It’s a rainy evening so I’m multi-tasking while watching TV. . . . Here’s a little update on the persimmons, just as data for anyone it might help. FWIW, if I don’t say that a tree was purchased then I grafted it myself on DV seedling rootstock.
[Edit: I added info on tree size, in response to a suggestion from @zendog. Bigger trees are pruned to manage height. All trees are pruned to shorten and stiffen scaffolds as well as to reduce branching to admit air and light. My site is very windy and I have to worry that a tree with a dense impenetrable canopy will blow over. I’m in coastal RI, borderline Z6B/Z7A.]
Kasandra: An established purchased tree, planted in 2017, is just loaded, again. There’s got to be >1000 fruits. So far there’s been a very modest fruit drop; I’m hoping for some more self-thinning so I won’t have to think about doing it myself. The tree is ~15’ tall and 8’ wide; it requires moderate pruning to keep it a manageable height and more aggressive pruning to open up the center.
JT-02 / Mikkusu. A four year-old pair of grafts on an established DV tree gave me ~75 ripe fruits last season and must have set >200 this year – way more than the branches could hold – but 80% have since dropped. What’s left will be a decent crop, if it sticks. Meanwhile a small four-year old seedling tree, grafted here, has a few fruits. Oddly, there are fruits on only two branches among a dozen or so. The grafts are 6-8’ long with shorter branches, after pruning. The small tree is 6’ high and 8’ wide, as the weight of branches pulls them down to horizontal.
Sheng. A three year tree, grafted here on DV seedling then planted in the ground, is growing beautifully but has not flowered. The tree is 7-8’ high and 5’ wide.
Saijo. Ditto. But a twin tree, planted in a pot, ripened 1 fruit last year and has set ~15-18 this year. Fingers crossed. This is a precocious performance. The in-ground tree is 7’ high and 4’ wide; branches are somewhat upright and should be spread. The potted tree is 6’ high (including the pot) and 4-5’ wide, so smaller.
Giboshi. A purchased tree planted in the ground 2022 has set its first modest crop, maybe a dozen. Again, fingers crossed. The tree is 7-8’ tall and 6’ wide.
Coffee Cake. A potted tree purchased last year flowered lightly (male and female) but set no fruit. The tree is 6-7’ tall, including the pot, and roughly 4’ wide. It has not grown as vigorously as Chocolate.
Chocolate. Another potted tree also purchased last year exploded with blooms, male and female. It is currently holding a huge crop. So far, this is the star performer. See picture of one branch, below. This tree is 7’ tall including the pot, 5’ wide. The weight of fruit is spreading branches.
H-63A, Barbra’s Blush and Dollywood, all grafted in 2022 to the same established DV tree, all set a ton of fruit. They each ripened ~20 last year, so I’m expecting good crops (maybe 50 each?) this year. Meanwhile, small seedlings grafted with the same varieties in 2022 generally set small crops this year. Morris Burton, grafted last year, did not blossom. Grafts are 10-12’ long with branching. Growth has been so rampant that it is difficult to reach the highest parts for pruning. The small trees are all 6-7’ tall and 3-4’ wide.
Ichi Ki Kei Jiro. Three purchased trees planted in 2015 but nearly killed by cold in Feb 2023 spent last year rebuilding. This year the trees set a very small crop – I’m estimating less than a dozen per tree. That contrasts with ~100 per tree, more or less, in 2021-22. These trees are all ~15’ tall and 6’ wide, after moderate annual pruning to keep them short enough to pick.
