Re: Growing Persimmon from seed

I've grown lots of persimmons from seed and it's very easy.  Seed from Asian
type persimmons will often germinate right from the fruit.  For American
persimmons, seed fresh from the fruit is best.  Clean all pulp off, put the
seed in a little moist peat in a plastic bag and put the bag in a
refrigerator at 35-40 F. DON'T LET IT FREEZE - THAT WILL KILL IT!!! Forget
about them until planting time,  April or May.  They germinate best if it's
over 70 F, close to 80 if possible.  If it's too cool the seeds just sit
until it's warm enough.  The seedlings will either come up in an inverted
"J" with the seed leaves taking a day or so to pull free of the seed, or
once in a while the seed will stick to the seed leaves.  If you wait until
the seed leaves are at least half out of the seed, you can *VERY GENTLY*
pull on the seed and get it off.  If possible, grow the seedlings in tall,
2x2x6 inch pots where the tap root can come out the bottom and be "pruned"
by the air to encourage side roots.  Plant the seedlings out in the fall
whenthey are dormant.  Good ones will be at least a foot tall.
----------
>From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@clark.net>
>To: <propagation@mallorn.com>
>Subject: Re: Growing Persimmon from seed
>Date: Fri, Feb 26, 1999, 11:35 PM
>

>No, no...never curb your fervor....that's a gardening sin ;-)  Fervor is
>GOOD!
>
>I have never tried germinating the common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana),
>but nature does it with the seeds from the natives on my property.
>
>My handy-dandy "Seeds of Woody Plants in North America" by James A. and
>Cheryl G. Young says the following - compacted a bit:
>
>Collect seed as soon as fruit is soft and ripe; clean by removing pulp;
>spread out to dry.  Dry seed can be stored in sealed, dry containers at 5C.
>
>Natural germination usually in April or May but 2-3 year delays have been
>noted.  Delay caused by seedcoat, which caps the radicle.  Removal of this
>cap results in complete germination.
>
>Seed dormancy may also be broken by prechilling for 60 to 90 days. Acid
>scarification has also been used.  Lalman and Misra (1980) say phenol
>compounds in the seedcoat responsible for dormancy of seeds in D.
>melanoxylon and could be leached out with water.  Separate study determined
>that acid scarification and use of gibberellin enhanced germination.
>
>Seeds of D. kaki have highest germination when planted immediately after
>collection.
>
>Nursery and field practice:  Sow in fall or prechill and sow in spring.  In
>Missouri, fall sowing at depth of 5cm is normal and seedbeds are mulched. 
>Avg. yield of 25 to 33% trees is easily obtainable.  Seedlings have  strong
>tap root and should be field planted at the end of the first season.
>
>Go for it, say I !!  Try soaking in water for a couple of days with a few
>drops of liquid dishwashing soap, like Joy, in it...change the water every
>day, then plant in a pot and put it in a zip lock bag in the fridge for 2
>or 3 months and then put the pot outside and see what happens.  Or, if you
>have to wait until the next time fruit is ripe to collect, soak them and
>plant them in pots put outside for winter.  Protect pots from critters and
>debris by covering with a screencloth box (just cut and bend and wire
>screendoor screening into a box shape to fit your pots or flats...works a
>treat and doesn't take much time or talent.)  Put pots/flats in a shady
>place that gets rained and/or snowed on and leave Mother Nature to do the
>stratification for you.  Check them during dry periods to make sure they
>don't dry out.  Never discard seedpots for at least 3 or 4 years,
>especially for seed of woody plants and perennials...some are very slow to
>decide to germinate.  If you can't stand the suspense, you can - very-
>gently poke around to see if the seed is still firm and not a moldy mess. 
>Of course, if it's mush, that's it.  But if not, cover it back up and just
>leave it sit.
>
>Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
>mtalt@clark.net
>Editor:  Gardening in Shade
>current article: Mailorder Nurseries - On and Off Line, Part 7, Underwood
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>----------
>> From: Glider Onair <mephitus@hotmail.com>
>> To: propagation@mallorn.com
>> Subject: Re: Growing Persimmon from seed
>> Date: Friday, February 26, 1999 8:42 PM
>> 
>> Nawww, try it.  You can't do any worse than fail!
>> 
>> Thanks for flying, 
>> Glider
>> 
>> <<Thanks to all you  really nice people for the advice regarding the 
>> persimmon
>> seed.
>> 
>> Wow! it sounds like I'm in way over my head, and since I can't make 
>> Nasty seeds
>> germinate I'd better curb my fervor.>>
>> 
>> 
>
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