Content
Planting and caring for persimmons in open ground is not the easiest task. The heat-loving plant is quite capricious and has certain requirements for growing conditions.
Choosing a persimmon variety for planting
Before planting persimmons on your site, you need to study popular varieties and choose the hardiest and most frost-resistant ones. Several varieties are optimally suited for growing and caring for most of Russia:
- Caucasian persimmon. A mature tree can reach 30 m in height and blooms in May. In October and November it produces small but juicy fruits with yellow skin.
Caucasian persimmon can withstand frosts down to -23 ° C
- Virginia persimmon. A tree up to 25 m blooms in June, fruiting begins early - in September. The fruits are medium in size, reaching 6 cm in diameter and 500 g in weight.
When planted in the middle zone, Virginia persimmon can tolerate short cold spells down to -35 °C
- Persimmon Russian.A hybrid variety up to 4 m tall has a beautiful pyramidal crown with dark green leaves. It bears flattened sweet fruits in late autumn; up to 80 kg of harvest can be harvested from one tree.
The Russian variety does not require pollination during cultivation and care.
- Persimmon Mider. The self-fertile variety produces small fruits weighing up to 50 g in mid-October. The pulp is sweet, fleshy, without astringency. The tree tolerates cold temperatures down to -35 °C.
With the Mider variety, with proper planting and good care, you can harvest up to 20 kg of fruits
- Nikitskaya burgundy. The frost-resistant variety tolerates cold snaps down to -30 ° C, produces small, hard red-orange fruits weighing up to 130 g. It has a sweet taste and produces a yield of up to 20 kg per tree.
Nikitskaya burgundy persimmon bears fruit annually without pollination
Cold-resistant plant varieties are suitable for growing and caring not only in the south, but also in the middle zone. At the same time, in terms of ripening time, it is better to choose early varieties in order to harvest before the onset of frost.
How to plant a persimmon seedling correctly
When planting persimmons in the country, you need to pay attention to the correct choice of site, soil composition and preparation of the plant itself. In this case, the crop can easily take root in the soil and will delight you with good fruiting.
Site selection
Well-lit areas with sandy loam or loamy soil are suitable for planting and caring for the crop. Groundwater should lie no higher than 75 cm from the surface, otherwise the long roots of the plant will begin to rot.
Persimmons should be planted in open ground so that the tree is protected from strong drafts and cold winter winds. In northern latitudes, you can place the crop under the wall of a building.
Soil preparation
To make caring for the crop easy, the soil must be prepared before planting. The selected location is dug up and peat, sand and humus are added to the soil to increase fertility.
In wet areas, fruit trees must be provided with drainage before planting. If precipitation and melt water accumulate in the soil, this will negatively affect the health of the plant.
Persimmon prefers neutral and slightly acidic soils
Selection and preparation of seedlings
For planting and caring for the dacha, it is necessary to use young seedlings no older than two years. Usually the plant is sold grafted, with Virginia or Caucasian persimmon used as a rootstock.
For breeding in the Caucasus and other warm regions, you can choose the first option. For growing in the middle zone and in the north, it is better to buy a seedling on a Virginia persimmon rootstock. It will demonstrate higher frost resistance due to its long tap root and will be less demanding to care for.
Preparation for planting comes down to a careful examination of the seedling. It is necessary to remove all dried and damaged roots from the plant, and sprinkle the cuts with wood ash. Immediately before planting, the seedling is soaked in water with the addition of a growth stimulant.
Landing rules
At what time to plant persimmons on the site depends on the region. In the south, you can transfer the plant to the ground in the fall until November. For the northern regions, spring planting is preferable; it is carried out after the return frosts have passed.
The rooting algorithm looks like this:
- Three weeks before planting, a hole is dug in the selected area, approximately 1/3 the size of the root system.
- Pebbles and bricks are poured into the bottom of the recess, and the drainage is covered with garden soil in combination with humus.
- The prepared seedling is placed on a mound of substrate so that the root collar is slightly below the soil level, and the feeding shoots are straightened.
- The hole is filled with the remaining soil, and then the tree trunk circle is carefully compacted with your hands.
A support peg is installed next to the persimmon immediately after planting. The plant needs to be tied up so that the trunk does not bend during the care process. After this, the seedling is watered with at least 20 liters of warm, settled water.
Immediately after planting persimmons, it is recommended to mulch the soil with straw or sawdust.
How to care for persimmons in the garden
When growing persimmons in open ground, you need to pay great attention to caring for the plant. The crop requires control of soil moisture and composition, and it is also necessary to ensure that the tree crown does not thicken.
Watering
Additional watering is required for fruit trees in regions with hot and dry climates. It is necessary to moisten the crop as part of its care during the summer period 2-3 times a month in the evenings. In this case, it is necessary to monitor the actual condition of the soil and stop watering at the first signs of waterlogging. With heavy natural precipitation, the fruit tree does not need additional moisture.
Pruning and crown formation
Rules for caring for a fruit tree recommend annual pruning. Formation is done like this:
- Shorten the tallest shoots to 80 cm in the first year after planting.
- All skeletal branches are pruned to 40 cm in the second year.
- In the third year and beyond, the crown is thinned, removing crookedly growing shoots.
