I had a tree in the front of my house that was put in by the builders. I’ve hated it since I moved in so I finally removed it. I replaced it with a Hachiya persimmon. This was kind of an impulse buy. A nursery near by had 10 ft+ trees on clearance for around $20. I have a Fuyu out back. Is there a huge difference between the two flavors? Anything one can do that the other can’t? I read Hachiya is better for drying.
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Hachiya is an astringent type, Fuyu can be eaten while still crunchy, so that’s a big difference. Hachiya fruit is also larger.
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You have to wait for your Hachiya to get almost as soft as a water balloon. At that stage it will taste like syrupy sweet jello. Fuyu is crunchy and not as sweet. They are quite different.
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I like both types but my favorite is the crunchy none astringent types like Fuyu.
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Thanks y’all. How well does this tree respond to pruning? I’m reading it can be upwards of 30 feet, but I’d like to keep it to less than 15 or so for pickability.
Hachiya has definitely been a more vigorous grower compared to Fuyu, but they both respond well to pruning and can easily be contained to the 8-12 ft range.
I think you’ll be happy having both varieties. Fuyu and Hachiya are very different… it’s almost like comparing Asian and European pears.
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Hachiya is very good for drying. Thinly slice 1/8" while it is still firm and then dry in dehydrator. then store in zip loc bags. you’ll have hachiyas for a long time to chew on, well past the season of persimmons.
You can also peel off the whole hachiya fruit after it turned soft and make hoshigaki.
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I think you made an OUTSTANDING choice! You now have the 2 flagship Asian persimmons- Fuyu and Hachiya. Now @Auburn is one of my favorite people on this whole site and has been a tremendous help to me over the years…but he is just plain wrong to think non astringents (Fuyu) are better than (truly ripe) astringents (Hachiya)! hahaha. He (hopefully) knows I’m just kidding and all those people reaching for their keyboards to say I am the one who is wrong can relax…I think the majority of people here prefer the astringents. And of course its just personal taste anyway.
But Chad, I can tell you that I have about 125 fruit trees and the only ones I have intentionally planted more of after I tasted the fruit are Astringent Persimmons (Saijo variety in my case because my Hachiyas have been killed by winter freeze 2 times) and Spring Satin Plumcots. These 2 fruits are my very, very favorite that I grow. I am willing to bet that once you taste your Hachiya you will have a very hard time letting yourself cut it back rather than reach full height and produce more fruit- even if you have to buy a ladder! ha. It’s also a good point because both types are quite resistant to disease and insects both. Of course there are exceptions, but compared to most of my other trees persimmons are a very easy tree to grow. So if you can’t tell, I think you made a very wise choice that you will be very happy with! Good luck.
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I don’t like to eat Fuyu at super crunchy stage and prefer to wait for it to soften just a little to the touch. It is sweeter and juicier at that stage.
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I know your kidding. Picking is something I always enjoy around my tennis buddies. Sometimes it is more fun than the game. My comparison probably wasn’t a very good one in that I was comparing a good Fuyu to the native astringent ones I grew up eating. I have never had a Hachiya which might change my opinion.
Saijo is only hardy for me in 6b next to my shed that provided winter protection. If you love Saijo, I suggest you try Nikita’s Gift. It’s a hybrid, astringent, with a more complex flavor than Saijo. Cliff England also sells a bunch of hybrids that are promising, that I have. Those trees, though, haven’t fruited for me yet. Cliff’s Sestronka supposedly has great fruit size and great taste.
You have no idea how happy you just made me!!! I’m litterally sitting here grinning like the village idiot. I just got a Nikita’s gift 2 weeks ago from Raintree! I really hadn’t heard a lot of reviews and only ordered it because it was hardy, astringent, and sounded like something I would like. Now I feel so much better about it!
But you have me worried about my sajio now. I’m right on the line of 6b/7a. I’ve lost 2 Hachiya’s in 2 seperate years to cold, but my Saijo made it through both as well as this past winter which saw 3 nights in a row of near zero and one night below it. It killed huge fig trees (5-6 years old without die back) and still didn’t get my Hachiya. And it is without any protection of any kind. I would absolutely die if I lost my Hachiya!!!
@Auburn I’m glad you have a good sense of humor. My friends and I also pick at each other all the time and it is very fun. I normally wouldn’t have even go so far to make sure you knew I was kidding, but the thing about the internet is without being able to see a persons face or hear the tone of his voice, its sometimes hard to know if someone is kidding (or being sarcastic, etc). But I’m glad to know we can joke around. Now…lets talk local astringent vs Asian…Like you, before my tree produced my first Asian, the only persimmons I had were the native ones you speak of and which grow a lot here. Trust me, there is no comparison in the natives and Hachiya or Saijo. The natives are full of seeds, for one. The flesh is also quite fiberous…I’d even call the flesh “stringy” I think. The best way I can describe Saijo (texture, not flavor) is that it is very similar to jello. really. few to no seeds, clean tasting. Extremely sweet, but in a way that isn’t sickly sweet or too rich. just a nice fruity flavor that barely reminds me of natives. So again, I implore you to give them a try and then compare to Fuyu. BTW, here in TN the Publix Grocery stores actually carry both fuyu and Hachiya. The only place I know of that sells them here, so this fall you might check there.
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My favorites are the pollination variant non-astringent types (PVNA). I love them when they’re seeded. Coffee Cake, Chocolate, Victor A and B are my top choices. These have complex flavors when pollinated. Among the PCA’s the top choice, Saijos I would prefer over Hachiyas anytime.
I have a PDF file about the various types of persimmons and I will upload it after I find it. I used to have 53 different kinds of persimmons grafted together in one tree.
There are also various techniques in removing astringency of various persimmons.
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Joe, when does Chocolate ripen in your area relative to other varieties? I am trying to see if it will even ripen here in the PNW.
In terms of flavor and sweetness Hachiya is much superior IMHO to Fuyu or any of the other non astringent varieties. I’d much rather eat any apple than a non astringent. I think you made a fine choice.
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I’m borderline 6B/7A too. Hachiya just doesn’t do well in NJ. I’ve had two die, even after they’ve fruited. Saijo is supposedly a little more cold hardy, and I agree. However, it would get significant dieback it the former spot. The shed appears to provide just enough protection to minimize the cold dedicating winter winds.
NG is a great variety. Whatever you do, do not fertilize it with nitrogen or use lawn fertilizer near it. I have found it to be especially prone to fruit drop if it is exposed to even a grain or two of lawn fertilizer.
Forgot to mention that there’s a Hachiya tree the next block over. It was lucky enough to grow during a several year spell of warm
Winters. We had rough winters the last approximately 4 years, and the tree has been suffering. It looks so sad, with a lot of dead branches. It would break my heart to see those dead Hachiya trees, so now I only focus on the hybrids.
Matsumoto Wase Fuyu ripens first, then Izu, then Fuyu, then Coffee Cake then Chocolate then Hachiya then Saijo. Coffee Cake and Chocolate will ripen as late as Saijo if they aren’t pollinated.
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Persimmon cultivars:
PersimmonCultivarsOthers.pdf (33.9 KB)
PersimmonCultivarsMajor.pdf (342.9 KB)
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