Persimmon is a slow-growing but very hardy tree, capable of reaching a height of 10 meters and more. As well as being a productive species, it also has its own ornamental value thanks to its beautiful, globose foliage and the appearance of its leaves, which are first bright green, then yellow and red in the fall.
The trunk of the persimmon tends to be straight, with dark gray bark and irregular cracks, while the branches and branches are rather brittle and tend to break in wind and excessive fruit load.
khaki bears fruit on the branches of the year which come from mixed buds, so when pruning this peculiarity must be taken into account and act with criteria a little “different from those valid for stone fruits and pome fruits”.
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When pruning the caco
Towards the end of winter The branches are tapered, useful for thinning the foliage and allowing good indoor lighting, an important tip for limiting the fall of small fruits and obtaining good-sized fruits.
Illuminated and ventilated roofs They are also less susceptible to scale insect attacks, which prefer dense, shady environments. Having to choose the branches to keep for fruiting is good prefer short which are more manageable and present less risk of breakage.
In summer it is possible to act on the green by removing the suckers, the branches that grow vertically from the branches, while root suckers are very rare in persimmons and therefore it is almost not necessary to remove them.
breeding group
The most suitable form of cultivation for persimmon is the flowerpot , which is obtained by fixing the size from the time of planting. When planted, the young shoot looks like a branchless stick, which should be cut about 70-80 cm above the ground to stimulate the formation of side shoots. To promote the straight growth of the stem, a pole is placed next to it for reinforcement, to which it is tied loosely.
The following spring, 3-4 shoots are chosen from those equidistant, oriented in different directions of space and better formed, and these will become the main branches of the persimmon, while the other shoots are removed by cuttings. Later, if the branches of the persimmon present too narrow an angle with the trunk, they must be widened with spacers or ligatures, so that they remain well open as required by the conformation in pot.
The following year the branches will in turn be covered with shoots which will evolve into branches and it will therefore be useful to start a light thinning and to proceed with the elimination of the first vertical shoots. These practices should be done regularly in the following years as needed to obtain a beautiful tree.
How to prune: Criteria and care
Besides the particularity of bear fruit on the branches of the year another feature to take into account is that in khaki no self-pollination and in the absence of pollinating varieties, the species fructifies by parthenocarpy, that is to say without fertilization. This determines a fall berries often even abundant, which must be taken into account when pruning, leaving a good load of fertile shoots.
Due to this natural cascade, unlike other fruit trees it is not useful to lighten the khaki . However, this exception does not apply if there is another variety of persimmon that provides regular fertilizing of the flowers.
Fortunately the khaki tolerate budget cuts which are made when needed, as its wood is quite resistant to fungal attack.
If a particularly bare canopy area is observed, it may be useful to stimulate the vegetation by pruning the branches during the winter pruning. . The fertile shoots being in their apical part, this prevents the production of fruits in favor of the vegetative growth.
As with all other species of fruit trees, it is also useful always remove dead and diseased branches , in order to avoid the spread of the pathology to other parts of the plant. In these cases, it is always advisable disinfect cutting tools move from diseased to healthy plants. Cuts should always be to do the housework never shredded, so you need to make sure the blades of the scissors work well and are sharp.
Also, as a general rule, never go overboard with the size and for this species in particular, because we would risk not having any production and seeing instead an abundant emission of juice.
Finally, the size is intended keep the desired shape , here in the form of a pot, and to prevent certain branches from rising too high. This makes it possible to harvest the fruits mainly on the ground, at least in the first years.