a Kaki rootstock that is know to be compatible.
I bought a tree that was supposed to be Izu from Burnt Ridge. They said it was a Dave Wilson tree. When it fruited, the shape wasn’t right and they were later than Izu is supposed to be. Burnt Ridge gave me credit for the tree.
I suspect it is Jiro or IKKJ. To that I have grafted Izu and it has grown great. It fruited for the first time last year. The fruit was super bland, almost flavorless. I hope that is just because it is the first year. I prefer the fruit from the Jiro or whatever, at least last year. Maybe thinning would help. The fruit were small and many.
I also have Matsumoto Wase on the same tree. I haven’t gotten fruit from it yet. We’ll see how they all compare over time. I also plan on growing Cardinal on its own tree on Virginiana roots. Those 3 should be plenty for PCNA here.
Yes, as I understand it Jiro is the most reliable PCNA on lotus. That’s why it’s common out of the CA nurseries. I grafted a true Fuyu as well as Suruga to some kaki seedlings I grew out. The true Fuyu seems to be doing pretty well but the Suruga is struggling, possibly as it is close to an area that appears to have some oak root fungus. I plan to graft some more Suruga to virginiana next month.
If you become an Izu convert, I’d be interested to hear about it. I am trying to act all cool and cavalier, but I’m really a horrible sucker for another fruit tree
I am not a fan of Izu. It is significantly earlier than Jiro but Jiro is far more vigorous and much healthier growing. And when pollinated it is very sweet and tasty when allowed to get a bit soft.
At your location @AaronN , I would look into Taishu if you want something more unusual and potentially high quality. It is becoming more common now. I received scionwood this year and expect it to be more widely available next year.
Thanks for the heads up Ram! I’m not familiar with Taishu. I’ll check it out. Where did you source scion wood?