AboutTom Alonzo Expertise I have been growing plants from seeds for at least 20 years. I have grown literally hundreds of different kinds of vegetables, trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, tropicals, some cacti, water plants, iris, rose, lilies, cannas, etc. I enjoy starting from seed.
Experience I've been growing my own seeds for 20 years with indoor propagation equipment I built myself. I am also an Allexperts volunteer on the perennial forum. I have completed the Master Gardener course through the Kansas State University Extension. I have experience with a wide variety of seeds and I have also read through Norm Deno's books on seed germination.
Expert: Tom Alonzo Date: 7/2/2008 Subject: wild persimmons in the Pacific NW
Question QUESTION: For nostalgic reasons my wife and I brought back a wild persimmon fruit from MD last fall. We planted the 5 seeds in pots and to our surprise all 5 have geminated and are now about 6" tall with second leaves forming. Will these survive in the Pacific NW and are there any recommendations about when these seedlings might be put into the ground and what kind of exposure (light, moisture, etc.) would be best? Thank you.
ANSWER: Hi John,
Thanx for your question. I would imagine the persimmons would be alright in the Pacific NW. These trees are pretty hardy and are native from New England to Kansas and Texas. I remember tasting of the wild fruit when I was a kid (I live in Kansas). The tree would require at least 400 or more hours of temperatures below 40 degrees to set fruit and I think most of the Pacific NW falls into that range. The tree is deciduous so, like other deciduous trees in Washington and Oregon, the leaves will change color and drop in the fall. I think it rains enough in your area that you won't have to be concerned about water unless you have a drought like you did back in 1998 when I was in Seattle. In that case, water the trees once a week (give them a good soaking). Plant them out in full sun and about 15 feet apart. When the seedlings have a full set of second leaves, put the seedlings outdoors in a shaded area for about 10 days and then plant in full sun. This allows them to acclimate themselves to the outdoors. If they ahve been grown outdoors go ahead and transplant them now and cover them with some netting so the birds won't pick at their leaves. Give them some mulch around them this fall before the first frost. I hope this helps.
Tom
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QUESTION: Thank you for your very helpful reply, Tom.
These trees germinated outside and are going to the San Juan Islands north of Seattle. Tend to have 3 months of summer drought conditions so will probably need to water. Netting and fencing are always needed because of deer over-population. Soil here is rocky and sparse but hope these wild persimmons are tolerant of a variety of soil conditions?
thanks again for your prompt and helpful reply. John
Answer Hi John,
I saw the San Juan Islands on an excursion to Victoria but never actually set foot there. The persimmon is a pretty tough customer. What I would do then is amend the soil with some well composted cow manure and then side dress the trees with it in the spring and midsummer. I think the trees will be fine and yes, protection from deer is a must until the trees are tall enough to be out of reach. If you have drought then cgo ahead and give the trees a good soaking once a week. Good luck!
Tom
