Are the fruits miniature or just the trees?
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Fruits are normal size and there are LOTS of them because of the short internodes. You have to be on top of the thinning or you’ll sap your little tree of vegetative growth.
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I always thought goumi looked like a messy bush- maybe if you trim it to one main leader it will look like that?
My memory is a little faded because that was a few years ago and I don’t have a close up of the fruit, but I think there were some speckled spots on the fruit. Looks like goumi it is!
I’d try one myself, but I’ve never heard of anyone else growing goumi in the cold regions (maybe it will survive, but who knows if it sets fruit). I think I’ll order one for my mom down in Oregon.
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Hello,
Last year @jcguarneri helped me develop a Google data entry form to collect ripening data on persimmons. The posting was titled:Persimmon Ripening Data - Now With Forms! It can be found for review and reference or data entry with the search glass.
We did not however get many members responding in 2021 to enter their ripening data. Possibly because the members who have valuable data may not have been aware of the form.
We are most interested in getting data from those members successfully growing any persimmon variety in the northern cooler climates with short growing seasons, so that we can compile a record of useful data that can be used to select varieties most likely to actually ripen in our areas.
I am sending out this invitation very early this year while many members are considering ordering scions, and wondering about the potential of new persimmon varieties, thinking “will they grow or produce fruit in my area?” If you are one of those forum members who is growing any persimmon variety in the northern cooler climates with short growing seasons, or you know someone who is, and you would be willing to assist us this fall to collect ripening data, please let me know.
Ideally we can identify many forum members who may be willing to participate in data collection during this Fall-Winter season, to help compile data very useful to other members who desire to gain more insight on the varieties most likely suitable for their area and climate. Please advise
Dennis Dowdy
Kent, Wa
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Here’s the thread to save everyone a few clicks:
I’m one of those who is interested in growing persimmons but only have space for one tree so hopefully this data can help me decide what one cultivar would be best here.
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I also have generally seen them as bushes, but I assume it can be pruned and trained as a standard. I almost remarked on that picture.
They can get pretty big. I’d probably re-evaluate my spacing somewhat. I planted a goumi and a fig tree a couple of feet apart from each other, thinking the fig canopy would be above the goumi. Turns out the goumi is bigger than that Stella fig, although that fig tree is a runt. Probably not given sufficient nitrogen, and of course the goumi fixes its own.
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What goumi variety or varieties do you have? I have read you need two for pollination, but as you see in that pic that tree was full of fruit and it was the only one.
Where did you get your goumi? I took a cursory look online and didn’t see any. Maybe they are already sold out for the season.
Mine are many years in the ground, maybe 7 or 8. I probably got them from One Green World, or through another local channel from the same wholesale nursery. Maybe Burnt Ridge or Raintree.
Looks like they are all out of stock.
How did that do for you in the December freeze?
My jubaea seedling seems remarkably ok, even on the longer leaves that were surely above the snow line, but I believe you got colder than we did (my yard was 18°F the first night of the freeze and 15°F on the last night, with low 20s on the nights in between).
Mine is fairly well established as it was a 15 gallon when planted a few years back but it seems fine. The outer limbs are for sure burnt but as they thicken towards the main stem they are alive. It will have to do some recovery but I don’t think there will be any die back into the trunk. Here were my high and lows during that stretch. I have a sensor close to the palm so these should be farily accurate to what it experienced.
| 12/27/2021 | 19.7 | 7.8 |
|---|---|---|
| 12/28/2021 | 23.5 | 14.9 |
| 12/29/2021 | 25.1 | 10.2 |
| 12/30/2021 | 31.4 | 19.5 |
| 12/31/2021 | 27.6 | 14.1 |
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That is QUITE a bit colder than we got here. I wouldn’t have guessed this species could handle single digits. Mine is very small (got it a little over a year ago as a 3 gal plant that I put in the ground last spring):
Hi, I’m new to this forum, but I’ve lived most of my live in the PNW (Western WA zone 8a) and am obsessed with growing just about anything that is both edible and perennial as long as it’s well adapted to my local growing conditions. I don’t want to list out everything I’m growing, but it ranges from standard stuff like apples, grapes, blueberries and strawberries to locally unusual stuff like cacti, pomegranates, olives, hardy citrus, etc. I also dabble with plant breeding and have lots of minor breeding projects going on at any given time, but have a rather serious sunflower breeding project going on at present (introgressing traits from annual sunflowers into perennial lines).
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You’re in the right place:). Welcome!
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I was nervous but also curious. I think it may have been different if it was a dry cold period. There was a lot of moisture hanging around before and after so I don’t think it got the desiccating winds that a dry windy cold spell would have brought. Dodged a bullet this time:).
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I like Goumi, but it’s difficult to propagate.
Seeds take forever to germinate and the cuttings are not any easier.
Welcome to the forum, @JohannsGarden!
Pretty much this whole list interests me – do you have any recommendations for cultivars of either pomegranates or olives that do ok with our cool summer temperatures?
@swincher I’m only 3-5 years into growing most of my pomegranates and olives so I don’t have any reliable recommendations yet. I will say that ‘Arbequina’ olive has proven to be less self-fertile than advertised and rather late ripening so I can’t recommend it despite how widely it’s promoted as being hardy (I’m turning my ‘Arbequina’ into a bonsai now). I’m trialing a few other named olives plus seedlings, but I don’t yet have any further opinions other than to say you should expect severe winter damage the first winter in ground since all the commercially available olives have been grown further south and the wood is too tender from the warmer growing environment. After heavy die back the first winter I have had much slower, but hardier growth on my olives. Hopefully in a few more years I’ll know if any that I have are worth anything here.
In regards to pomegranates I’ve read that soft seeded selections tend to be less hardy than the hard seeded, but regardless I’m primarily trialing soft seeded selections because that’s what I’m interested in. I haven’t gotten any of them to flower yet, but have noticed variations in hardiness. I started a blog post last year to track my results for the various pomegranates in my trial and I intend to update it each year to keep it relevant. I’ll link to what I’ve got written so far here: Western WA zone 8a Pomegranate Trial
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@Boizeau I think I cracked the code for germinating goumi seeds as I had such high germination that I had to cull over half of mine to prevent severe over crowding. What I did was plant my very fresh seeds immediately after harvest in a large pot which I kept watered along with all my other potted plants. The following spring the layer of seeds were literally lifting the top layer of soil up in the pot because so many were sprouting at once. I suspect that goumi plants are adapted to an environment that gets summer rain so the seeds don’t ever dry out after maturing.
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So
keep them damp!
have any seedlings to spare?
I’d like a few.