I really like this non-astringent Cultivar a early fruiting sport of Fuyu. It’s one of my earliest although these were not quite colored up enough, my ignorance in letting it over set and not thinning resulted in major limb breakage and I had to stop the bleeding. Normally if they have started coloring up, they will ripen respectably nice fruit. This tree is at my cabin plantings and I did not attend as well as needed I should have thinned or at least supported the limbs from the heavy crop, but still a decent sized fruit I find it a little more hardy than than Fuyu as well. Couple Asian pears in one box. Matsumoto Wase Fuyu a winner despite my neglect
This is one that I just ordered (or am trying to) from Edible Landscaping to it’s good to hear you are having success with it. My unknown non-astringent asian persimmon is still a couple weeks from ripening it looks like. I’m in MD zone 7a so probably fairly similar to the season you have. So I am thinking that my unknown might be a regular Fuyu. It will be nice to get some fruit earlier.
My true Fuyu are not even starting to color yet, so you might have another earlier ripening cultivar like one of the Jiro sports possibly. Is this Rewton?
In my experience they’re about the same size. Izu has repeatedly beat out all other California grown Diospyrus kaki cultivars in double blind taste tests. Both M. Wase and Izu are a step above Jiro (i.e. fake Fuyu). I like them both. They both can be difficult from bare root – I recommend putting them in a 5 or 10 gallon pot until midsummer, then planting in the ground. Grafting can also be challenging in lower humidity areas – consider that Persimmons are in the Ebony family.
Of course larger fruit doesn’t necessarily mean better fruit, and the Giant Fuyu is a case in point when grown in coastal influenced areas of California. Specifically the fruit ripens slower in these areas and the fruit (by sheer weight) begins separating from the calyx and then rotting in the exposed flesh.
I had problem growing Izu from bareroot. When the tree that I planted didn’t leave out by mid summer, I contacted the supplier which was Trees of Antiquity. They graciously replaced it the following winter. Since I learned that it’s difficult to start Izu from bareroot, I selected Jiro as replacement. The Izu tree continued to remain as a stick until I dug it out when Jiro arrived to take its place.
My Jiro has been growing well until last couple of years. I’m not sure if it’s related to recent drought or my neighbour’s Hachiya persimmon tree planted less than 10 ft from my Jiro. It was planted a few years after my Jiro. Now I’m thinking of getting another Asian persimmon to plant in another location, provided I can find one without ripping out my lawn.
I have been thinking of getting Matsumoto Wase for it’s earliness.
I’m glad to hear that it’s one of your favorite but as you mentioned it’s difficult from bareroot, I now have reservation.
Since you suggested to plant in pot first, do you mean having warmer roots in pot help with jump starting the bareroot tree?
I like Izu as well. I have seen some of those results of Izu on top, I have wondered if it might be due to the schedule of the taste in early season? If the taste test occurs when Izu is prime I would think later cultivars would be very bland still. Honestly most the non-astringent taste very similar to me if at the same level of ripeness. I lost my prior IZU mid- summer 2015 was just starting to produce and was a potted plant when purchased, but never showed vigor, I grafted to a outlaying pasture tree but not producing yet. I put a new one in main orchard this spring
It’s not about temperature of the roots, but rather reduction in the number of shocks. There are retail sellers of persimmon trees that actually take these two precautions with their Izu stock: (1) they do not “prune” the roots, (2) they do not sell the bare root in the winter, but rather plant them in 15 gallon pots and sell them in the early summer.
It’s double blind testing performed across an entire harvest year.
Anybody willing to sell or trade me a couple scions of Matsumoto Wase? Fruitwood nursery doesn’t seem to be stocking. I’d prefer to graft it to an established tree rather than buying a new tree to transplant.
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