In late Autumn, rural homes, boundaries of arable lands, and persimmon orchards of Japan are decorated with abundant, delicious fruits — ranging from bright red to orange-yellow — of Japanese persimmons.
They have been our most affectionate and intimate fruit trees for many centuries. Now, they are becoming important not only in the home garden but also in commercial fruit plantings in America.
Value of Persimmon
The fruits are beautiful as table decorations, delicious to cats in sherbets and creams, and tasty when eaten with sugar and lemon juice. As a result, a tremendous number of dried fruits are exported to America annually before Christmas.
I wish to call attention to the value of the persimmon as an ornamental tree and that several Japanese varieties are likely to be hardy even in New England.
Large lustrous leaves turn bright yellow to crimson in Autumn.
Japanese Persimmon
The Japanese persimmon, Diospyros kaki, is closely allied to the common persimmon, D. virginiana, native from Connecticut southward, which is far inferior in fruits, but hardier.
It attains a height of more than 30’ feet, with wide spreading branches, but most of the varieties cultivated are not as tall, and very dwarf trees are generally seen.
Persimmons grow well in various climates and soil, varying with the variety. However, they prefer fertile sandy clay, providing there is no stagnant water to cause entire failure.
In our district, where hot and bone-dry summers are experienced annually, the trees never fail to bear fruit abundantly every year, and they are found near running water or on deep fertile soils.
Seedlings grafted on Diospyros kaki stock adapt themselves better to drier or wetter soils than those grafted on D. lotus, a widely distributed species in Asia.
However, the latter resists colder and adapts itself to a wider climate range. Moreover, it has more fibrous roots, which makes transplanting easy.
Common Persimmon Stock
I understand many trees are, in America, worked on the native common persimmon stock. The affinities are varied, too.
If the variety Fuyu, the best and most extensively grown one in Japan and America, is grafted on lotus stock, it grows normally for several years and then dies off generally.
This capricious tendency is also found in the varieties themselves. I have had much trouble selecting a few of the best varieties for our district from so many varieties.
There are not less than 200 worthy named varieties locally or widely known from olden times in Japan.
Grafted Trees In Late Autumn
If grown in a tub or pot or a dwarf fruit tree, most of the varieties bear well for their large, delicious fruits of bright colors and Autumn colors.
Secure young spring-grafted trees in late Autumn — never mind whether the leaves are shedding or not. Sturdy 3- to 4-foot trees are best.
Ask the nurseryman to send you the ones grafted on root-pruned stocks if possible. Japanese persimmons have a long, straight taproot with a few fibrous rootlets, making transplanting somewhat difficult, so deeper pots should be selected, 12” inches or so in diameter.
The potted soil should consist of a fertile, fairly heavy loam, with coarse sand sprinkling and some well-rotted stable manure.
Repotting
After carefully placing crocks on the bottom of the pots to ensure good drainage, the trees should be planted firmly.
Repotting should be done every other year, and in the alternate years, plants should be top-dressed in the Autumn.
He is very cautious not to break the ball or remove too much soil from the ball when repotting. As long as the soil is sweet and the trees are not too big, top dressing only is sufficient to have healthy, productive potted trees.
In manuring, I have found that the best way, whether grown in the field or pots, is to give half of the amount during the growing season and the rest in the Autumn and none in the early Spring, before the buds break, as that, to me, seems to enhance the dropping of the flowers and young fruits — a common problem in Japanese persimmons.
The tops of the potted trees should be cut back to 1 ½’ to 2’ feet, ascertaining several sounds, and undamaged top buds remain.
If the grafted trees are placed where dry cold winds prevail from the North, pruning should be practiced in the early Spring, and in those places, the unheated house is the best protection from wind and cold. A heated house Is not good for the Winter sleep of Japanese persimmons.
Pruning Season
In the following pruning season, three or four sturdy branches should be left and cut back one-half to two-thirds.
But as the early bearing is desired, regardless of well-balanced, bushy, dwarf growth in the future, cut off only the tip of each branch, as the flowers are generally produced on the new growth produced near the ends of each branch.
After the second or third year, lighter pruning should be practiced; otherwise, no flowers can be expected. Weak twigs are always useless.
In summer, after the current growth has hardened, if too much water is given, the second growth will be produced, so be careful to keep the plants on the dry side.
If the trees are subjected to sudden and frequent changes in dryness and wetness, the young fruits will drop off. However, Japanese persimmons should succeed in pots easily, regardless of these points.
Flowers Produced On Axils
The flowers produced on the axils of the current growth were young, lustrous leaves expanding, are rather insignificant, yet interesting and lovely to observe.
Usually, the calyx is four-parted and expanded, and it remains green until the fruit ripens. The whitish corolla is also four-parted in the form of a square.
Besides perfect flowers, small staminate cup-shaped flowers are produced in some desirable varieties as pollinizers. Bees much favor persimmon flowers.
Two Groups Of Japanese Persimmons
Japanese persimmons are divided into two groups:
- One that bears the non-astringent fruits, eaten while hard;
- The other has astringent fruits while hard and become sweet when permitted to soften or ripen on the trees.
Some of the best varieties of the first group are:
Fuyu
The best and most extensively grown. Fruit is oblate in shape, with bright orange-red skin and reddish-yellow flesh that is sweet and mellow (average weight is seven to eight oz., many 12 or more ozs.).
It ripens in October. Trees are very dwarf and bear prolifically when young. Fuyu makes a good potted plant.
Jiro
An upright grower with its fruit less mellow and inferior in appearance than the preceding but larger. A prolific bearer. It is the best.
Ama-Hyakume
Very large roundish fruit of which a part is often astringent while trees are young. Grown in northern Japan.
Kyara
Fine, large round fruit of dark orange-yellow. The flesh has dark streaks and a very sweet and rather peculiar taste.
If grown in the North, somewhat astringent fruit is produced. However, there are wide good non-astringent varieties with merit.
Hachiya
The best astringent varieties are Hachiya. Very large, oblong to conical fruit, with brilliant red skin and deep yellow flesh. Much grown in America.
Hira-Tanenashi
Large orange-yellow, oblate fruit. Originated and extensively grown in the northwestern provinces where heavy snowfall is noted. Good quality and seedless, as is Fuyu.
Maru-Gaki
The fruit is small, as shown in the photograph, but very prolific, and the plant bears well in any soil. My tree shown was planted as a one-year-old grafted tree in 1945. The photograph was taken in November of 1948.
This variety originated and grew much in the suburbs of Hiroshima city. If grown dwarfed, very ornamental potted fruit trees result.
Yotsu-Mizo
Another very prolific, small-fruited one. Very good quality. There is a non-astringent one too.
Aizu-Mishirazu
Large oblate, orange-red fruit; very prolific. Widely grown in northern Japan. Vigorous, becoming a large tree.
Attractive Table Decorations
All these fruits are very attractive as table decorations, and fruited branches are praised for flower arrangements.
Most of the crocus species are native to the Mediterranean region and southwestern Asia.
The popular house begonia, Begonia ricinifolia, is a hybrid of B. heracleifolia x B. peponifolia. It originated in England in about 1847.
44659 by Kan Yashiroda