I’ve had these 2 JT-02 persimmon trees in pots since last year. I’m waking them up in the greenhouse right now, in hope to get some growth going. Are they too small to put in ground?
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Not at all. I planted mine, which was of a similar size in fall 2021, it survived the winter and grew very well the following season.
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I agree that they’d probably be fine. However, you may have created a problem by waking them up now. It might have been easier for them to transition to the ground if transplanted while still dormant. By the time you plant them in mid-May (?), they’ll have lots of shoots and leaves. You’ll have to be very careful transplanting them then so as to not damage young feeder roots. And the trees will want to establish expanded roots in the ground, so there’ll probably be a hiatus in top growth.
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Ahhh… too late to remove it from the greenhouse?
Yes, those juicy new buds will not tolerate frost very well. Might as well wait until after the last frost to plant them now.
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I agree with @jrd51. I transplanted a persimmon (H118) after it was leafing out. It nearly died and did not grow at all an entire season. Actually it lost about 50% of its top growth.
I would be very careful when planting persimmons that are in active growth.
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Thank you for all the feedback. In mid-May, I’ll rip open the pot to minimize disturbing the roots when transplanting in ground.
I’ll keep the other one potted as insurance.
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I grew these two wild americans last year… from seed… left them outside all winter except for that very cold spell we had just b4 Christmas (3F Here)… put them in the garage for that.
I planted them out in my field end of January.
Going to graft kasandra to one and nakitas gift to the other.
TNHunter
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Looking great, Trev!
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Didn’t notice that the buds already broke. Perhaps you can move it to unheated garage to freeze it’s progress and have smoother transplanting in May.
Sounds like you know what to do. I wouldn’t bat an eye about it, myself. The bigger question is what does “in the ground” consist of? Where I am, on old timothy hay field, “in the ground” can be a pretty brutal place. Best make sure “in the ground” is as cozy as possible, or else you may not see much growth.
Nice looking 1 year old seedlings! I’m typically growing them out 3 seasons to get to graft-able size. 1st year seedlings in nurse beds top out at about 4" for me.
I cleared up an area on my property, where I will be planting several fruit trees. They’ll be protected with 1-inch mesh 5-ft fencing and I’ll be setting up a new zone for the irrigation system.
It’s the 100-ft stretch where the weed barrier is in the picture. I started dumping top soil and compost on it. Work in progress.
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I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’ve done transplants from pots even in the height of summer. Just pull them gently from the pots, rough up the root ball a bit, and keep them well watered.
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Impressive growth. I’m not apt to do much babying anyway. I just poke ‘em in a nurse bed and wait. But I’m curious what your secret is.
@Marco – I would not move them out of the greenhouse. You’ve set a course.
Just be very careful planting. Dig the hole in advance. Get a helper. Use some technique to avoid disturbing the root ball. I’d probably tip the pot 90 degrees, place one hand on the soil – two fingers on each side of the tree, then invert the pot a full 180 degrees, then have someone else remove the pot, then put the other hand on the bottom of the rootball, which is now pointing up, then de-invert the tree, then carefully place the intact pot-shaped chunk of soil and roots in the hole. . . .
Just don’t be surprised if there is a lag in top growth as the tree adjusts.
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No secret really… that container had a mix of garden dirt and compost in it…
I use organic fertilizers… mixed in with the dirt and compost was some bone meal, blood meal, epsom salt, greensand, gypsum… i put a little of that mix in with pretty much everything i grow.
I had that container on the south side of my house (hot spot) all day sun… all season last year. Watered them each friday if no rain. They liked it there.
I had the container topped off with a couple inches of pine bark mulch.
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@jrd51 Thank you Joe. I appreciate the info. My father in law has been helping me and enjoying the gardening, figging and orcharding experiences. He’s really into it now. 
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I would think that the main issue is not root related, but sun related. Greenhouse grown leaves will not tolerate full sun right away, so if leaves are out they will get sunburn. You should provide some temporary shade and gradually acclimate them to full sun after planting outside.
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