About Princess Persimmon

Nice effort! I can't say that I've killed a tree by wire. Did the roots get messed up by all that wiggling? I have killed branches. I kill branches any time of the year with micro-breaks. Very large branches you can break in half no problem. @vp999 I bet that twisty one was done in the green branch state.

I did want to say usually the weird structure in PP is achieved with root cuttings. Here are some inspirational Japanese shohin:

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I want to talk about this next one from the Kokufu this year. It is made of separate root fragments or one twisted root chunk.

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So I wanted to recreate it. I saved up the genetically identical root fragments from the year before.

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....and compose them into believable root chunks
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it's working well!
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WOW. This is brilliant.
 
Are there any progression threads on these? I'm trying to understand the best way to develop them - I know they're grown primarily for the fruit, but folks seem to let the larger ones grow lanky and live their lives in pots vs. growing out and chopping, is that accurate?

I know root cuttings can be well used for shohin in particular and I have a few of those going, but I also have some younger ones and I'm trying to figure out what milestones I'm working for (i.e. how to get lower budding for branches, how to treat them since they don't thicken quickly).

No fruits yet, but possibly next year unless development tactics require I cut off the parts that require it.

Also - my understanding is that there is a hormone that allows non-dwarf (kinzu kumquat is dwarf, for example) fruiting species to develop fruits and ramification closer on their structure in vs. just tips of branches - I heard this related to beautyberry in particular, from someone who would know. Has anyone else heard of this? I should be getting info on this at some point and will be sure to flag if not.
 
Are there any progression threads on these? I'm trying to understand the best way to develop them - I know they're grown primarily for the fruit, but folks seem to let the larger ones grow lanky and live their lives in pots vs. growing out and chopping, is that accurate?

I know root cuttings can be well used for shohin in particular and I have a few of those going, but I also have some younger ones and I'm trying to figure out what milestones I'm working for (i.e. how to get lower budding for branches, how to treat them since they don't thicken quickly).

No fruits yet, but possibly next year unless development tactics require I cut off the parts that require it.

Also - my understanding is that there is a hormone that allows non-dwarf (kinzu kumquat is dwarf, for example) fruiting species to develop fruits and ramification closer on their structure in vs. just tips of branches - I heard this related to beautyberry in particular, from someone who would know. Has anyone else heard of this? I should be getting info on this at some point and will be sure to flag if not.
You have to recalibrate your expectations on the type of tree you can make with princess persimmons, because they will not bulk up or chop or root-work as well as a trident. You are making a graceful scaffold for displaying fruit. So you want maximum ramification and that makes the details of tree design and branch placement less important. Sure you can still make a well-designed bonsai, but fruit is the focus of your attention.

If you chop a PP you will make a big black scar that will not heal over, but will eventually grow over as the tree swallows up itself, which can take years and years. You certainly can chop, and I do, and you will get lots of back-budding if you chop.
 
You have to recalibrate your expectations on the type of tree you can make with princess persimmons, because they will not bulk up or chop or root-work as well as a trident. You are making a graceful scaffold for displaying fruit. So you want maximum ramification and that makes the details of tree design and branch placement less important. Sure you can still make a well-designed bonsai, but fruit is the focus of your attention.

If you chop a PP you will make a big black scar that will not heal over, but will eventually grow over as the tree swallows up itself, which can take years and years. You certainly can chop, and I do, and you will get lots of back-budding if you chop.

Fantastic. Thank you for that!
 
Anyone knows if a male princess persimmon tree will be able to pollinate other types of persimmons that need a male tree near by, or only other princess persimmon will be pollinated but it? Thanks
 
Anyone knows if a male princess persimmon tree will be able to pollinate other types of persimmons that need a male tree near by, or only other princess persimmon will be pollinated but it? Thanks

Good question.

I know you can do some amount of cross pollination with D. Kaki and D. Virginiana - that’s where the hybrids are coming from, aiming for greater cold tolerance and flavor characteristics of virginiana with the size of kaki.
 
