Soft gooey fruit is not always compost pile material to those familiar with the delights of the persimmon (Diospyros kaki "Hachiya" or Diospyros virginiana). The round, orange persimmon fruit is inedible when crisp but delectable and sweet when soft and squishy. Persimmon trees decorate backyards in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 9, where their pretty globular fruits hang on the branches long after the leaves fall. Germinate a persimmon seed to grow your own attractive tree.
Pick a ripe persimmon in late fall or early November or buy one at an organic market. The fruit softens and turns a brighter shade of orange when ripe.
Cut the fruit in half. Remove the raisin-sized dark seeds and clean them immediately; persimmon flesh has the consistency of jelly and can mold or ferment the seeds. Air dry on a paper towel for 48 hours.
Mix the seeds with several handfuls of moist peat. Store in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag for two months. Keep the temperature at 36 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
Select a planting area with light, humus-rich soil and partial sun. Work the soil to a depth of 8 inches. Make a shallow trench using a hoe or the back of your shovel. Water the trench well.
Remove the seeds from the refrigerator and soak in tepid water for two or three days. Plant seeds 12 inches apart along the trench at a depth of one-half inch. Plant either in spring or early fall.
Thin seedlings the following autumn to one per 6 feet. One year from planting, healthy seedlings should be 8 inches tall. Thin again the second fall, leaving only the number of persimmon trees you want to grow. Keep in mind that each mature tree can reach 25 to 60 feet in height.
Things You Will Need
- Paper towels
- Peat moss
- Plastic bag
- Shovel or hoe
- Bowl of water
- The Diospyrus virginiana persimmon is native to the United States. The persimmons are smaller than Japanese varieties like "Hachiya" but the tree is hardier.
- Do not eat persimmons while they are hard and crisp. Your mouth will never forgive you the exposure to its extreme astringency.
- California Rare Fruit Growers: Persimmon
- Cal Poly Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute: Selectree: Hachiya Persimmon Diospyros Kaki "Hachiya"
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Native Plant Database: Diospyros Virginiana L. Common Persimmon
- United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service: Common Persimmon
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