Everything You Need to Know About American Persimmon!

[@BackyardEcology]

🟠🟠🟠🟠 Link to Persimmon Cook Book: amzn.to/3CO3sH5 🟠🟠🟠🟠 🍒🍒🍒🍒 Want to learn about a spicy native shrub that is a host plant and produces red berries the birds love? Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKbZo6mHl72iiq8 🍒🍒🍒🍒 This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

[@LostInThisGardenofLife]

It’s one of my favorite trees. I found one growing in the woods nearby and saved some seeds that I planted one winter since they need a cold treatment… I ended up with over a dozen beautiful trees. It’s been 5 years, no signs of fruiting yet but I have a grafted American persimmon I found at Walmart that’s currently fruiting. Can’t wait to eat those tasty fruit! 😋❤

[@BackyardEcology]

They should start to fruit in a few years - if you have some female trees. With five I would think the odds of having at least on female are good.

[@nbkawtgnobody]

​​ All my persimmons are female including the oldest one ,and these aren't root sprouts I can assure you. How desirable are there flowers? How far would pollinators travel for another if the tree is potential more than a few hundred yards away and still get bumper crops of fruit because I do, and are we sure that certain poulstions of females just can't reduce clone fruit? That last question is because of course I only have females on my property.

[@alliehamilton-calhoun162]

My grandma's yard was full of fruit trees that she received as wedding presents. My favorite was the persimmon. It was so tall and had such beautiful bark. She only ever had one tree, and it was loaded every year. I took a few fruits this year to try establishing it in my own yard. I left them out in the cold, and the squirrels ate them. Luckily, I found the discarded seeds!

[@BackyardEcology]

That is awesome. Persimmons are fairly easy to grow from seeds. Good luck!

[@robinengle571]

My brother introduced me to a persimmon when I was a kid by convincing me to bite into one. It was very unripe! I thought I had instantly grown hair on my tongue and inside of my mouth! He thought it was hilarious. At age 67, I've found a tree growing down our street on Lake Sinclair in GA and would love one of my own.

[@BackyardEcology]

Those unripe persimmons are pretty rough! Wonderful trees though, and the ripe fruit is delicious.

[@chadzimmerle2309]

Just two unanswered questions, 1. Can you eat the skin when ripe? And 2. How to grow from seed. Do you plant them right away during fall, or can they be dried like apple or pear seeds and grown next year?

[@BackyardEcology]

Skin can be eaten when they are ripe, and the seeds can be dried and stored. I have some that are several years old in the fridge and they have decent germination still.

[@lunakat2755]

I was lucky to have found that the house I bought a few years back has 3 American persimmon trees. I didn’t even know it until last year. Even the smallest tree has tons of fruit on it ready to eat in late October all the way through November. For thanksgiving I made a jam and all I had to do was skim the fruit, stir the center parts in a bowl and tada it was ready! The flavor is so great and I can only describe it as honey and oranges. By far my favorite fruit now. 👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@BackyardEcology]

They are delicious! My favorite wild tree fruit too!

[@Critter145]

Awesome!!!!

[@Critter145]

Persimmons make excellent ice cream as well.

[@BackyardEcology]

@@Critter145 Thanks!

[@BackyardEcology]

@@Critter145 I am going to have to try that this fall!

[@MartinD9999]

I gots 3 of these trees within view of my house. No telling how many I got deep in my forest. Wild animals love em.

[@BackyardEcology]

They are a huge draw for the critters!

[@Mads-nb3cu]

Found a bunch of persimmon trees growing in a part in NC last year and got my mom to try them (proving they were edible by eating a piece myself). No they were not yet ripe and my mom didnt talk to me the rest of the day 😂

[@BackyardEcology]

I'm sure! Unripe persimmons are not a pleasant experience!

[@hellpig4309]

LOL, you got me with the YEET! Another informative vid, thanks!

[@BackyardEcology]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@leannejordan4326]

Persimmon wine, every year I make it and gift it during Xmas and it's truly a great wine, also persimmon bread and persimmon jam. If you like mango or wild plums you'll love ripe persimmons

[@BackyardEcology]

All really great ways to use persimmons!

