Are there any dwarf varieties like other fruit trees?
Asian varieties (and some hybrids) are smaller mature trees than American persimmons. Some only reach 12-15 ft without pruning from my understanding.
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So no dwarf Americans?
Dollywood has a more spreading growth habit from my research. Otherwise I’m not aware of any known varieties that are dwarfing.
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I have a 100-46 tree that seems to be runting out from heavy fruiting. In fact, one of its top branches broke off from the weight of its crop which naturally pruned it. I’m sure it would be much more vigorous if it was grown in alternative conditions that wouldn’t promote fruiting.
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Nikita’s gift is definitely a dwarf tree.
Ichi Kei Ki Jiro is dwarf
So is Izu.
Some Americans aren’t that fast growing in my experience.-- H118 hasn’t been that vigorous for me.
As far as dwarf varieties go, Japanese rootstocks (propagated clonally by root cloning) exist that can dwarf the tree. In the nursery trade, it isn’t a big consideration.
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My American Prok is definitely not dwarf. A branch can put on 8’ of growth in a season, if it doesn’t snap.
I’d agree that the Asian IKKJ is dwarf. My 8-year old trees seem to want to be ~15-20’ tall. I can easily keep them ~15 with some pruning.
And the hybrid Kassandra also seems to be dwarfish. My 6-year old tree is ~12’ high with some pruning. It seems like it will be easy to keep it ~15’ high, maybe less.
Other varieties are too young to judge. But my 2-year old JT-02 / Mikkusu seems dwarfish. So far (only 2 seasons with this season the first in the ground) it puts on 3’ of growth in late spring / early summer then stalls.
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Wilds… from a little tree near our walmart parking lot. It ripens many late and holds them long… first week of Dec last year it still had some fruit hanging… that is when I first noticed it.
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I’ve been reading that Nikita’s Gift is late ripening, like December. Is it a problem that we get snow on and off and our first freeze is usually mid October? Do I just pick them before frosts and ripen them on the counter? Also, black spots, including all black fruit are perfectly fine to eat? Sorry, I’m a novice!
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Black spots are just cosmetic. You can safely eat them. Some varieties have more black spots naturally – like Hachiya. Some turn completely black even – like Huk Gam/Kuro Gaki
I would pick all fruit before a hard frost and bring them indoors to ripen. With Nikita’s gift, they can ripen off the tree reasonably well.
@mikatani had a very good post earlier – when a fruit ripens is a different aspect than how much heat is required to ripen it. Nikita’s gift needs relatively low heat units to ripen. It will tree ripen in mid November here but can be picked off the tree by early November.
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Odds are it was a Fuyu allowed to soften somewhat, but there are some astringents out there that are more that flat shape and have a “ripe tomato” level of softness when ready. It’s possible someone is growing and selling those, but most of what I see for sale are Fuyus and other non-astringents. The only one of those I’ve tried personally is Nakita’s Gift, but I think JT-02/Mikkusu also fits that bill. It’s a little harder to come by, but not impossible. And it’s one of the hardiest hybrid varieties around! I have one in my orchard in 5b/6a New Hampshire. It hasn’t fruited yet, but hardiness is not an issue.
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Kasandra is starting to ripe. When they ripen evenly, they’re excellent. But the problem with this one seems to be that the stem area takes quite a bit longer to ripen up than the point.
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That Chuchupaka is starting to look mighty fine.
It took all my self-control to not pick it over the weekend. I think it’ll be at its best in one more week.
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Is your Chuchupaka in ground?
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American persimmons usually must fall to the ground to be ripe enough to eat. Sometimes may need a week on the counter after that in order to lose astringency.
I’ve seen ripe Kassandra fruits with the stem area gone – it pulls out with the stem and calyx when they are removed. Does that solve the problem?
I tried one of my Coffeecake, since it was mostly orange, I may not be able to check at the best time, and it had some damage that looked dark. No seeds. The texture looked great, and quite appetizing, but of course it was still astringent. I’m tempted to pick another of the few, and treat it.
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Yes. I’ve got two in ground and they’ve both survive -17 no problem.
Not really. The astringency tends to run down the center of persimmons too. It seems like most persimmons ripen from the outside in, and Kasandra does that too but while also ripening from the point to the stem.
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It is not a definite tell, but I believe pollinated coffee cake will often have a convex bottom and unpollinated are concave (or flat). Basically, the seeds are taking up more space in the fruit. @PharmerDrewee does that match what you’ve seen on yours?
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