LOL – I left ~50 on the tree a week ago, figuring I’d pick them when other fruit was processed. These were the highest fruits on the tree – 12-17’ off the ground. I was gonna prune the high branches to access the fruit.
One morning, they were all gone without a trace. That’s despite a 7 1/2’ fence with a 2’ chicken wire skirt. It appears that a raccoon pulled back the skirt near the door and crawled under.
Edit: Sorry, there was one trace – a broken branch, which I figure succumbed to the weight of the 'coon.
Bought 2 foot flashing from HD (like $12 for 10 foot roll). It’s 100% on tree rats. Coons it’s 100% on bigger trunk trees. On the skinny trunks they can sometimes get up by wrapping their arms around it. I’ve seen them try to climb them. They just slide right off.
I was thinking of moving my IKKJ Persimmon into a sunnier spot, because I think its dormancy period is being affected (it didn’t wake up until very late, relative to other plants, this year) by it being in a spot where the shadow of the house keeps the soil very much colder through the Winter, and colder/frozen through the Spring.
Can I do this now that the leaves have fallen off, or do I have to wait a bit before proceeding?
So, my Prok cast it’s fruit early in the season. No fruit this year, but it was a great year for growth! We got over 2,600 GDU’s which is very unusual. Several grafted trees and seedlings reached the 5’ mark. I planted about 35 more trees this year, got another 10 to get in in spring. All the grafted trees are “winterized”.
What is your normal low temperature? I was thinking about letting you trial my Tam Kam X Chocolate male that survived -18F last winter unprotected. I hoped it wasn’t a one time cold hardy fluke. @EliindaUP
It has been erratic. 2023= -7, 2022= -8, 2021= -20, 2020= -18, 2019= -19. Upper negative teens are our average, but it can go either way. We are protected from the extreme polar vortexes you experience; Lake Superior pushes them west and south.
Hi Eli,
That’s a respectable GDU count! Here in Kent the calculator shows we got 2749 GDU’s since 1/1/24. Our winter lows are not as low as yours. My Prok graft died last year after growing one season, had it on my Mature chocolate tree, others survived 100-46, H 120, and JT 02. I may try again on a new dv rootstock if I get some scions. You are in a good test location. If your Prok is surviving, tells me I had some other issue that killed mine.
Dennis
Kent, Wa
It is definitely above normal here. I keep track of our temperatures with a high low thermometer on our farm, and then calculate the Gdu’s at the end of each day throughout the growing season. I think our average is somewhere between 21 and 23 hundred a year. Would guess it was some other factor then low temperature that killed your graft. Southwest injury is a booger here, with the long periods below freezing, and the snow reflecting the sun’s intensity. I’m hoping mine is indeed Prok. I purchased it from Stark Bros a few years back, and Jrd51’s pictures and experience lead me to believe that I may not have the legitimate Prok. I will know when it fruits.
For those of you who germinate american persimmon seeds, how long does it typically take at room temperature?
I had some stratifying in the fridge for maybe 5 or 6 weeks, and wanted to see if that was long enough. So, I put several in a ziplok with a damp paper towel on the counter. Its been 2.5 weeks, nothing yet.
I had my first ripe hachiya today and i hope to join you guys with photos in the next few years will be adding hachiya and nikita sometime next year the fruit one of you guys posted was sooooo pretty
After having my first Nikita’s gift this year, I wish I had gotten a Giyombo rather than Hanafuyu. My Hanafuyu is pretty good, but realized I prefer the astringent varieties by a large margin.
Someone else grew it, not I so i don’t know what they did with it overall.
It was sweet enough to spike my blood sugar i go hypoglycemic if i forget to eat so that was fun. One fell on the floor and i couldn’t do anything with it so i ate it the inside at least. 0 astringency, basically was like fresh jam but no residual fake sugar or whatever they put in it these days that gives you the bitter aftertaste.
will be adding hachiya and nikita sometime next year 
the fruit one of you guys posted was sooooo pretty
i go hypoglycemic if i forget to eat so that was fun. One fell on the floor and i couldn’t do anything with it so i ate it 
the inside at least. 0 astringency, basically was like fresh jam but no residual fake sugar or whatever they put in it these days that gives you the bitter aftertaste.