My Prok has produced seedless fruit for the past 2 years, as far as I can recall. Well technically, there were some wannabee-seeds that are tiny and undeveloped, like little wood flakes. But I don’t remember any fully-developed seeds. This year, however, in the course of picking and eating at least 50 fruits, I’ve encountered four (4) well-developed seeds. That’s not a lot, but it seems odd.
Which of the following is the most likely explanation?:
The Prok tree itself produced some male flowers.
A nearby Kassandra, which bloomed but did not hold fruit, produced some male flowers.
A graft (this year) of JT-02 onto the Prok, which bloomed and actually holds 2 fruits, produced some male flowers.
One of three IKKJ, roughly 100 yards away, produced some male flowers.
A sucker sprouting from the roots of the Prok produced some male flowers. I assume that the rootstock is seedling American and possibly male. FYI, there are two small suckers that I have allowed to grow. The Kassandra has no suckers.
Based on reading and past experience, I believe(d) that both Prok and IKKJ are purely female. I thought very possibly I’d read that the same is true for the 2 hybrids. So my best guess was #5.
Did the ones with seeds taste better? I have found that to be true with Triumph persimmons, and possibly pollinated Rojo Brillante that was seedless. Pollinated ones had much richer flavor.
Are you outside the native range of Diospyros virginiana? Is it possible that there are wild male trees in the woods nearby, and you have enough persimmon trees with female flowers this year to attract pollinators? I have a large male tree in my yard, and it buzzes like no other when in bloom.
What’s the old song lyric, “Yes, we have no bananas”? Yes, we have no wild persimmons. And I’m certain that there are no cultivated persimmons (other than mine) within a mile.