Persimmon: description and characteristics of the 9 best varieties. Early and late varieties (20 Photos & Video) + Reviews

Persimmon

Persimmon is a genus of plants of the Eben family. Their distinctive feature is the fruit of a characteristic shape and structure: it is a fairly large fleshy berry that contains a dozen seeds. The homeland of the plant is the south of Asia, therefore, most types of Persimmon are thermophilic and prefer conditions of high humidity.

But lovers of exotic fruit should not fall into despair: at present, thanks to breeding work, from more than 700 types of persimmons, there are those that can grow and bear fruit not only in tropical, but also in temperate climates. Consider the descriptions of the most popular persimmon varieties and the growing conditions of this plant.

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plant description

Persimmon is a long-liver in the world of plants. Even medium-sized shrubs can be very old, having lived for several hundred years. Large trees live for about five hundred years.

The number of cultivated persimmon species exceeds two hundred varieties. There are both seedless and seed varieties of persimmon. Both the plants themselves and their fruits have a wide variety of forms. South American varieties have the largest fruits. The size of their fruits can reach 900 g; these are large and sweet berries with a dark brown, "chocolate" color. In the Caucasus and Greece, persimmons are cultivated with small fruits, weighing no more than 40 g. Widespread in the Mediterranean is the Sharon variety, which has no seeds and a very low tannin content compared to other varieties.

Eastern persimmon at harvest time

A separate group is represented by the so-called "kings". The fruits of the beetles are formed differently depending on how pollination occurred: they become astringent and bright orange in color if pollination did not occur and brownish and sweet in taste if pollination was.

The fruits of almost all varieties of persimmons have a distinctive property: despite their rather high sugar content (more than 25%), they do not lead to an increase in its level in the blood. That is why persimmon is recommended to be used as maintenance therapy for many diseases.

plant during the growing season

plant height depending on the variety, it can vary widely (bushes - up to 5 m, trees - up to 15 m). Persimmon does not belong to evergreen trees - its foliage is updated once a year, although the period of the "leafless" existence of the plant is relatively short. Leaves have an oval shape, pointed at the end. They are shiny on top and matte on the bottom. In autumn, about two months before they fall, they turn bright red. Most types of persimmon are capable of self-pollination, however, there are also monoecious plants.

The fruits of the beetle with successful pollination

Persimmon fruits are from 2 to 15 cm in diameter. The fruits remain hanging on the trees after the leaves have completely fallen off, since their ripening occurs somewhat later. By the time of ripening, their peel becomes yellowish-red. The color shades of the pulp can be very diverse. The pulp of a fully ripened persimmon has a slimy or jelly-like texture.The fruit contains 3 to 10 large seeds; some species may lack seeds. yield is about 60-120 kg from a medium-sized tree. Fruit ripening time is in autumn: Depending on the variety, it can occur from September to November.

The foliage of the plant in early autumn. Noticeable partial color change of the leaves

In addition to sugar, the fruit contains a large amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and tannins (tannin). Due to their properties, the fruits are used for the needs of the confectionery industry and pharmacology.

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Landing in open ground

General issues

Planting persimmons should begin with the choice of plant variety, and in this matter it is necessary to take into account a number of factors. The first is, of course, its frost resistance. It is necessary to choose varieties that are not only able to endure the winter in the chosen climate, but also have time to form fruits in a relatively short summer and bring them to full ripeness.

However, there is another important circumstance that depends on the chosen plant variety. The fact is that persimmon forms three types of flowers: female, male and bisexual. Among all varieties of persimmon, the latter are relatively rare. Why is so much attention paid to this issue? The fact is that pollination in most varieties of persimmons (and in some beetles) greatly affects the quality of the fruit, its texture and taste in general.

Variety "Sharon". A rare case of tasty fruits without seeds

Persimmon fruits that have seeds are always tastier than those that do not have seeds. Sometimes you can even notice this in the example of a fruit in which, for some reason, only 2 or 3 of all the seeds are developed. The pulp that envelops the seeds is softer and tastier than the one in which there are no seeds. In addition, it has been noted that in fruits, the seeds of which have not yet ripened, the color (and taste) of the pulp remains unchanged, and only after the seeds are formed and grow completely, the pulp begins to change to darken and improve its palatability.

It is also believed that not only the quality of the fruits, but their quantity, that is, the yield of the plant, depends on successful pollination. Therefore, in order to obtain a good harvest with high quality fruits, it is necessary for most varieties to pollinate female flowers with male ones. In this regard, the planting of persimmon trees should be planned in such a way that for every 8-10 trees with female flowers there is one pollinator plant (which has male flowers or flowers of both sexes).