[@twinsgardening896]

*mike wazowski voice* I'm famous! the picture at 4:35 of the persimmons in the collander is one of my photos I made public domain on iNaturalist :D Pro tip I learned after that: Take the caps off first, and use a collander with bigger holes! If you find a tree with fruit, look for fruit on the ground (or within reach on the branches) that's turned more pinkish than orange, those are the ones that are fully ripe. If in doubt, peel a bit of the skin away and touch your tongue to it, if it's not ripe it'll be astringent, if it is it'll just taste sweet. The seeds are really easy to grow if you get them fresh, just plant them in some soil an inch or so deep in the fall, leave the container outside over the winter (with a wire cover of some sort if you've got lots of squirrels who might dig in them), and they should start popping up above the soil in late March! The seedlings will have red stems, and narrow seed leaves :) If you give them good potting soil or plant them in the ground, they can grow three feet tall in just their first year, which I was not expecting at all! Here's the observation, that photo's at the very end :) www.inaturalist.org/observations/137694490 Please feel free to tag me if you find any more of my photos helpful, I'm so glad they're being used to help teach people and I've only watched two of your videos so far, but they're awesome! :D

[@BackyardEcology]

If you can find a collander with big holes it does help! Persimmons are probably my favorite wild fruit, although they can be a pain to process. But, you do end up with a pile of seeds to plant - and they usually have a high germination rate (hint - don't plant a ton of them unless you want a ton of persimmon sprouts!). How cool is it that you saw your photo! Thank you for making those photos public domain, they sure help out when looking for reference material. I use iNaturalist quite a bit for reference photos and I will tag you in the future if I use more of yours.

[@twinsgardening896]

@@BackyardEcology I love their high germination rate because that means I get to plant more in wild areas, and try to convince other gardeners to take them as a gift. The spot where the parent wild tree is growing isn't suitable for seedlings, since the grass gets chopped down twice a year, so I plant the seeds in other wild areas where they'll be able to grow. Most of the problem of trying to get other people to grow them is that they're upset about needing a male and a female tree, even when I assure them that in 5-6 year's time when they might start flowering, if I'm still in the area I'll give them branches of the alternate sex to graft onto it or clone lol. I've also made some youtube videos about the common persimmons I've found, and also made them as public domain as I can with KZbin's settings, so feel free to take clips from them if they're helpful :)

[@londonkyguy]

I have a persimmon tree and it is loaded with fruit this year. I opened one of the seed a couple of weeks ago. It shows to have a spoon in it. That means lots of snow this winter. We will probably get frost this coming week. That will ripen the fruit for eating.

[@BackyardEcology]

While the spoon, knife, fork inside of the seed is a cool story there has been no evidence it can actually predict the weather. You can find all three in seeds from the same fruit! Also, frost has no bearing on persimmon fruit ripening. Here in central KY if we waited until a frost to pick them there would be none left as the critters would have eaten them all. Persimmons in my area have been edible for a couple of weeks.

[@roblena7977]

Dude I just learned these along with pawpaws existed two years ago and desperately want to try them. My girlfriend just enherited 20 acres with a few on there growing fruit. Only one persimmons seems to be fruiting so I have a lot of grafting to do. Few more months and I will eat my first one!

[@BackyardEcology]

That seems to be the way it is. Have quite a few persimmon trees on the farm but only a couple are female.

[@touretteslife]

Thank you! I just discovered persimmon fruit in my yard and I’m excited to know I have some. Thanks for the good info.

[@BackyardEcology]

You are welcome! Persimmon is an awesome tree and some tasty fruit - just make sure they are a little squishy and ripe. You will know if they are not as soon as you taste an unripe one!

[@deadramoore9702]

My grandfather was a practical joker, so of course when I was kid he "happened to mention" that the persimmon was a delicious, sweet fruit. There was (is) a large mature persimmon behind his dairy barn, so he picked one for me and told me to taste it. I think he laughed about that for a couple of weeks, and my cousins all confirmed that he did the same to them. That tree is still going, but it must me toward the end of it's life. I want to plant two more (a male and a female) to continue the goodness.

[@BackyardEcology]

Love it! It is like a right of passage to be tricked into eating an unripe persimmon.

[@Danny_Does_Drawings]

Plant the seeds of the fruit from the older tree! Preserve the genetics. You could even take cuttings and make a clone of the mother tree!

[@xiomararichardson1320]

One of the most delicious fruits!😊

[@BackyardEcology]

Yes it is!

[@Honkykong19]

I got a bunch of persimmon trees here on my homestead

[@BackyardEcology]

Nice!

[@brassmule]

I had two enormously tall ones - easily 60-70 feet tall, as tall as the 100+ year willow oaks - in the backyard of a home built in 1950 in Charlotte, NC. Their fruits were definitely popular with the wildlife, and I survived the job of cleaning up the fruit to be able to mow effectively every fall. I've been thinking about trying to get some going on our family property in Alabama, to provide additional sustenance for native wildlife.

