With fruits that resemble orange-colored tomatoes, persimmon is a beautiful fruit tree that can also be grown in pots. Make sure the soil is fresh and draining, proceed with pruning when necessary, and replant periodically.
Native to Asia, specifically Cinema and Japan, the persimmon produces fruits that at first glance look like large orange tomatoes, but which cling to the branches as if they were apples. They are fruits with juicy and sweet pulp, particularly expected in the autumn season.
The persimmon tree grows well in any type of soil and if you want you can also grow it in pots, but in this case expect reduced development and lower fruit production compared to that of plants grown in full soil. For good plant development, you’ll need to remember to transplant the plant into larger and larger pots to ensure enough soil at the roots. Regularly litter and water and protect your tree from widespread and frequent attacks by insects and pests.
Description and varieties
Native to China, the persimmon tree (Diospyros kaki) belongs to the Ebenaceae family and is considered a subtropical species that is now adapted to the most diverse climates. Even in our country, persimmon is now grown throughout the peninsula, although in the north younger plants are likely to tolerate low humidity from the winter season.
The most common varieties in Italy are the Romagna Lotus, which produces intense yellow-orange fruits with a soft, sweet and almost gelatinous flesh, and the Campania Vanilla, with firmer flesh than the Lotus and darker in color. Particularly prized among apple persimmons are the Fuyu, Suruga, O’Gosho and Jiro varieties.
When and how to plant it
The best time to transplant the persimmon tree is in the fall and winter months, up to early spring. To plant a plant, you must first dig a hole of the indicative measurements of 70x70x70 cm. After placing the plant with the collar just outside the soil surface, cover it with fertilized soil and gently compress with your feet. Then water the plant for better rooting.
Soil and fertilizer
The ideal soil for growing the persimmon tree should be fertile and draining to avoid the risk of water stagnation. As for fertilizer, the ideal is to add manure or a slow-release product.
Irrigation
The persimmon is a fairly rustic species, so it tolerates dry periods well. If the summer is particularly hot, it is better to provide a little more watering.
Multiplication
Persimmon multiplication usually occurs by grafting. What does it mean? It is a method of multiplication that consists of joining two portions of different, but still similar, plants to constitute a single individual. In practice, the living part of a plant, called nesto, is welded into another root-bearing part, called a rootstock. To give life to rootstock plants, sowing is usually also done with seeds extracted from the fruits.
Pruning
The first rule of good pruning is to do it sparingly by leaving a generous amount of flower buds on the branches. At the same time, it is necessary to thin branches that are too dense to reduce the early fall of small fruits due to the lack of light in the foliage, a condition that can also favor the presence of mealybugs. Therefore, the advice is to thin the branches towards the end of winter and make sure that those that remain are suitably distant.
Diseases and pests
Persimmons are subject to various diseases and pest attacks. Baking soda dissolved in water is typically used to stop a fungus known as powdery mildew or white mildew; To hinder the spread of gray mold, copper green is used. Persimmons can also be affected by an insect called sesia, a moth whose larvae dig tunnels in the plant’s bark — an unmistakable sign of its presence is yellowing, if not even wilting. Another danger is represented by the fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata) which can be prevented by never leaving the fruits on the plant after ripening. Persimmons can also be affected by mealybugs, which move away by sprinkling fern macerates on the plant or treating them with mineral oils.
