[Charitup]

Thanks Kelby, maybe next spring we will see.

[Snaglpus]

Phil, I have Honan Red, Fuyu and Hachiya. Hoshigaki is made using Hachiya persimmons. Every year, I order 2 boxes of Hoshigaki for Christmas. They are expensive but truly amazing! My Fuyu tree has persimmons on it on. In a few weeks, they will be ready to pick!

[strudeldog]

Yes when just starting to soften up or just prior. I don't even remove skin, I want to try Hoshigaki method and drying whole at sometime as well. I imagine it improves the product, but you it's hard to slice a fully ripe astringent persimmon, kind of like slicing pudding, but I will try making fruit leather from some. Most the types recommended for drying are astringent, though some folks dry non-astringent. Even the rock hard but colored up ones lost their astringency.

[Kelby]

So I follow you correctly, you are slicing them when firm and then drying? They then lose the astringency during the drying process?

I've read about the Japanese method of drying persimmons by hanging whole, skinned fruit under eaves, hope to try that someday.

[strudeldog]

Picked these a couple days ago. Tanennashi Probably my lowest rated Kaki on fruit taste I grow. I think I know why at one time it was planted extensively as it is very productive, large and seems to ripen over a extended time. My young tree has couple branches so loaded I had to prop the limbs up with forked branches to keep from breaking the limbs. It's not a cultivar I recommend high, but it does dehydrate nice. I am keeping the tree for that reason. Dehydrated astringent persimmon are divine. Don't wait until they go soft and lose astringency as you can't really slice them. They lose their astringency when dehydrated. There is probably 50 more on the small tree The will likely all get dehydrated. There are much better ones fresh.

I also dehydrated some Asian pears that I picked early and bland as I feared they branches would break. I think Asians are best ripened on the tree unlike most European pears, they were improving in taste but I had more than I can eat and better ones ripening

[Gardencrochet]

My Fuyu is loaded with fruit. I would recommend this variety for anyone looking for a very productive tree. The fruit is very sweet and yummy. It is is a non-astringent variety. The astringent varieties produce a bad reaction in your mouth if eaten unripe.

[Kelby]

If I can send you any scions to replace what you lost let me know;

[Kelby]

Just got a nice Nikita's Gift today from Bass at Trees of Joy...need more yard space!

[Charitup]

I have 1 ea. of 15 to 20 different varieties. Don't know the exact number as I don't have my book with me right now and even then I know I have lost a few this year. Probably because of neglect as I have not been able to look after stuff the way I normally have. We have had a very dry summer this yr. too. Also have about a 100 seedlings that I tried my hand at grafting for the first time this spring on about 20 of them. Maybe 10 of them took and are looking good so far. Thanks to Strudeldog for furnishing most of the scion wood used in my grafting.

[Kelby]

Thanks Phil! My virginiana rootstocks haven't suckered yet but some we have at work on lotus sucker lots. Probably with age they'll sucker. I've primarily been using virginiana as it reputedly hardier.

[strudeldog]

Kelby, Virginiana suckers like crazy on some trees. I think in general Lotus suckers less, but overall Virginiana is a more adaptable stock for soils , and I always thought Virginiana was the better rootstock for me, as that's the one most right coast nurseries use, but maybe it's just more avilable and I am wondering after some things I read awhile back. Here is one link

http://www.lecooke.com/cms/le-cooke-blog/Kaki-vs-Lotus-Rootstock-for-Fuyu-Persimmon.html

[Kelby]

I've read young trees (under 5) will drop lots of fruit too.

[WillsC]

With them you can get decent growth or fruit but you can't get both. Last year I hit them hard with fertilizer and they grew 18" or so and bushed out but the N made them drop all the fruit which is par for the course with persimmons. This year I did not fertilize and one set 20 and the other 10 but they aborted half of them when the fruit was half grown.

Will take a picture of them tomorrow and post it, they are in there 3rd summer.

[Kelby]

Is it lotus rootstock? My very limited experience shows that to sucker a lot.

[Dave]

Kelby I do cut off the suckers but they grow faster than I can cut them Could you wrap the trunk with something to keep them from growing?

[Rewton]

I have a Saijo, Wase Fuyu and Makewa Jiro. The WF and MJ have not fruited yet but I would think next year is the year as they have put on quite a bit of growth this year. The Saijo is also a fast grower for me and is a year older than the other two. it produced about a half dozen fruits last year and should produce more this year but not as many as I had hoped, given its size. All three trees were from EL in Virginia.

[Kelby]

Mine aren't fruiting yet, but I've heard 2-4 years. You should remove the suckers at the base, too.

[Dave]

Here's a picture of mine I planted it last year and it hasn't grown an inch How many years does it normally take before you start getting fruit?

Do they like a specific fertilizer?

[WillsC]

Had the first fruit from the FUYU today, I like them best when they have the crunch of an apple.

[growcrazie]

I have a Jiro that died almost to the ground last winter, it has grown about 3' this summer. I got fruit from it last year. I also have early golden and yates that I planted in the spring. I have many seedlings that I started from seed. I tried to graft some but had only one take and that one broke off from the weight of the new growth

[Kelby]

There shouldn't be any difference unless one was weaker or stronger beforehand.

[Gr8Figs]

I had a Fuyu from a nursery in Florida,but it died where it was grafted to the rootstock in its second year.I have a number of wild trees and two large male persimmon trees about 40' tall with a lot trees sprouting from there roots.

I have been wondering if there is any difference in fruit production and growth when grafting to male vs female rootstock?

[COGardener]

Sounds like you need more snow.... LOL

[COGardener]

I think I will hold off until the move, another 3 years won't hurt anything.

[WillsC]

Have two, a Fuyu and a Hana Fuyu they are both ripening now. They are good but the trees sure grow slow.