If this is not possible, or there is no desire to plant a whole garden of these trees, limited to only one, there is a special technique for processing flowers for their fertilization.

In order to pollinate a single female plant, special substances are used - gibberellins. These are special plant hormones that affect numerous processes in them. For persimmons, aqueous solutions of gibberellins are used in order to form seeds from the genetic material of only the female plant. Its concentration will have to be selected manually, but given the large number of flowers on the persimmon, next year it will be possible to determine exactly what concentration is needed for successful fruit set.

Selecting a landing site

After choosing a plant variety, as well as the type of pollination, you should start choosing a planting site. In the case of both individual and collective planting of plants, the following rule must be followed: each plant requires 25 to 65 square meters. m (respectively, squares 5x5 or 8x8 m) of area for normal growth and fruiting. The specific area depends on the growth of the plant and the degree of its spreading. These are quite large areas, however, as the persimmon trees grow, the space between them can be filled with columnar varieties of plants such as apple trees or peaches.

The best soil for persimmons will be medium or high fertility loam and sandy loam. At the same time, you should not choose a site for planting with a groundwater level above 75-100 cm from the surface, since most of the plant's root system is at a depth of up to 100 cm.

Garden of persimmon trees

The site for planting trees must be well lit, because even in partial shade, the persimmon leaves are deformed, the shoots are bent, and the fruits may fall off.

It is also a mandatory requirement to protect the planting site from the winds, especially in winter. Sometimes all kinds of artificial hedges are used for these purposes, sometimes a site for planting persimmons is placed behind a natural or artificial obstacle, focusing on the seasonal wind rose. In any case, it should be remembered that the height of the hedge should be sufficient to protect the trunk of the tree, since the branches and shoots are more resistant to frost.

In northern conditions, persimmons are often grown by wall shaping. Trees in this case are planted very close to the southern wall of the buildings. The building must be heated, but the wall near which the plant sits should not be insulated. Sometimes persimmons are grown in a creeping form, forming a crown in such a way that it is literally attached to the wall, like loaches or ivy.

Selection of seedlings

It is best to purchase seedlings from trusted suppliers, since there is a guarantee that exactly the variety that the gardener is interested in will be purchased. For persimmons, this is especially critical, because if a variety that is not winter-hardy comes across, the plant will simply die.

Persimmon seedlings are usually sold with a small clod of earth. If seedlings with an open root system are purchased, then they should be purchased only in the fall. Moreover, it is desirable that such a root system be in the excavated state for the shortest possible time, that is, the plant must be planted as soon as possible after digging its root system out of the ground.

Seedling with a clod of earth

When purchasing such seedlings, you should make sure that they have thin, branched parts of the root system (they are lighter in color and, if they are very dry or waterlogged, they can literally die within a few hours). However, you should not despair, because even with damaged fibrous roots, the plant will be able to take root, but next year its vegetation will begin a few months later. Sometimes the delay in development in case of damage to the root system reaches 3-4 months and the formation of leaves begins only in July.

It is advisable to plant the plant in the fall, and the sooner the better. If the moment of planting is missed and frosts are expected in the near future, it should be postponed until spring. At the same time, a seedling with a clod of earth should be kept in conditions of moderate humidity, lack of lighting and a temperature of + 8-10 ° C. Planting a plant with an open root system should definitely be done in the fall.

Planting seedlings in the ground

It is mandatory when planting persimmons to use some kind of support; this can be an ordinary support stake up to 1.5 m high. If the seedling is grafted, it should be positioned in such a way that the grafting site is buried no more than 10 cm below the soil level.

Young persimmon seedling with a supporting stake

Pits for planting plants must be prepared in advance. Moreover, if planting is carried out in the spring, the pit should be prepared in the fall. During the winter, not only top dressing will be compacted in it, but many pests and pathogens that have decided to spend the winter at the landing site will die.

If the planting is autumn, the pit should be prepared for a period of one to two weeks before planting.

The pit itself has a depth of up to 60 cm and a diameter of 50-60 cm. After it is dug, top dressing must be applied to it. The composition of dressings can be as follows:

They must be thoroughly mixed and poured into the bottom of the pit for planting in the form of a conical mound. From above, the mound should be “sprinkled” with a layer of garden soil about 4-5 cm thick. After winter, the mound may sag, so it should be updated a little.

