Growing persimmons: Common questions
Peter Rigden, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries
This DPI&F Note contains the most commonly asked questions about growing sweet persimmons. The answers are as brief as possible. Detailed information on how to grow persimmon is given in the two publications 'Sweet persimmon grower's handbook' and the 'Sweet persimmon problem solver', information on how to obtain these books is given at the end of this DPI&F Note.
- General
- Money
- What you need to grow sweet persimmons
- Selecting land
- Establishing an orchard
- Growing persimmons
- Things that go wrong
- Propagation
- Harvesting
- Questions about spraying
- Organic growing
- Further information
General
How big is the sweet persimmon industry?
There are approximately 350 000 trees in
Money
What prices can I expect to get for my sweet persimmons?
Prices are extremely variable and are dependent on the supply and demand of sweet persimmon on the market and the size and quality of the fruit. Price received for sweet persimmon is also influenced by time of harvest (early varieties receive higher prices) and timing of import of sweet persimmon from
How much money can I expect to make from sweet persimmon production?
Yield, fruit quality, market price, cost of production and management ability of individual growers vary widely and returns are difficult to predict. Yields range from 15 to 35 tonnes per hectare for mature trees. If the average price is $12 per tray, and a yield of 20 tonnes per hectare (5000 trays) is achieved, the gross income will be $60 000 per hectare.
What you need to grow sweet persimmons
I'm thinking about growing sweet persimmons. Will they grow on my farm?
Sweet persimmons are fairly adaptable and can be grown in many areas of
- an absence of late frosts do not occur at flowering time, which is normally in mid-October
- at least 1400 hours of sunshine during the growing season from October to April;
- mean daytime temperatures of between 15 and 22°C during fruit ripening from March to May;
- absence of high daytime temperatures, particularly above 35°C, during fruit ripening;
- a minimum winter chilling of at least 100 chill units, but preferably 350 to 550 chill units. Sweet persimmon can be grown in areas that receive up to 1000 chill units, as long as temperatures during the period of fruit ripening (maturity) allow loss of astringency;
- minimal rainfall during fruit development and ripening from February to May;
- protection from strong winds;
- well-drained sandy loam or loam soils without high levels of manganese;
- adequate supply of high quality irrigation water;
- netting to protect fruit from bird, fruit bats and possibly insect damage and trellising to reduce fruit blemish (as persimmons are very susceptible to bird damage, netting of the crop area is generally essential).
Based on these requirements, ideal growing areas in
Selecting land
Is my land suitable for growing sweet persimmon?
Sweet persimmon grows on a wide range of soil types, but best production requires well-drained soil at least 500 mm deep and a north-east to north-west aspect providing protection from cold and/or strong winds. While persimmons can be grown in areas that receive frosts (but no late frosts), best production occurs on frost free sites. Slopes of 15% or less are preferred, as it is easier to design and lay out the plantation, and machinery can be operated more safely.
Are there any restrictions for clearing land for sweet persimmon?
In
What is the cost of netting?
The cost of netting depends on whether the netting structure is to be permanent or temporary, and the type of net to be erected. Permanent structures with fine mesh cost about $50 000 per hectare, while other systems cost considerably less. Netting costs are related to the topography and location of the block being netted.
How many trees should I plan to grow?
Most commercial growers have between 500 and 3000 trees. Orchards with fewer than 200 trees are considered too small to be commercially viable. Labour requirements for 1000 trees could be more than one family could handle on any of the three busiest occasions each year-pruning, thinning and harvesting, however labour can be hired during these times. The choice of orchard and number of trees depends on personal situation (goals, age, experience, capital etc.) and limitations of physical resources (land, water, labour). All these factors need to be taken into account when planting or purchasing an orchard.
Establishing an orchard
What varieties should I grow?
We suggest Fuyu. This variety should make up at least 50% of your planting. To spread the risk and workload, we suggest supplementing Fuyu with early season or late season varieties or both. Ichikikei Jiro is an early-mid season variety and Suruga is probably the best late season variety. Most persimmon varieties need polliniser plants and we suggest Gailey as the polliniser. New patented varieties from
Where can I get 'clean' healthy trees?
Where possible, purchase trees from nurseries with experience in persimmons, as production of quality nursery stock requires skill and experience.
Do I need pollinisers for persimmons?
