Re: Botanical Oddities of 2007

Hi Sylvia,
I garden in a coastal section of Los Angeles, Palos Verdes. I accidently planted my persimmon in a perfect place--it is in water- retentive black adobe and receives twice a week sprinkler water. My mother in Berkeley also had a persimmon which produced NO fruit and little growth, which she attributed to the fact that the sloping soil was riddled with gopher holes and any watering ran away through them. My friend in Malibu with sandy soil watered faithfully and her tree produced very few fruits. My tree always drops a substantial number of tiny immature fruit but is still always heavily laden. What was different this year was that it set many more fruit than it ever had, and almost every one has had seeds, any number up to four.
My conclusion is that persimmons need heavy watering year round, but I am not sure whether the seeds indicate stress, or just more energy to make them. Maybe it LIKED the cold temperatures in winter and the high ones in summer? 

Cathy


On Dec 25, 2007, at 1:07 PM, Sylvia Sykora wrote:


Dear Cathy -

Where do you garden?
I think this is an excellent post and one which will, I hope, trigger many of us to write about oddities of the past year. My own, prompted by your persimmon comments, is, for one, that our persimmon which has always dropped huge numbers of immature fruit, retaining no more than a dozen or so to maturity when it's a mad dash between the jays, the squirrels and us to harvest, did this year, exhibit no fruit drop to speak of and probably four to five dozen mature persimmons were harvested. I've read that an irregular watering regime is one cause of fruit drop. I don't think I watered more 
than once, perhaps twice, all summer.  How odd that low rainfall was a
possible cause of your fruit drop and lack of watering, consistent with 
fruit retention for me.
Well, if we had it all figured out we'd have stopped gardening years ago, no 
doubt.

Best to you,
Sylvia in Oakland, CA Sunset Zone 15/16


On 12/22/07 4:46 PM, "Catherine Ratner" <tactar@verizon.net> wrote:


Greetings Everyone!

In 2007 my garden received 3 inches of rain, a low temperature of 24
degrees, and high temperatures of 100.

1.  My persimmon tree, which is always loaded with fruit, was again
loaded and dropped many immature fruits, still leaving a big crop.
In all of the former years, the persimmons were seedless with one or
two occasionally having one seed. This year almost every one had seeds. 

2.  My little camellia "Night Rider" whose shoots grew only 4 inches
every year, this year did the same thing but then when the
temperature went up to 100, the plant suddenly put out a foot long
lead shoot.

3.  My columnea arguta grows in  the house because it is too tender
for outdoors.  The leaves are beautiful, but it has never had more
than one or two flowers.  I always thought it was because it didn't
get enough light, but right now I counted 27 flower buds and I am
rubbing my hands in glee as the flowers are very big and spectacular.

Happy Solstice, Cathy
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