[@BackyardEcology]

Persimmons are great trees and should grow well in Alabama. Plant several to ensure there are some female trees, or plant grafted female trees and pollinator males. Not every nursery will have grafted known sex stock for American persimmon but I know The Wildlife Group does have grafted female American persimmon - and they are in Alabama!

[@brassmule]

@@BackyardEcology Nice, thank you! I'm south of the Ham, so their location in Tuskegee isn't too terribly far. Thanks for the info!

[@BackyardEcology]

@@brassmule No problem! They are well regarded for their nursery stock and have several other native species available.

[@nastynate46]

My ol' man has some persimmon trees near his house. I was trying to show my son about them, picked up an orange-colored but still under-ripe one, and took a bite to show him it was edible. Yeah, the color can fool ya. If it ain't squishy, leave it be. My son still makes fun of me for the face I made...

[@BackyardEcology]

Yep - they taste great when they feel like jello! Not so much when they bounce of the ground like a rubber ball.

[@troydunn6228]

Great job

[@BackyardEcology]

Thank you!

[@YouTubeTermsOfService-f2l]

What if I were to plant mine in Michigan?

[@BackyardEcology]

That is getting a bit far north for American persimmon. The trees may survive, but a really cold winter will likely kill them.

[@Critter145]

Cool!

[@michaelpost7352]

There is one growing in my backyard near Seattle Washington. 50 feet tall, was nearly choked by English Ivy, I cut the trunk of the ivy. It makes lots of fruit, haven't tried them yet.

[@BackyardEcology]

When they are ripe the fruit is excellent! Unripe it is an experience you do not want to repeat!

[@peytoncoleman6044]

Good summary!

[@BackyardEcology]

Thank you!

[@HitTheDirt]

Really enjoyed this video and added to my interesting by others playlist so other people may find it! Thanks L&S!

[@BackyardEcology]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@michaelferik8060]

I always check to see if the fruit can be (very) easily pulled off a branch before attempting to eat it despite it looking orange in color. Even then, just letting them sit and ripen a few days usually guarantees a delicious, ripe fruit.

[@BackyardEcology]

Good tips! I normally just shake the branch, or the whole tree if its small enough, and pick up the ones that fall off. Persimmons also feel a little squishy when ripe.

[@MichaelTvardzik]

Appreciate the info. I live in Montana in zone 4b. I got a couple of the Yates variety and the traditional American Persimmon. I’m really excited to get these going. I’m hoping they’ll survive our winters here. I was told they’re good down to zone 4.They were just planted this year so I have some years before they’ll fruit. The Yates is self pollinating but I’m hoping with the Americans I’ll have a mixture of male and female.

[@BackyardEcology]

That is pretty far north for persimmon but they should survive. Fruit production may be spotty due to late frost some years. Glad you found the video useful.

[@natekimbell6222]

Ever heard Jerry clower talk about green persimmon wine? If you look at the map that was given in this video I believe most of these trees were spread during the civil war because of soldiers trying to find things to eat.

[@BackyardEcology]

The range on the map is known native range for the American persimmon in eastern North America. It was quite widespread before the Civil War and even before European colonization.

[@Poop121234]

Recommended for Minnesota???

[@BackyardEcology]

Minnesota is a little too far north for persimmons to do well.

[@tinawindham6958]

I just bout a place with some persimmons…my first one so far was delicious! Also have them popping up all over the yard.. box turtles must love them,2. I don’t have anymore ready to eat and I’m not very patient. My rabbits had a bite,2👍🏻guess I should dig up the ones in my lawnmower path . I love it! Thank u for this video. Very helpful.

[@BackyardEcology]

They are delicious! Persimmon isn't the easiest tree to dig up and transplant due to its root system. Works best when they are super young.

[@davehendricks4824]

I bought a couple of seedlings a few years ago. Did fine after planting, never came back the next spring. I think I need to try a different strain.😟

[@BackyardEcology]

If you can find persimmons from stock growing wild in your area it would be best. Also, persimmons do not grow natively or well if planted in areas with harsh winters.

[@davehendricks4824]

@@BackyardEcology none around here. I’ll just get them at a stand or grocery for the short time they’re available. I’ve gone with figs instead. Potted. I can keep them small and store them for winter.

[@Powerofpie100]

Do you know if they can handle coppicing or other forms of keeping the tree shorter?

[@BackyardEcology]

They can be coppiced and do well if they are young. Coppicing them will also likely cause root sprouts all along the root system so keep that in mind.