The seedling itself is installed on a mound from above and gently sprinkled with garden soil. If the grafting site or the root collar is not located at the proper level (about 10 cm below the ground level), you should either fill up the mound, or vice versa - reduce its height.

After digging the seedling, you should firmly tamp the earth with a shovel, tie the seedling to a peg and water it. Watering is carried out with 20 liters of water.

There is an alternative method of landing. At the same time, a mound is not formed in the planting pit, and the nutrient mixture is simply laid on the bottom in an even layer, but then it is still sprinkled with 4-5 cm of garden soil.

With such a planting, a seedling is not installed in the center of the planting pit, but near its wall, while the roots are evenly distributed over the area of ​​the bottom of the pit and sprinkled with soil.

After the pit is completely filled up, it is very easily compacted. Watering is done about half an hour after planting. This method allows you to save the fibrous root system of the plant and avoid injury to small branched roots.

Activities after landing

2-3 days after planting, the stem of the plant should be spudded to a height of about 50 cm. In addition, at any time of planting, the first 2-3 winters, it is necessary to warm the young plant. For this purpose, the seedling is placed in a special box, which is filled with insulation for the winter. As a heater, you can use any heat-insulating material (for example, sawdust). In extreme cases, you can use ordinary garden soil.

When the plant grows enough, only the central trunk and main branches should be insulated.

Persimmon at the age of 4 years

It will not be superfluous to mulch the soil for the winter with any material at hand. Mulch is laid at a distance of about 50-70 cm from the tree in a layer of 5 to 10 cm.

With the right approach to cultivation, the plant gives the first fruits for 3-4 years. However, you should not get too carried away and try to “drive out” the persimmon, especially since its life cycle is very long. It is better to devote the first years to such an important event as the formation of a tree crown. In the absence of normal pruning, fruiting sites will be located higher and higher, which will lead to breaking off branches and a deterioration in the appearance of the tree.

For persimmon, the so-called "changed-leader" pruning form is recommended. At the same time, the distances between skeletal branches in the crown are from 20 to 40 cm, and their number does not exceed 6 pieces.

This form is made as follows:

1. In the spring of the first kind (or the second year in the case of spring planting), the seedling must be cut at a height of about 80 cm. At the same time, by autumn, a continuation of the central shoot will grow from the upper bud, and two lateral branches from the uppermost lateral ones. The rest of the kidneys should be removed in the spring. If any bud has been missed, the sprouted shoot should be removed.
   

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2. In the spring of the second year, the central stem is cut already at a height of 150 cm, and the side branches (grown from the lateral buds left last year) are cut so that their length remains about 50 cm. This is done so that the skeletal branches are located close to the trunk.
   

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3. In the summer of the same year, the growth of a pair of oppositely located skeletal shoots is stimulated, which are located perpendicular to the plane of the two lower shoots.
   

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4. The next tier is formed similarly, after which the central shoot is completely removed.
   

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Features of plant care

As such, plant care is quite simple. Watering as needed and fertilizing with organic matter at the end of the season, nitrogenous fertilizers before the growing season, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers before and during flowering. Application rates correspond to ordinary garden trees.

In addition, it is believed that the introduction of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in the second half of summer will be useful for persimmons. in doses 1.5-2 times higher than the usual norms.

Phosphorus-potassium fertilizer

Perhaps such agricultural technology is justified in too cold conditions, but in a temperate climate there is no such need.

The most important points in caring for a plant are its preparation for winter and maintaining the crown in good condition, since the plant has a fairly high growth rate of green mass.

Shelters from frost and winter winds can be very diverse and include both special screens or boxes, and simpler methods. These include wrapping a tree or part of it with a special agrofibre, using a plastic film (as, for example, roses cover), mulching and hilling, and so on.

In any case, shelter technology depends on many factors and it is impossible to describe all the situations that arise, so it is necessary to consider each case individually.

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Description of varieties

Like many other horticultural crops, persimmon is most often classified according to the timing of its ripening. Allocate early, middle and late varieties. Let's consider them in more detail.

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Early varieties

These fruits ripen in September. Some of them fully reach storage after harvest in September. Normal yields of such varieties are obtained either in the subtropics (the Caucasus, the southern coast of Crimea), or in slightly more northern latitudes (Kuban, southern Ukraine, Moldova). If you use protection products in winter, you can grow them in more northern areas.

gosho gaki

Variety bred in Japan. A low growing tree with a spreading crown. Requires regular pruning. Fruits up to 200 g, yield about 70 kg per tree. Forms predominantly female flowers, therefore requires a pollinator. Fruits are orange in color with a thin skin. When assembled, they can be stored for a long time, but do not tolerate transportation.

