TX Persimmon

[dkraft81]

Lol. It does doesnt it. Well I guess you could name it the bird.

 

[Poink88]

Wife agreed that the pic looks better w/o the back trunk BUT chose to keep it when looking at the tree in person. She is artistic and I trust her taste (most of the time).

I agreed to give it several months before committing to remove (or not).

 

[Poink88]

Here is an update pic. The result of constant pinching...9 months since purchase and chop. Note about 4-5 months of no growth due to winter.

After the initial branches are built and positioned, I will let several escape to build girth.

 

[Neli]

Looking good Dario...When the branches are so big, I try to use the wedge method for healing...That is if I dont forget...he he he! But I am sure you will do some creative carving...On a tree like this I would love very fat branches...and that is best / fast achieved by growing long to fatten and then chopping back hard. Lovely tree..
I mean fat like this one.

 

[Poink88]

Looking good Dario...When the branches are so big, I try to use the wedge method for healing...That is if I dont forget...he he he! But I am sure you will do some creative carving...On a tree like this I would love very fat branches...and that is best / fast achieved by growing long to fatten and then chopping back hard. Lovely tree..
I mean fat like this one.

Thanks Neli. Love that pic,

Yes, I will wire this and letting it run soon...this is my backwards approach and I think it works faster/better. We will see in a few years.

 

[GrimLore]

Thanks Neli. Love that pic,

Yes, I will wire this and letting it run soon...this is my backwards approach and I think it works faster/better. We will see in a few years.

Very nice so far, and I am confident it will look great!

Grimmy

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Really nice. do you know if it is a female or male tree? Diospyros normally flower with one sex only, male or female. They can start blooming as early as 5 years, though in a pot it will take more time.

I'm starting a bunch of American persimmon from seed (again) and will be fascinated to follow the development of your tree.

Nice job you have done.

 

[Lazylightningny]

Dario, most of your trees grow really quickly. What's your fertilizing regime?

 

[Poink88]

Really nice. do you know if it is a female or male tree? Diosyros normally flower with one sex only, male or female. They can start blooming as early as 5 years, though in a pot it will take more time.

I'm starting a bunch of American persimmon from seed (again) and will be fascinated to follow the development of your tree.

Nice job you have done.

Thanks. I do not have any idea if this is female or male.

Biggest advantage of TX Persimmon over American Persimmon (for bonsai) is the leaf size. AP sure have a much nicer fruit though.

 

[Poink88]

Dario, most of your trees grow really quickly. What's your fertilizing regime?

I mostly use Miracle Grow All Purpose (water soluble) and apply every other week (if that). Sometimes, I add a little Osmokote or similar to my soil at potting. I also apply humic acid, iron, trace elements, every 6 months or so. I spend less than $10 a year fertilizing my 150+ trees.

I think it is more of my high organic content substrate that makes the difference though.

Thanks!

EDIT IN: I forgot that I add a little rabbit poop (rounds) in my soil mix now and then. I started that just this year.

 

[Lazylightningny]

I think it is more of my high organic content substrate that makes the difference though.

Meaning pine bark? for your TX heat?

 

[Poink88]

Meaning pine bark? for your TX heat?

Yes. I also use sifted Miracle Grow potting soil in lieu of bark sometimes. My soil mix is about 1/3 organic.

 

[Lazylightningny]

Wouldn't work in my environment, but for yours is seems perfect. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Poink88]

Wouldn't work in my environment, but for yours is seems perfect. Thanks for sharing.

No problem BUT why not give it a try. Use it on a dispensable stick/tree and see what happens.

Sometimes we assume it will not work but it actually may.

 

[jkd2572]

I love the hollow on this guy. It makes the tree special onto itself.

 

[Poink88]

I love the hollow on this guy. It makes the tree special onto itself.

Thanks. I feel the same and I am conflicted whether I show it as much as I can on the front (first pic), or prioritize the nebari & trunk and lose some of the deadwood impact (as shown on the recent pics)

 

[JudyB]

I have to say that in most things (trees too) leaving a bit of concealment to the object of desire/focal point makes it mysterious, and with that even more interesting/desirable.

Which means to say, that I'm all for the angled view of the hollow instead of the full frontal...

 

[Poink88]

I have to say that in most things (trees too) leaving a bit of concealment to the object of desire/focal point makes it mysterious, and with that even more interesting/desirable.

Which means to say, that I'm all for the angled view of the hollow instead of the full frontal...

Thanks Judy...I understand 100% and I too prefer the "strip tease" approach. LOL

What complicates it more though is the negative space between the two main branches. My only consolation is knowing that it will change as the deadwood is carved. I really prefer to rotate it a bit more clockwise if I can...the trunk fluting & flare from the back (right) is awesome.

 

[Poink88]

This will be tough to carve later being so tight w/ dense branching.

I was asked offline why I am not carving it yet. I can't since it didn't have any fine roots when I transplanted and do not want any new ones to be disturbed. Planning on using a Dremel flex shaft on this later, when it is more established.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

No problem BUT why not give it a try. Use it on a dispensable stick/tree and see what happens.

Sometimes we assume it will not work but it actually may.

The rapid development of this tree is amazing, you're giving me a case of "Climate Zone Envy".

Our growing season averages around 120 days, give or take. So far it has already been over a year since my local airport has reported 2 consecutive 90 F days, we are having a very cool summer, which I actually don't mind. Haven't had to turn on the air conditioning. Yet. It may get hot later this summer, who knows.

About organic soils. I have tried mixes with more organics, they don't work for me. I found the only way to guarantee that roots survive over time is to use nearly 100% inorganic. Local climate is critical, up here in the north, we have a long wet autumn and winters. Pines especially tend to rot roots off in our winters. A 1/3 organic or more soil would work ok for landscape nursery gallon pots, with watering only once a week during 'dry spells'. This spring and summer we have been averaging rain 4 out of 7 days a week. I don't need to water every day. Some trees are staying too wet even though they are in 100% inorganic media.

In Texas, where rain can be infrequent, humidity is low and the temperature is hot, a media with lots of organics might work just fine. May even be preferable to the inorganic mixes used in wetter parts of the country. So to all those who are still exploring changes to their potting mixes, remember to keep local climate in mind when choosing your next mix to experiment with.