[@Powerofpie100]

@@BackyardEcology That's great to know- thank you!! We started 5 from seed, and they're about a foot tall now with impressively long taproots. Around what height should we attempt coppicing?

[@BackyardEcology]

@@Powerofpie100 I would let them get established for a few years before doing any heavy cutting on them.

[@Powerofpie100]

@@BackyardEcology Got it! Do you know if they could also be pollarded instead? Sorry for all the questions; it's so hard to find information about the american persimmon. I really appreciate your help and insight!!

[@BackyardEcology]

@@Powerofpie100 From what I have read and heard they can also be pollard.

[@jb1139]

Tried to get persimmons and pawpaws going this year, but I just couldn't get anything to germinate. I may try again in the future or try to find a good seller of saplings.

[@BackyardEcology]

It happens when working with seed. Give it another try. Persimmon generally has a high germination rate if stratified long enough. Pawpaw seed has to be stratified when fresh - if it dries out at all germination rates plumate.

[@jb1139]

@@BackyardEcology yeah the only things I managed to get going were Roselle's and Seaberry buckthorn.

[@nbkawtgnobody]

All my persimmons are female and came up from wild seed ,execept for the the one on the east border that was planted at least 6, 7 decades ago(if it was),. I dont no where the male trees are let alone the oringinal father, and I ain't got much room to plant another considering my plans. How far could this sucker be pollinated from and I still get bumper crops of fruit.I will search again but I doubt I will find it. P.s. I had a crape mrytle come down on one my boundries might fit him in there!

[@BackyardEcology]

There are certain areas that have persimmons that are monoecious - they produce both male and female flowers, but the norm is that they are either male or female. The popular cultivar of American persimmon, Meador is a monoecious tree.

[@Guishan_Lingyou]

I love persimmons but I don't think I have anywhere I can plant multiple trees that could get to be 80' tall.

[@BackyardEcology]

Most don't get that tall but they are still not small trees.

[@annasecrist9824]

Which tree do you recommend is best for zone 8 and is self fertilizing?

[@BackyardEcology]

There are some self-fertile cultivars of the American persimmon. Yates is a popular one and is commonly available and is said to be good in zones 4-10.

[@GH-Rav]

Yes, you will only make the mistake of eating an unripe persimmon once. 😅 I still remember it vividly. Scared me off of them before I looked up why it happened lol

[@BackyardEcology]

Yep! It is not a pleasant experience.

[@LarryLaird-eb8rp]

They are delicious after the first hard frost, but Japanese persimmon is much better 😊

[@BackyardEcology]

I actually prefer the taste of the native persimmons. It is not true that they have to be eaten after a frost. As long as they are fully ripe the American persimmon are good to go. If we waited until a frost here in KY there would be zero persimmons left as the critters would have eaten them all.

[@hykok]

So does that means the male tree bear no fruits?

[@BackyardEcology]

Correct.

[@hykok]

@@BackyardEcology How many trees need to be planted to ensure there is enough female trees? If we are unlucky and only have male trees, we just chop it down since it bear no fruits? How do you tell if it is male? No flowers? Will female trees pollinate other females trees or you need a balance of male and female?

[@BackyardEcology]

I usually plant at least three. Some nurseries sell grafted female trees so that is an option. Both sexes have flowers, but they differ in shape. I'll do a video on it this spring when the persimmons flower. You can also graft a known female onto a male sapling if you have too many males. There are some cultivars of American persimmon that are also self fertile (have male and female flowers). @@hykok

[@hykok]

@@BackyardEcology If grafted tree that have both male and female, does that means we only need one tree? Can we mix /graft astringent (asian pasimmon) and non-astringent (asian pasimmon) on the same tree? After we pruned the tree, do we continue to get more of both male/female of it's just a one season only fruit only from each graft?

[@BackyardEcology]

A grafted tree should continue to produce for the life of the tree. If the graft is done in such a way that male and female braches will be produced I guess one tree would work. Usually they are grafted to so the entire top of the tree is female. I am not sure on grafting American and Asian persimmons on the same tree. @@hykok

[@jimbrown341]

I ate a Persimmon so astringent; I swear it evaporated all the moisture out of my mouth.😂 Most astringent thing I've ever had in my life. It would make black tea feel futile.

[@BackyardEcology]

Unripe persimmons are an unforgettable experience!

[@johntandycrabtree392]

Being persuaded to bite into a green persimmon is a right of passage.

[@BackyardEcology]

Absolutely!

