American persimmons—those tasty fruits for home gardens. Wide-named varieties are now available as grafted trees, including some that yield sweet fruits weeks ahead of autumn frosts.
And we have found, contrary to popular belief, that frosts are not beneficial to persimmon quality.
Two Best Early Persimmon Varieties
Two of the best early varieties are Penland and Garretson, which mature seedless fruits without male persimmons.
If pollinated, their fruits contain from 1 to 6 seeds. George L. Slate reports that Garretson, although small, is the most satisfactory variety he has fruited in Geneva, New York.
Several larger varieties ripen ahead of frost in central Illinois, the best being Killen and Urbana, a slightly earlier and softer-fruited variety developed here.
Both need pollination by a male American tree.
Male Persimmons
Male persimmons have been suggested for more general landscape use in this region, and they have much to commend them.
However, lawn maintenance may be difficult in the shade of older trees if they are headed low or planted too close together.
Their self-pruning habit results in a litter of twigs and branches on the ground but much of the deadwood that accumulates can be raked down at one time during the dormant season.
Fruiting Persimmons
Fruiting persimmons are even more ornamental, but it is unwise to plant them where surplus fruit will be a nuisance.
Persimmons thrive in a wide range of soils and are noted for their persistence in poor fields and rundown hillside pastures.
If spraying and sanitation are neglected, fall webworms, twig girdlers, and persimmon borers may be pests.
Persimmon Wilt Disease
In scattered areas in southeastern states, persimmon wilt disease is also troublesome. Therefore, trees should not be moved north from infected areas.
The fruits have almost no pests until they ripen fully and are sought by birds and opossums.
Hard-ripe persimmons can be picked and allowed to soften in an air-tight container, a method long used in China and Japan.
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