Detailed Guide to Persimmon Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods

The persimmon belongs to the genus Diospyros L.f. in the family Ebenaceae (Ebenaceae), a perennial deciduous fruit tree originally from China. It is one of China's five major fruits (grape, citrus, banana, apple, persimmon) [1]  . The ripening season is around October; the fruits come in many shapes, such as spherical, almond-like, roughly conical, and square, and different cultivars range in color from light orange-yellow to deep orange-red, in size from 2 cm to 10 cm, and in weight from 100 g to 450 g.

In fact, the cultivation method for persimmon trees is very simple. They are both drought-tolerant and moisture-tolerant. Growing them at home is effortless. But if they grow in a warm, sunny environment, they will be even healthier.

Planting time: The best planting time for persimmon trees is after the leaves fall in autumn and before everything sprouts in spring. When planting, pay attention to the spacing; they must not be too densely planted, to avoid affecting flowering and fruiting. 

Branch pruning: The best time for pruning is after the leaves fall; dry, excessively forked, and sparsely noded branches can be cut back as appropriate. Prune into a tree shape suited to its environment.

 Watering management: The soil moisture content for growing persimmon trees is best kept at around 35%; this moisture level allows the persimmon tree to reach its optimal growing state. 

For mature trees, apply 1.5 kg of urea per tree in mid-April, and 1.5 kg of monopotassium phosphate per tree in June. A small amount of compound fertilizer or organic fertilizer can be applied together with watering. Apply base fertilizer after autumn, either by hole application or trench application: apply 50 kg of farmyard manure, 1.5 kg of superphosphate, and 3 kg of plant ash per tree, mix them evenly, fill them into the trench, then water and firm the soil. The fertilization position should be changed every year. Pruning: The planting height is best around 1 m. Wrap the cut tightly with plastic film and leave 4-5 buds below the cut. Thin out some overly dense branches, overlapping branches, and crossing branches, and shorten weak, thin branches appropriately. 

Flower and fruit thinning: Trees begin to bear fruit in the 3rd year after planting; they flower abundantly and set fruit readily, but physiological fruit drop is serious. To improve single-fruit weight and fruit quality and to prevent alternate bearing, attention should be paid to flower and fruit thinning. Flower thinning starts 10 d before flowering, removing late flowers, diseased and insect-damaged flowers, deformed flowers, and overly dense flowers; fruit thinning should be done after physiological fruit drop in early July, keeping 1 fruit per 8 leaves and retaining lateral fruits that are not easily exposed to direct sunlight. 

Preventing flower and fruit drop: Measures to prevent flower and fruit drop: keep the soil moist, apply sufficient base fertilizer, topdress with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer in a 10:3:4 ratio during the fruit enlargement stage, and simultaneously apply foliar fertilizer. During the flowering period, perform girdling or scoring on the trunk or main branches; the girdling width should be under 0.5 cm, and fertilizer and water must be applied promptly afterward. Spray once during the flowering period with 80 mg/L gibberellin plus 1% urea. Spray pesticide to eliminate the persimmon fruit borer.