[@blefnefnef]

Ive eaten one that wasnt ripe 2 times ;) hahaha. Before I knew how to identify a good one. Astringent. Makes your mouth feel like youve been walking 2 weeks in a desert without having water. Bad cottonmouth. The taste of tannins, if youve ever had a raw acorn, thats present in an unripe persimmon. Makes you want to rinse your mouth out. Foul, utterly foul. The ripe fruit however is utterly & literally divine per the latin name & otherwise :) sweet potato/sweet carrot/pumpkin pie/caramel type taste. One of my favorite foods to forage once i found a good tree at the right time of year! My trick to my first good one was to let it fall from the tree naturally; if you give the tree a little shake, any fruit that fall are golden to eat.

[@BackyardEcology]

Eating an unripe persimmon is not pleasant! But they are so delicious when ripe!

[@agpawpaw5912]

I never see them in wild

[@BackyardEcology]

Now is still a good time to look for that alligator bark!

[@rachelbeckett2571]

I once ate an unripe persimmon from a wild persimmon tree. I thought I ate poison.

[@BackyardEcology]

It is not something you ever want to repeat after doing it.

[@tominva4121]

I have a 35 foot tall tree that is growing on a property in Alabama. It has the alligator skin. It looks very much like the American persimmon tree you show. However, it is dropping small black, and a few green, Persimmon type fruit right now. The fruit has four lobbed leaves attached to their top. Next to this tree is a smaller tree without fruit - a male? What the heck is this tree?????

[@BackyardEcology]

I have been seeing a lot of small green persimmons on the ground the last week or so. Storms have been knocking them down. I'm not sure why they would be black though. There is a species that is native to TX that does have black ripe fruit, but this time of year they would be green like the American persimmon. Interesting.

[@JJ_in_Raleigh]

My neighbor's persimmon is dropping similar colored fruit - very dark purple with hints of green and orange. They are quickly rotting on the ground and flies are having a multi-week feast, so we got some fly traps so they wouldn't annoy us so much while eating on our nearby deck. This persimmon has some bark missing near the base, and its leaves have already turned yellow and have also been falling along with the fruit. This leads me to believe it is a diseased tree.

[@tinawindham6958]

I think rotting fruit is good , it brings pollinators to your tree. I just read about that.

[@BackyardEcology]

Depends on the pollinators - some don't really check out rotting fruit, plus when fruit is rotting the tree isn't flowering. It is good for bringing in some of the butterflies that rarely visit flowers though. You can learn more about them in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHTMY6iQjcScqJo@@tinawindham6958

[@BackyardEcology]

Do you have any cool experiences with American persimmon? Tell us about it! Want to learn about a spicy native shrub that is a host plant and produces red berries the birds love? Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKbZo6mHl72iiq8

[@lydianicolenorwick125]

I had the strongest cravings for persimmons during my pregnancy-- which occurred during the time they weren't in season. It was 4 years ago and I still think about it.

[@BackyardEcology]

@@lydianicolenorwick125 Interesting. This is the first pregnancy craving I have ever heard of for persimmons. They are so good though!

[@lydianicolenorwick125]

@@BackyardEcology agreed. I wonder if the difficulty to obtain one or the roughly 20-30% daily vitamin C per 25g had anything to do with it. Guh! The custardy texture and spiced fruit flavor... I was dreaming about them!😂

[@BackyardEcology]

@@lydianicolenorwick125 They are delicious! My favorite native fruit!

[@IHWKR]

To my understanding is that Persimmons will grow without a male tree around. The benefit is no to little seeds.

[@BackyardEcology]

It's not that simple - some American persimmons produce seedless (or nearly seedless) fruit. There are varieties like Meador that have been selected for this trait. Sometimes incomplete pollination is the cause. In general though, if you want persimmons to fruit, there has to be a compatible male pollinator nearby.

[@GetRocStar]

There is tree like this at my job. It makes a fruit like this but they’re smaller. When they ripen and fall they have this terrible, terrible smell. What the heck is this tree called? I want to have it removed

[@BackyardEcology]

That would be a Ginkgo tree. They are not related to persimmons and are not native to North America. The ripe fruit smells like dog poop but the trees are popular in landscaping due to their nice growth form and super fall color.

[@GetRocStar]

@@BackyardEcology ooh thank you! that’s it’s name “ginkgo” I gotta look up more about this tree. I want to have it removed so badly. The smell ugh lol thanks again

[@brewskimckilgore6796]

unripe persimmons is definitely a 1 time lesson lol let em get real wrinkly before you try