Ukrainian

The height of the plant is about 3.5-4 m. According to the name, it was bred for the southern and partly central part of Ukraine. It tolerates winters down to -15°C. The fruit has a cylindrical shape with a pointed apex. Ripe persimmons are bright orange or reddish in color. The flesh is almost always very sweet, dark brown. The yield of the variety is high, up to 90 kg per tree. The shelf life is quite long. The variety tolerates transportation well.

Weber

Early maturing, frost-resistant variety. The height of the plant does not exceed 3 m. The plant is able to tolerate frosts down to -32°C, which is a record among all varieties of persimmon. In addition, one of the most early - full ripening of the fruit occurs in early or mid-September. The fruits are small, not more than 50 g, but there are a lot of them. The taste of the fruit is moderately sweet, but not cloying. In addition, the content of tannins in them practically negates the astringent aftertaste.

virginskaya

This group of varieties is represented by several dozen varieties. The main feature of the variety is the absence of the need for pollinators, since almost all varieties of Virginia persimmon are dioecious. The height of the tree reaches 4 m. The fruits are medium in size, weighing 70-100 g, have a spherical shape; some of the varieties are slightly flattened. After removal from the tree at the end of September, it takes about two weeks of storage in a dark room to fully ripen - this is also a feature of the variety.

Mid-season varieties

The ripening dates of these varieties fall on the period from the beginning of October to the first decade of November. Many of them do not form the perennial part of the wood well by the onset of cold weather, so it is better not to grow them too far north. The boundaries for growing crops are:

Seedles

Japanese variety with a tall (up to 10 m) tree. The tree has a large crown, but the branches are very rare. The fruits have a mass of up to 200 g, slightly flattened. The pulp is tasty, practically without astringent taste, red color. The variety does not need pollinators, as it produces flowers of both sexes. Frost resistance is good, the plant tolerates temperatures down to -25 ° C. The fruits can be stored for up to two months, however, they are unsuitable for transportation.

Hyakume

Also a Japanese variety, bred several hundred years ago. It is a tall (up to 7 m) powerful tree with a dense spherical crown. The taste of the fruits varies depending on the growing conditions, but they are always sweet, only the shades change (sourness, viscosity, and so on). Fruit weight can also vary widely. In our climate, they are from 60 to 200 g. The ripening time depends on many factors, primarily on the number of sunny days per year. The keeping quality and portability of fruits is good.

Satellite

Variety of domestic selection. It is intended for cultivation in the southern regions of the European part of the former USSR (Kuban, Crimea, Kherson, Moldova, etc.), however, it is easily transferred even to central Russia. It has fruits weighing up to 100 g. High frost resistance (up to -24 ° C). Requires pollinators, although from season to season it is able to form both female and male flowers. The taste of the fruit may vary depending on the growing conditions. Shelf life - up to three months. Transportability is good.

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Late varieties

In fact, the maturation of such varieties occurs from mid-November to early December, which imposes rather harsh conditions on the temperatures of the area for their cultivation. It is believed that they can "ripen" when harvested 2-3 weeks earlier than their normal ripening period, however, as practice shows, in this case, the fruits significantly lose in taste to earlier varieties. Such varieties are best grown in Georgia, or on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.

Chinebuli

A small tree, more like a shrub. Fruit weight reaches 200 g. The taste is intolerant, slightly sour. The plant does not need pollinators. Able to tolerate frosts down to -16°C.

big tamopan

Japanese variety with high frost resistance (up to -24°C). Trees of this variety can exceed 10 m in height. Fruiting without a pollinator. Fruits are both spherical and flattened. Fruit weight ranges from 150 to 250 g. The yield is up to 100 kg per tree. Shelf life is approximately three months. Easily transported.

persimmon harvest

For us, persimmon is an exotic plant from the tropics, but the development of the selection of these plants already makes it possible to grow them in our climate. Very unpretentious in care, it takes root well even in areas with relatively long winters. With proper observance of the agricultural technology of the plant, especially preparing it for winter, persimmon will delight the gardener with its beautiful fruits for many decades.

How to grow persimmons at home

Persimmon: description and characteristics of the 9 best varieties. Early and late varieties (20 Photos & Video) + Reviews