The Sweet Simplicity of Persimmon Tree Care

Persimmons are a fruit that most people are unfamiliar with, as they’re usually more expensive than other varieties. And with good reason, since persimmons don’t ship well, making sourcing them locally more of a necessity than many other varieties of fruit like apples, pears and oranges. Fortunately for persimmon lovers with enough yard space for a tree, persimmon tree care requires little in the way of time or effort once the tree is established.

Sweet Fruits, Sweet Trees

Floridians are more familiar with Japanese varieties of persimmon – also called Sharon fruit by some, though technically speaking, Sharon fruit are a variety of persimmon grown in Israel. Japanese persimmons fare well in Florida’s weather, as these varieties have adapted to the milder coastal climates of the United States. On the downside, persimmon trees are a little more costly than the average fruit tree because their propagation is expensive. The trees are difficult to bud, and even then, the buds don't always take. Many of the trees don’t survive the digging process that gets them to a nursery. Once they’ve survived the trip, however, the young, healthy, grafted trees make up for it all in other ways: the sweet fruits they yield and the wonderful ease of persimmon tree care. How’s that for a win-win?

As far as trees go, persimmons are great for home gardeners, and planting them is easy. First, choose a tree that shows nice root development. Dig a hole wider than it is deep and place the tree so that the crown sits just slightly above the soil line to accommodate settling, then add enough dirt to fill the hole around it. Simple as that.