Some varieties of persimmon such as Fuyu can set fruit and grow them to a good size without pollination, particularly in the drier southern states. However, research in
How do I go about fertilizing persimmons?
Use leaf and soil analysis to accurately determine the requirements of your trees. This should be done each year in February to March about one month prior to harvest. Care is required with nitrogen fertiliser as high levels produce excessive vegetative vigour and reduce the crop potential. Soil pH is also critical for persimmons and is best held at 6.5 to 7.0 (1:5 water test). Soil calcium should be greater than 8.0 milliequivalents to reduce manganese accumulation in the fruit leading to the green blotch fruit disorder.
Growing persimmons
How do I prune persimmons?
We recommend that persimmons be grown on a trellis and pruned to a palmette system (espalier, in which branches are trained to grow horizontally, is preferred to the 45 degree branch angle alternative) or open V-trellis (Tatura) system. This is seen as the most effective way to achieve good light penetration, good production of quality fruit, good framework for the production of fruiting wood, good strong tree structure, ease of harvesting and ability to substantially reduce wind rub blemish. The actual pruning system is quite complex and detailed information is provided in the 'Sweet persimmon grower's handbook'.
Things that go wrong
My young fruit are falling off. What's wrong?
There are a few possible explanations for this.
- too much nitrogen fertiliser applied during the previous season. This produces excess vigour in the tree, causing most of the energy to go to the leaves, thereby starving the fruit
- very hard pruning. This induces overly vigorous shoots and consequently fruit drop similar to that caused by excessive nitrogen application
- poor pollination, which can be caused by a lack of pollinisers, insufficient polliniser flowers, a lack of bees or low light levels from overcast weather
- low boron levels
- soil water stress. Seedless fruit and poorly pollinated fruit are more susceptible. This problem can be exacerbated by using an inadequate number of drippers per tree
- other stress factors.
However, remember that some natural thinning or drop of the fruit occurs where there is a heavy crop load.
My tree has died. What may have caused this?
There are several possibilities:
- water logging of the roots after heavy rain in poorly drained soils.
- incompatibility of the grafted scion with the rootstock.
- constriction of the taproot as it grows which can generally be attributed to poor nursery practice or poor planting technique
- verticillium wilt (caused by a fungus)
- phytophthora root rot (caused by a fungus).
It is important to point out that none of these problems actually cause a sudden death of trees; often they cause a slow decline that eventually results in tree death.
My fruit are colouring unevenly. What is the cause?
Thereare a number of possible explanations including:
- green blotch disorder. This is caused by manganese accumulation, generally from either soil pH being too low or naturally high levels of manganese in the soil. Get your soil pH checked and maintain or adjust it to 6.5 to 7.0 (1:5 water test)
- low soil calcium levels. Ensure soil calcium levels are kept higher than 8.0 milliequivalents per 100g
- excessive leaf density and shading, particularly on vase-shaped trees
- warm night temperatures in autumn.
This disorder is more prevalent in the wetter coastal regions.
My frit have black marks on them. What could be the cause?
There are a number of possibilities.
- green blotch disorder may cause a black speckling over the green blotches
- in high rainfall areas, high humidity can result in fine speckling. There is nothing you can do about this problem
- wind rub can cause black irregular line marksinsects such as fruit fly, fruitspotting bug and fruit piercing moth are all capable of producing round, black marks
- spray damage may cause a wavy watermark. Persimmons are very sensitive to sprays, particularly emulsifiable concentrates. For this reason, it is best to monitor pests and only apply sprays when necessary.
My leaves are falling off while fruit is still on the tree. Is this normal?
No, this is not normal. It is important that the leaves be kept on the tree while fruit is present to avoid sunburn and possible reduced sugar levels in the fruit. The main causes of early leaf fall are:
- insufficient water during dry conditions
- salt in soil or irrigation water
- angular leaf spot, a fungus disease. Good nutrition, water management and fungicide sprays are the keys to keeping angular leaf spot under control. Angular leaf spot can also cause premature fruit softening and poor shelf life
- low nitrogen and potassium levels. These make leaves more susceptible to leaf disease
- early season frost.
My trees flowered well but have not set much fruit. What has happened?
The same things that cause young fruit to fall off, excess vigour, hard pruning, poor pollination, soil water stress, boron deficiency and other tree stress factors are the likely causes.
I've got borers in my trees. What can I do about them?
