The deciduous persimmon tree has everything going for it. Native to China where it has been cultivated for centuries, it is stunningly beautiful, with glossy dark green leaves, which turn rich red in autumn as dramatic as the maple or liquidamber.
The timber is valuable being hard and dense and if this were not enough it produces one of the finest fruits found anywhere at the start of winter just when other fruits supplies are disappearing from the shelves. City florists receive $5.00 a branch at the right time of year.
Introduced to New Zealand before the turn of the century, consumers in New Zealand have been slow to take to this fruit. Perhaps not surprising as the fruit on the shelves is generally of low grade, often overripe and small, or of the now less popular astringent variety. Meanwhile our commercial growers export high price top quality fruit mainly to Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, but also recently to Taiwan and Europe where they cant get enough of the out of season fruit.
Although not strictly a subtropical, non-astringent persimmons is a small, easy to grow tree which require long (7 months) warm summers to mature fruit followed by a cool sunny spell in autumn to ripen them just before picking. Adequate shelter from strong winds is advisable and although they will grow in a wide range of soils types, they will do best in deep loam type soils, and definitely do not tolerate wet feet.. Mature trees range from 3-6m and produce large crops in late autumn. As the leaves fall, the ripening persimmon turns from rich green to a brilliant, shining golden yellow to deep russet orange. The Chinese so value the tree's ornamental qualities they will often leave the colourful fruit on the tree to enliven winter landscapes.
Many know the persimmon as fruit that has to be pulpy soft before it can be eaten - astringent type.These require less summer heat to grow. Astringency being caused by tannins in the flesh. Interestingly tannin in unripe Japanese persimmons is used in the brewing of sake. Since the 70's many non astringent varieties have been imported and these are the most popular grown today certainly for the heavily export orientated market. The sweet, brilliant colour flesh is eaten while still firm, which contain high levels of vitamin A.
Varieties are usually grafted and commercial crops are trained on wire similar to kiwifruit so height is not an issue.
Most varieties are considered self-fertile, although it is safest to plant more than one variety. Fuyu for example require pollination from male cultivars under commercial growing conditions to reduce the risk of fruit drop.
