Hello everyone, I’m a new member here. Nice to meet you all. It’s a wonderful forum to share our experiences with each other and spread information faster. Thanks to the forum owners.
I’m a newer/younger gardener myself. My favorite fruits are figs, persimmons, peaches, mangoes, and pomegranates. Other edibles that I love are pecans, apricots, dates (especially barhi dates), cantaloupes, olives, and lemons. If I had the space and ideal zone I would grow all of these.
My question today is regarding persimmons. I am new to growing them. I have two issues/concerns.
I recently purchased a 5 Gallon Prok persimmon from a reputable online nursery. This was the only size they had in stock. The tree itself is large (6 feet tall and 1 inch thick trunk). When I transplanted the tree, I was surprised to see 50-60% of the soil fall off, leaving a small rootball. Is that normal for a 6 foot persimmon tree? In hindsight I could have probably saved a lot of money if I just bought the 1 gallon instead (it would be a smaller tree though). They didn’t have it in stock, but moving forward I might opt for smaller trees if I have the choice. I know persimmons aren’t a great choice for bareroot, so I couldn’t avoid the pots with this purchase.
Also, Ive heard persimmons have a “taproot”. I didn’t really see one or feel around for one at that moment, as I was too busy being surprised with the size of the rootball.
Welcome to the forum. Sounds like a re-potted bare root tree. Many nurseries buy bare root trees to pot and re-sell. I have had the exact same thing happen to me. My online persimmon luck is somewhat low. Where did you find a 6 foot potted Prok at? It’s pretty hard to find one taller than a foot or two.
General recommendation is to purchase mid-size trees. Using pecan as an example, small trees (4 feet and under) may go through transplant shock so severe the tree dies. Larger trees don’t have a root system to support the larger tree size. Mid-range pecan trees (6 feet tall,. usually about 1 inch diameter at 4 ft, tend to have less transplant shock and a better root to stem ratio.
Plant Me Green usually has some smaller ones priced ok. I’ve had good luck with theirs. I’m not sure if EL grafts their own or re-pots bare root. I haven’t had any of their stuff die though.