Every season, as part of routine tree care, sanitary pruning is also performed. During this procedure, all weak, diseased and dry branches are removed. Once every 15 years, a rejuvenating pruning is carried out - the tree is cut off almost at the root so that it produces new strong shoots.
Fertilizers for persimmons
The fruit tree develops well in nutritious soils, so when caring for it, fertilizing is applied at least three times a season:
- In the spring, the plant is fertilized with nitrogen - urea or rotted manure, which stimulate the growth of green mass.
- In the summer, after flowering, phosphorus and potassium are added to the soil - these minerals improve fruiting and increase the immunity of persimmons.
- In the fall, after harvesting, the tree is again fertilized with phosphorus-potassium mixtures to strengthen its endurance before winter.
Fertilizing during care is best applied in liquid form. You can use ordinary complex minerals diluted in water, or an infusion of vermicompost.
In the first three years after planting the crop, fertilizers during the maintenance process are applied to the tree-trunk circle within a radius of 80 cm. In subsequent seasons, they cover 1.5 m of soil on all sides of the tree.
Instead of phosphorus-potassium minerals, you can use an infusion of wood ash when caring.
Transplanting persimmons to a new place
An adult plant does not respond well to transplantation, so it is recommended to place it immediately in a permanent place. If during the process of care there is a need to move the tree, then the procedure is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- prepare a suitable site for the plant and fertilize the soil with peat, humus and sand;
- carefully dig up the persimmon, trying not to injure its roots;
- Plant the plant in a new hole and water it abundantly.
In Crimea and the Caucasus, it is recommended to carry out the procedure in the fall, about a month before the onset of cold weather. In the northern regions, the task is performed in the spring, after the soil has thawed and frosts have passed.
Prevention of diseases and pests
Persimmons most often suffer from diseases and parasites when planted on waterlogged and too heavy soils. The following are particularly dangerous if not properly cared for:
- powdery mildew - a grayish-white coating forms on the leaves of the plant;
Powdery mildew develops in hot and rainy weather conditions
- root rot - the tree plates turn pale, and the flowers and ovaries crumble;
Root rot is especially dangerous for persimmons because it cannot be treated.
- bacteriosis - first the persimmon leaves become spotted and fall off, and then the bark begins to fall off;
In the early stages, bacteriosis can be cured with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate.
- odorous woodborer - reddish-brown caterpillars gnaw through persimmon wood and cause the trunk to dry out;
The fragrant woodborer appears on persimmons in late spring
- false scale insect - the pest feeds on the cell sap of leaves and fruits;
When infected with false scale insects, yellow or reddish-brown growths appear on the persimmon
- fruit fly - larvae eat ripening persimmons from the inside and cause them to fall prematurely.
When infested by a fruit fly, the persimmon may appear almost healthy in appearance.
When pests attack, caring for persimmons comes down to spraying with Akorin, Zolon, Bicol and others. Actofit, Topaz and Fitosporin help well against fungi.
The best prevention of diseases and insects is to control soil moisture. When planting and caring for persimmons in open ground in rainy summers, it is necessary to carry out preventive spraying with fungicides or Bordeaux mixture.
Persimmon propagation
There are two ways to propagate persimmon on your property: simple cuttings and grafting. The methods allow you to avoid spending money on purchasing new seedlings if there are mature plants in the garden.
Persimmon cuttings
Persimmon cuttings in the fall are carried out according to the following algorithm:
- Several shoots with 2-3 eyes are cut from an adult plant.
- All leaves are removed from the cuttings.
- The container is filled with a drainage layer and a nutrient substrate of garden soil and humus.
- The cuttings are buried in the soil and lightly compacted.
- The containers are placed in a well-lit, warm place with a temperature of about 24 °C.
During the winter, persimmon cuttings require simple care - they are regularly watered using a spray bottle and mineral fertilizers are applied twice a month. With the arrival of the new season and after the formation of young green leaves, the grown shoots are planted in open ground.
It is better to immediately place persimmon cuttings in spacious containers, since the plant does not like unnecessary transplants
Graft
A popular method of propagating persimmons suggests using budding grafting in the spring or in August.The procedure looks like this:
- In early spring, cuttings of a varietal plant are cut from an adult tree and stored in damp sand at temperatures up to 3 °C.
- In mid-summer, a T-shaped cut is made in the bark of the rootstock.
- A dormant or germinating bud is carefully separated from the persimmon cuttings.
- Apply the scion to a cut on a rooted plant and press firmly.
- Wrap the graft with electrical tape or transparent film to secure it.
The results are assessed after a month. If the bud begins to grow, then the bandage is carefully removed and standard care is then carried out for the plant.
You can wrap the vaccine with electrical tape or tape only with the adhesive side out
Harvesting and storage
Harvesting persimmons is necessary using pruning shears. The skin of the fruit is thin, so it is not recommended to pick them with your hands; the stalks are carefully trimmed.
The collected persimmons are placed in wooden boxes on a layer of shavings or sawdust. The first layer of fruit is placed with the stalks down, the second - with the petioles up. Then the persimmons are tightly covered with packaging material. The third and fourth layers of fruit are placed on top of it. The procedure is repeated until the box is full. The harvest can be stored at a temperature of 0-1 ° C for two months at an air humidity of 80-90%.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for persimmons in open ground requires special attention from the gardener. But if you follow the basic rules, the fruit tree will be able to develop without any problems in the middle zone and even in the north.
