Morris Burton American persimmon and jujube times.
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That looks incredible.
I wanted to plant a Morris Burton, but I couldn’t find one and eventually planted a Yates instead because it was available. It hasn’t fruited yet, but I still have a bit of buyer’s remorse and sort of wish that I had held out for a Morris Burton. Is it true that Morris Burton is nonastringent?
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You can always graft a portion of your tree!
No American persimmon that I am aware of is truly non-astringent prior to being pretty ripe. Morris Burton, 100-46, Lena and H63A are in the running for best tasting from what I’m told but some of these also put out male flowers, hence seeded fruits are possible.
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I’ll contribute my little 2022 persimmon report, zone 8A in the South (planting site is at a family member’s house; I live elsewhere in the country). No spraying of any sort, and one light application of urea in early spring as the only fertilizer.
I have three Fuyu persimmons (exact Fuyu variety unknown as I bought them before I was aware of the distinctions) on DV, a few years in the ground. Two fruited for the first time this year, but the fruit hasn’t ripened yet. All of these trees are nice and healthy, with good foliage. Probably shouldn’t have gotten that many Fuyus, but I hadn’t tasted astringent kaki yet at the time and didn’t know that I would like astringents so much.
I also have a Tanenashi (purchased before I had learned much about astringent kaki persimmons — a purchase I now regret). It fruited for the first time last year. Even when totally soft, the fruit still had astringency, and it simply isn’t that great. Naturally, it is easily the most vigorous and healthy of all my persimmon trees, with good natural branching structure.
I have a Chocolate and a Coffee Cake planted next to each other, pretty far away from the other persimmons. The Chocolate is on DV and has remained small and spindly — barely much more than a whip. The Coffee Cake is on lotus and is not very big, barely five feet tall. Nevertheless, it fruited massively this year, with maybe 40 fruit. I pleaded with my relatives to thin the fruit, but they didn’t get around to it (nobody else is much interested in my fruit tree projects other than in eating the fruit). Most of the Coffee Cake fruit had ripened about a week ago (soft). Sadly, I didn’t get to eat any personally, but my family reported that they were bland and not too sweet (probably due to overbearing). Some of the fruit were partially seeded with immature-looking white seeds, but the flesh around the seeds was not darkened and remained translucent yellow, so I don’t know if they were pollinated. Notably, the fruit were generally attractive, well-formed, and free of blemishes. I wonder if it will fruit at all next year — producing that much fruit must have really strained it.
I have two Giombo persimmons on DV, one on its second leaf and one planted this spring. They don’t appear to be doing so great, having put on little growth. Neither is more than 4’ tall. I’ve heard that they tend to leaf out early, and if they don’t get more established soon, a late frost is probably going to take them out.
I have two Saijo persimmons, planted this year after I happened to find and read some of @thecityman ‘s glowing reviews of the fruit, which I have never tasted. These trees seem to like it in Georgia, and they are putting on rapid growth. It is also notable that they have by far the most beautiful foliage of any of my persimmons — deep, dark, and very glossy green leaves. They are definitely the trees whose fruit I am most eagerly anticipating, and I am already wishing I had planted more (maybe in place of the extra Fuyus).
I also have a Nikita’s Gift, planted this year. It seems to be growing at a moderate rate — not quite so vigorous as the Saijos.
Finally, I have two Americans — Yates and Prok. These 90-chromosome persimmons don’t seem to like it much in Georgia. Although there are happy and healthy native 60-chromosome persimmon trees everywhere, Yates and Prok both seem to suffer from the same sort of leaf spot, which looks pathogenic (although they are not planted near to each other). Both are growing slowly, and Prok dropped all its leaves a week ago, more than a month before the usual first frost. It also dropped its leaves early last fall, and just doesn’t seem very happy. That is unfortunate, because I like American persimmons and have never eaten a seedless one, which must be a real treat.
You can always graft a portion of your tree!
Having read the experiences of others on this forum for a few years, it seems to me that most new initiates to the hobby go through a predictable set of developmental stages. I am a few years past my “buying vaguely labeled fruit trees of dubious provenance from the big box store and sticking them randomly in the ground” stage, and am just now getting finished with my “zone pushing” stage, which is where you come to accept the limitations imposed by nature and stop trying to grow stuff that is just isn’t going to make it long-term in your climate. The “grafting” stage seems like a particularly rewarding one to look forward to (and seems to be the point where you are actually getting good at this stuff) but I just haven’t crossed the threshold. One day…
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My potted persimmon tree got soaked by rain these past couple of week. A lot of water has definitely affected the taste.
Prok (the top one) tasted very mild and diluted.
Even the unknown (bottom) tasted sweeter (even though it split on the side from too much water).
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That’s too bad. Do you have enough to try drying some? I’ve always wanted to try dried American persimmons, but all my Prok dropped this year and I only have 2 100-46 on a tiny plant, so only enough for a quick snack.
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What do you guys think of my persimmon protection technique. Here is my theory. The birds see red so they attack them. If they never see red they will never attack the fruit.
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That’s my experience with nectarines, apricots and even tomatoes, with the latter I used to use mesh bags.
So how did the mes bags work? I bet they are easier than the method I devised.
@CarolinaZone
If it is birds, you can just use dark colored organza bags. The bags they use for gifts. Bagging with organza bags don’t help much against other insects or animals.
The way you do it, you also prevent the sun from reaching your fruit, too.
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@zendog
I have only 20 fruit from this potted tree. They ripened at different time so I ate them as they ripened. Not enough to dry.
Maybe, I could buy some from my friend. He has a huge Yayes tree.
You don’t care much for Yates. I thought like you they tasted much like perfume.
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Compare to my Prok, Yates is a lot sweeter and has that American persimmon taste to it.
You are right that I did not like them at first because they were quite intensely sweet. But after a few years and many Yates later, I get used to it and like it.
This is from my personal Prok and Yates’ experience.
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I won’t be removing my Yates, now.
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@Barkslip
Full disclosure, my friend bought a Yates and a Prok from Stark Brothers many moons ago. One of them died. His fruit do not look like my Prok. (my Prok came from a reliable source) so I assume what he has left is a Yates. I could be wrong.
He waits until fruit drop to collect them. The fruit are small. They are perfumed and intensely sweet.
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Probably good enough. There’s that chance . I read where members didn’t get what they ordered after fruiting, sometimes from Starks.
For me, I cannot think of a caramel flavor persimmon. I read recently where Meader is. If it’s anything at all like pawpaws and caramel; that’ll totally gross me out. I’m not into rotting food. Things begin to smell like garbage cans when like that too if you bury your nose in them, ha ha ha.
Lord have mercy on me, please, Dax.
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These are the mesh bags that I use:
You may find them cheaper on eBay.
I also use Clemson paper bags, which completely conceal the fruit.
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Meader was too “flavorful” for me. It was overpowering. I much prefer H63A and Prok which is a particularly sizable virginiana.
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