If the borers are causing girdling or ring barking at the base of the branches, it is most likely the borer of the clearwing moth. As yet, there is no chemical specifically registered for the control of this borer. It is recommended that, where possible, affected areas be scraped clean to physically remove and kill the borers where possible. Then seal the wounds with plastic paint or a tree-sealing compound to prevent fungal attack.
An expensive alternative is to use clearwing moth pheromones to try to disrupt mating by the moths. The cost is about $400 per hectare per application and two applications per season are usually required. It is important to ensure that nursery stock is clean of the pest so it is not introduced into the orchard in the first place. Early prevention is essential to prevent build-up in subsequent seasons.
How do I control Queensland
We recommend that you monitor fruit fly activity using traps starting November - December. The objective is to monitor fruit fly populations and reduce their numbers before fruit starts to colour (which can be as early as late December), when the fruit is highly susceptible. Where fruit fly populations indicate low pressure, use bait sprays. In most cases, this will be sufficient. Where pressure is high, cover spraying will also be necessary. Another option is to use fine netting to exclude pests such as fruit fly.
Propagation
I'm thinking about producing my own persimmon nursery trees. Where can I get rootstocks or seed?
We don't recommend that you produce your own trees unless you have extensive nursery experience, as it is difficult to produce good quality persimmon nursery stock. In addition, nursery tree suppliers have generally gone to considerable lengths to arrange on-going rootstock seed purchase from
Harvesting
When do I harvest my fruit?
Harvest time should be determined by two factors:
- colour of the fruit
- sugar level as measured by a hand refractometer.
The colour needs to be a full orange colour with no visible green. Colour charts have been developed in
Questions about spraying
How do I get spray accreditation?
Spray accreditation can be obtained by attending a course provided by an accredited trainer. Accreditation is given to people with a valid National Farmcare Chemical User. Farmcare is changing its name to ChemCert
Do I need training in the safe use of chemicals?
In some states you cannot buy chemicals unless you have a current spray accreditation and in
However, most customers now see it as highly desirable for their growers to be able to demonstrate safe, responsible use of chemicals. One of the best ways to demonstrate this is to obtain a Farmcare (ChemCert) accreditation. Remember spray accreditation must be renewed every five years.
Organic growing
Can I grow persimmons organically?
There are problems with pest, disease, and weed control and maintenance of adequate fertility. In most cases yield will be reduced and fruit appearance may not be as good. Therefore you need to receive a significant price premium to offset this reduction. There is a small but growing niche for organically grown sweet persimmons that some growers may find profitable. There is also the advantage of reducing chemical usage. One possibility is to use netting to exclude pests.
A thorough investigation of the market is essential before proceeding. Be aware that significant new plantings can cause market gluts. Organic growing in the drier climates is more likely to prove successful than growing in wetter environments.
There are legal requirements, for example the Plant Protection Act of 1989 in
The Sweet Persimmon Grower's Handbook , produced by the DPI&F, provides information on all aspects of growing and marketing persimmon in Australia.
The handbook includes the following chapters:
- Before you start: A checklist of things you need to know before you start growing the crop.
- Common questions:The 20 or so most commonly asked questions about growing the crop.
- Growing the crop:Our guide for establishing, producing and marketing the crop.
- Key issues:Detailed information on the key decisions affecting the crop.
- Contacts and references: A list of industry organisations, product suppliers, and further reading.
- Handyguides: A list of chemicals currently registered in Australia and their registered uses.
The Sweet Persimmon Problem Solver, is a companion publication to the Sweet Persimmon Grower's Handbook and contains a pictures of the common problems of persimmon and details their causes, identification, treatment and prevention.
Both of these publications are available from the Queensland Government Bookshop online at http://www.publications.qld.gov.au or by callling the DPI&F on 13 25 23 (07 3404 6999 for non-Queensland residents).
For commercial enquiries on persimmon, contact the DPI&F on telephone 13 25 23 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays; non-Queensland residents phone (07) 3404 6999. E-mail: callweb@dpi.qld.gov.au
Information contained in this publication is provided as general advice only. For application to specific circumstances, professional advice should be sought. The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Queensland has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the information in this publication is accurate at the time of publication. Readers should ensure that they make appropriate inquiries to determine whether new information is available on the particular subject matter.
Last updated 11 October 2007
