About Princess Persimmon

[ochong]

Placed an order with Brent for six 4” - we’ll see in 5yrs! Fingers crossed.

Brent only had 4 remaining due to some late spring frosts impacting his stock. There's some interesting difference in the leaves across the plants. Color and shape. I'm curious based on what you noted @NaoTK if they are D. rhombifolia or D. morrisiana.



I also reached out to Julian Adams and plan to purchase a princess persimmon from him as well.

 

[NaoTK]

This one is cathayensis (I had earlier incorrectly called it morrisiana)

 

[ochong]

This one is cathayensis (I had earlier incorrectly called it morrisiana)
View attachment 442784

Ah! Yes. I forgot you made the correction in post #47. Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Nybonsai12]

Not sure if normal but if so, these are the strangest behaving seeds ive ever grown. Weeks since sprouting and still have the shell casing on and haven’t shed it to show me some leaves.

 

[NaoTK]

Yes that is normal. Mine look about the same in Oregon. It is normal not to have leaves until July in Oregon.

 

[ochong]

Just to show some other material. I also acquired a female PP from Julian Adams. I asked for something that might lend itself to a slant or semi-cascade design. I was pleasantly surprised to see that tree had some fruit on it.



(As I'm sure many of you know, Julian is excellent to converse with and very helpful. He shared that he is working on an article on PP for an upcoming edition of International Bonsai Online. I'm also enjoying his Growing Pines for Bonsai book. )

 

[badatusernames]

Well, I got one. Main trunk is largely dead, took some cuttings of suckers where they were growing from less than ideal places, wondering if they’re why the big trunk mostly died. There’s one coming off the top of the base that I’m thinking I MAY be able to use as a leader to save some girth beneath, I really don’t know. The other “trunks” are further from the main trunk but thinking they may be suckers too.

Figured this was a good way to play with the species. Keeping it in under lights for now as the nursery I got it from keeps the greenhouse a bit warm for the season and easy to shock the leaves that have come out (same reason I have the azalea there and it’s flowering out). Feeding heavily, not even worried about fruit or gender yet. I just want to see what happens. I do have a book coming about them. Page one will probably read: “what the hell do you think you are doing, you specifically, stop”. But I gotta try.

I will be glad when I can move all this stuff outside…

https://imgur.com/r7WJvN9

https://imgur.com/uoaFZpm

This actually grew very strong this year. I'm nervous about repotting due to how much people seem to indicate they hate it, but I'd like to separate them all into grow pots next year. They get rather pliable later in the year so I've gotten some good motion into them, even the thicker ones.

I tried to take cuttings, I think one may have taken but I won't know until next year. Beautyberry cuttings seem to have a deep love of life, persimmon I'm not so sure. I don't think they're old enough to determine sex right now, and I'm interested to know if cuttings / suckers can be a different gender than the plant they came from.

 

[vp999]

Im getting some black spots on my PP leaves....does anyone have this problem with theirs ? what should I treat it with? Thanks

 

[Shogun610]

Im getting some black spots on my PP leaves....does anyone have this problem with theirs ? what should I treat it with? Thanks

That’s the beginning of senescence on the leaves. Normal

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Im getting some black spots on my PP leaves....does anyone have this problem with theirs ? what should I treat it with? Thanks

Normal. They will speckle up while still otherwise looking healthy. Sign of early fall. I'm even starting to get some early color on the fruit.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Normal. They will speckle up while still otherwise looking healthy. Sign of early fall. I'm even starting to get some early color on the fruit.

View attachment 455940

Me too!

 

[vp999]

Me too!

View attachment 456085

But a couple of my trees have black spots all year round lol. Not just in the fall.

 

[ochong]

Let's talk spikes / thorns. I didn't realize that persimmon had them! Maybe they don't?


Well, interestingly, the 'thorns' seem to be largely limited to the dominant branch that grew vigorously since I received the plant earlier this year.

Are these thorns? Or are they where branches will extend?

And regarding buds, can you distinguish leaf vs flower buds at this time? Would i be correct to think the large bud at the tip of the branch in the first photo may be a flower bud?

Fruit! (My son pulled off the other one by accident. I warned him it wouldn't taste good. )

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

They definitely have thorns, and you’re right, the strong shoots tend to generate them faster. Those I’m growing in bonsai pots have no thorns, and those I’m growing out in the ground most definitely do.

 

[NaoTK]

Looks like a flower bud...they form in Fall and are usually much larger than leaf buds.

I am excited about spring because I have many 4 year old unsexed seedlings with flower buds (this will be their 4th spring.) These have been repotted every year with regular strength miracle grow every week.

 

[ochong]

Thanks, Nao! How many Persimmon do you have at the moment? Exciting that some of your seedlings may have fruit this coming year.

Are you just using miracle grow? Mine put on pretty good growth with monthly Plant-tone.

For those like me who can read very little Japanese:

 

[NaoTK]

Thanks, Nao! How many Persimmon do you have at the moment?

Miracle grow is king. The high nitrogen really encourages fruiting.

My cup overfloweth with persimmons, but I do plan to share here in the future. Just waiting to sex and judge the fruit

Maybe 12 forest plantings of like-persimmons grown from root cutting 20 years go by Dennis Vojtilla.
Another 30 big solitary trunks of 20+ years that need another 10 years of branch development.
Several hundred root cuttings and seedlings
3 that are close to showable

I want one big-ass 10"+ tree so I put one in the ground to see how big I can get it.

 

[HamburgerTrain]

Miracle grow is king. The high nitrogen really encourages fruiting.

My cup overfloweth with persimmons, but I do plan to share here in the future. Just waiting to sex and judge the fruit

Maybe 12 forest plantings of like-persimmons grown from root cutting 20 years go by Dennis Vojtilla.
Another 30 big solitary trunks of 20+ years that need another 10 years of branch development.
Several hundred root cuttings and seedlings
3 that are close to showable

I want one big-ass 10"+ tree so I put one in the ground to see how big I can get it.
View attachment 463386

You and Dennis sure know how to party, so jelly!

 

[Potawatomi13]

Miracle grow is king. The high nitrogen really encourages fruiting.

My cup overfloweth with persimmons, but I do plan to share here in the future. Just waiting to sex and judge the fruit

Maybe 12 forest plantings of like-persimmons grown from root cutting 20 years go by Dennis Vojtilla.
Another 30 big solitary trunks of 20+ years that need another 10 years of branch development.
Several hundred root cuttings and seedlings
3 that are close to showable

I want one big-ass 10"+ tree so I put one in the ground to see how big I can get it.
View attachment 463386

Your root cuttings; Is the sex known on these?

 

[NaoTK]

Your root cuttings; Is the sex known on these?

Yes, if all you want is regular orange female I have far too many. come visit in spring