I donāt think Iāve ever tried to germinate any seeds from any of the named virginiana cultivars Iāve grafted, and if I have I didnāt keep them separate, so I canāt say if the seeds are viable, but they look totally normal.
1 Like
Yes I agree the safest bet would be to keep it simple. But the only way to know if a graft is gonna reject is to put them together. And the experimenting is half the fun. But if I can start with a tree that has smaller growth habits Iāll have to prune less. The apple trees keep me busy enough. But I do have an area set a side for a couple of persimmons to just do their own thing. The trees in the orchard will be hybrids though. This forum has tons of advice and information. Without personal experience information on the internet is hard to find about persimmons being that they arenāt as common of a fruit as an apple. So thanks so much
1 Like
Is it still your opinion that Prok is milder than Yates? I saw a previous post you made on GW, where you thought the opposite.
3 Likes
Now that my Prok is in full production and I ate a lot of them in the last few years. The taste to me was more milder than Yates but bigger fruits.
Tony
4 Likes
Gotcha. Do you still rank Prok and H-118 ahead of Yates?
3 Likes
Yes, because they are both larger than Yates.
4 Likes
If you toss out fruit size as a criteria, and itās purely based on taste, youād still rank Prok and H-118 ahead?
How would you rank these three with respect to only taste (irrespective of yield and fruit size): Prok, H-118, and Yates in comparison to JT-02, Rossyanka, and Nikitaās Gift?
Given the order in which youāve been topworking - Iām assuming JT-02, Ros, NG, Prok, H-118, and Yates? In that order?
2 Likes
American persimmon tasted very similar but some may be more stronger fragrant and more juicy. So that was the reason why l chose the larger size fruits. I TOPWORKED a total 7 persimmon trees to JT-02 due to the rich and sweet taste plus the super cold hardy at -19F so far for my Z5. Rossyanka was good tasting but a little late to ripen. Nikitaās gift tasted great with firm texture but only can handle the cold to -10F.
5 Likes
ic. thanks for the notes. They are helpful.
3 Likes
The virginiana persimmons ripen so much earlier than the hybrids (and kakis) that I donāt personally see a lot of reason to ask which tastes better, because the virginianas are my only option for persimmons in August and September and Iām mostly eating the hybrids and kakis in November and December. Thereās potentially some overlap in October with late virginianas and early kakis, but theyāre different enough, and I enjoy the different types enough that Iād definitely enjoy having both types since I have enough space, etc. The only thing I donāt really have (at least not fruiting yet) are virginiana varieties that ripen much beyond September.
3 Likes
Ripening time depends on where you are. Where I am, zone 6 a, my friendās Yates (D. Virg.) starts ripening around the 2nd week of Oct and continuing on into early Nov. that is late to me.
@JustPeachy is in zone 5. I donāt think any D. Virg. Would ripen any earlier than mid Oct.
Mid-October seems really late ā thatās two full months later than here (zone 7 NC) ā but Iām sure it would be significantly later than here anyways. But if virginianas donāt start ripening until mid October and first frost comes mid October or even earlier, would someone in that location be able to ripen varieties like Rosseyanka or Nikitaās gift (and any other hybrids that donāt ripen any earlier) at all? I think I remember Tony in zone 5 Omaha saying heās been able to ripen the hybrids, but Iām guessing he has a lot more growing degree days than zone 5 Wisconsin, and Iād assume that would make a big difference.
What Iāve noticed that although @tonyOmahaz5 is at least half a zone colder than me, his varoius fruit consistently ripen at least 1-2 weeks ahead than mine.
I believe his spring comes early and his summer heat is a lot more intense. These factors are likely to contribute to Omaha fruit ripen earlier than MA fruit.
My NG has dropped all fruit. My guess is NG will ripen in late Oct here.
1 Like
Nebraska summers can get surprisingly hot. Apples and pears often ripen early here.
2 Likes
Once in a while. I brought my potted figs outdoor around March 24th.
Tony
4 Likes
Exactlyā¦
you guys got it right. Itās heat units and growing season length whether American, hybrid, or kaki. As long as the area where they are being grown has the opportunity to turn the fruit an orange color, then itās good enough to harvest and allow them to ripen artificially (off the tree.)
Dax
3 Likes
Dax, do you know what the potential is for growing hybrids in your area as far as ripening (as opposed to winter hardiness)? And Iām curious when virginiana persimmons begin ripening in your area, too.
1 Like
I am looking forward to Cliff Englandās new cold hardy PNVA hybrid. He posted about it on facebook. It should allow for earlier harvest since it can be eaten while still hard if pollinated.
3 Likes
I would be interested in this one. I just have to find a spot for it.
1 Like
Weāre in the same boat Tony! I need more land!
1 Like