Good question.

I know you can do some amount of cross pollination with D. Kaki and D. Virginiana - that’s where the hybrids are coming from, aiming for greater cold tolerance and flavor characteristics of virginiana with the size of kaki.
Thanks ! The reason I am asking is I am interested in purchasing these 2 persimmons and they dont look like the typical princess persimmon that we have here. But I do have a large male princess persimmon tree on my yard.

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Do you have a picture of the persimmon you have in your yard?
 
Do you have a picture of the persimmon you have in your yard?
The male one? Here’s a pic when I first bought it a couple months ago, it is leafless right now . IMG_9275.png
 
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Sorry @vp999 I may have misinterpreted your initial question. If you’re asking if any male D. rhombifolia will pollinate any female D. rhombifolia, the answer is yes.

And if you’re referring to the fruit looking different in your statement - “dont look like the typical princess persimmon that we have here” - I’ll note that there is a wide variety of shapes and colors. Quite a few have been given names in Japan.

Here are some examples in the attached image.
 

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Sorry @vp999 I may have misinterpreted your initial question. If you’re asking if any male D. rhombifolia will pollinate any female D. rhombifolia, the answer is yes.

And if you’re referring to the fruit looking different in your statement - “dont look like the typical princess persimmon that we have here” - I’ll note that there is a wide variety of shapes and colors. Quite a few have been given names in Japan.

Here are some examples in the attached image.
Thank you !!!
 
If a younger plant only has growth higher up, is there hope that a cutback would result in growth further down the trunk for lower branches?

I think some of mine would be old enough to make fruit, but I'm going to need to cut them back for ramification and imagining what impact it may have.

I started some seeds from @Canada Bonsai at the end of last year, but to be honest, I don't know that it has gotten or will get cold enough for long enough to stratify them.

Got a few cuttings to take a couple of years ago, might try for more this year. I feel like shooting for roots big enough to make interesting root cuttings from may be the ticket, more than growing them out from scratch, though. Not sure if growing roots takes less time than thickening trunks, though.

How cold can these get in the ground?
 
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Such a wealth of information in this thread. Great for a first-time persimmon owner like me! Thx to all crontributors!

saved up the genetically identical root fragments from the year before.
This brings 2 questions to mind:

- How do you handle these root sections from this picture onwards? Do you just cover them sith substrate leaving only a stub stick out? Or do you have most of the future trunk above ground/ What about aftercare to get them to grow?
- These are big roots. Yet I read multiple times that rootwork needs to be gentle. Any thoughts on how to handle this sort of work? I have 1 now, which I repotted, gently, and I saw straight away a very big 2-inch roots belowground, which I would love to take off eventually.
 
Such a wealth of information in this thread. Great for a first-time persimmon owner like me! Thx to all crontributors!


This brings 2 questions to mind:

- How do you handle these root sections from this picture onwards? Do you just cover them sith substrate leaving only a stub stick out? Or do you have most of the future trunk above ground/ What about aftercare to get them to grow?
- These are big roots. Yet I read multiple times that rootwork needs to be gentle. Any thoughts on how to handle this sort of work? I have 1 now, which I repotted, gently, and I saw straight away a very big 2-inch roots belowground, which I would love to take off eventually.
You can completely bury the root cuttings or leave a tip sticking out. Any part that dries out will generally die back so you have to keep exposed parts moist with sphagnum. I use 100% pumice. I keep trays of cuttings under my benches in the shade. In ~6months you will see shoots forming. At this point the shoots are really brittle and will break off, so I don't try to wire them until the next year. I let these grow unrestricted until the next spring when I can separate the cuttings into individual pots. If you are more conservative I would wait an additional year to repot because the cuttings can still be very weak.

If you have enough fine roots elsewhere then you can cut off the big 2" root. I think most of the value is in the roots!
 
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