What causes persimmons to fall off? What persimmon wants: personal growing experience

I have a persimmon growing (grafted on a Virginia rootstock). She is already 5 years old, but we have never tried the fruits. Every spring the tree blooms, the fruits set, but then the stalk turns black and all the fruits fall off as one. And so it has been for 2 years. Maybe the tree needs special care, or is it some kind of disease? Although you can’t tell by looking: it grows well and the leaves are large and healthy.

The shedding of the ovary from a persimmon grafted onto a Virginia rootstock may be due to the absence of a pollinator tree nearby. Varietal persimmon is dioecious, that is, female plants bear fruit only in pairs with male ones. In the absence of pollination, persimmon fruits do not set seeds, and the tree, “realizing” the uselessness of its own fruits, gets rid of them. In gardens, persimmon trees can be combined according to this principle, several female plants and one male (in the center). You can determine whether your tree is female or male by the location of the stalks and the shape of the branches. On a female tree, the stalks are located less frequently and singly, while on a male tree they are denser and in groups. In addition, the branches of female trees are significantly thicker compared to the branches of male trees.

If you have small plot and there is no space for planting several seedlings, then you can use other varieties of persimmon that do not require a pollinator (but the disadvantage is their low frost resistance). Also popular are “seedless” persimmon varieties, which are more demanding on soil quality and lighting. Therefore, use tree varieties that are adapted to your climate zone, and don’t forget about the peculiarities of growing dioecious!

But the shedding of persimmon ovaries may be associated with other factors. It is known that the root system of persimmon is underdeveloped, so these trees require special care, associated with periodic loosening of the tree trunk circle and the application of complex fertilizers. With a lack of feeding, the ovary develops poorly and falls off over time.

Persimmon (which we are used to buying), wild date, date plum - deciduous tree of the genus Diospyros (with Latin language translated as “food of the gods”) with large orange beautiful fruits.

There are more than 200 types of persimmons in the world. One of the most popular varieties persimmon in the territory of the former Soviet Union is the “Korolek” variety. According to many statements, the birthplace of persimmon is China.

The oldest of the persimmon trees is about 500 years old. Persimmons grow in Italy, Spain, Israel and the Caucasus; in some countries, persimmons were grown purposefully.

In autumn, when the leaves fall, the persimmon fruits remain on the tree. That’s when you need to admire persimmons! Gray branches are hung with bright orange balls. It seems that someone deliberately tied them with strings.

Persimmon fruits are round or oval shape, the weight of the fetus reaches 500 grams. The persimmon's peel is smooth and shiny, the color of the peel is from yellow to orange-red, while the flesh of the persimmon fruit has a lighter color. The high content of beta-carotene in persimmon makes its fruit very valuable food product. The astringent taste of unripe fruits is due to the high tannin content; it is this that binds the tongue, but to the delight of gourmets, the tannin content seriously weakens during the ripening process of the fruit. The energy value of persimmon is 70 kcal per 100 grams. Persimmon fruits contain twice as many beneficial microelements as apples. A little tip: to get rid of the astringent taste, you can freeze persimmons for a short time, after the fruit has thawed - there will be no astringent taste.

Most often, persimmons are eaten as a self-sufficient fruit. However, persimmon pulp can be used in salads, desserts (with ice cream or yogurt), baked goods, and jams. Dried persimmons are popular in some cuisines around the world, and sometimes cider, beer and even wine are made from persimmons. It should also be mentioned that persimmon is a dietary product; due to the presence of pectin, it is indicated for digestive disorders. But despite beneficial features persimmon, it should not be consumed if you have diabetes.

Persimmon fruits have a tonic property, persimmon soothes nervous system, increases the body's performance. At the same time, persimmon has a bactericidal effect against Escherichia coli, sublime coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. Magnesium contained in persimmon fruits reduces the likelihood of kidney stones, and vitamin A contained in persimmons protects the body from cancer...

Many gardeners are convinced that when good care persimmons are required to produce a solid harvest every season. They forget that a tree is a living organism in which certain processes constantly occur, sometimes invisible to the eye. Anxiety does not leave gardeners trying to understand why persimmons are falling off. It is necessary to establish in which cases it is possible to take measures without allowing it to crumble, and in which cases everything is useless, and all that remains is to come to terms with it.

Types of reasons

Among the reasons for the shedding of persimmons, one can distinguish both natural and natural ones, as well as sudden ones. The problem can be expressed not only in the falling of fruits to the ground, but also in the absence of fruiting, and the reasons can be the same. Possible reasons: errors in care, lack of pollination, sudden temperature fluctuations, diseases, pests.

Errors in care

The state of persimmon is mirror image caring for it: if there are errors, they are manifested by symptoms. Regular and sufficient watering, fertilizing - the most important conditions normal development of the tree, ensuring normal formation of ovaries. Among inorganic fertilizers, it is better to give preference to potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. Fertilizing and abundant watering should be carried out several times a year:

• before the start of sap flow;
• during the formation of flower buds;
• after flowering;
• during the formation of ovaries;
• about a month before the arrival of frost.

Excess moisture can also cause harm:

• with excessive watering, unripe fruits fall off;
• with close flow groundwater the roots begin to rot, and the unripe persimmon crumbles.

Lack of pollination

Pollination is the primary condition for reproduction. Persimmon is a dioecious plant: it bears fruit if the female plant is pollinated by the male, otherwise the ovaries are not formed.

In addition to the lack of harvest, another consequence is the dropping of unripe fruits. A way out of the situation: planting several female trees and one male tree on the site. Visually, a male tree can be distinguished from a female tree by more crowded stalks and thinner branches.

If the tree does not bear fruit, it is recommended to limit the growth of trees under 3 years old. To do this, it is necessary to pinch the branches, thanks to this fruiting will occur sooner, and after 3 years the tree will already produce a bountiful harvest without pinching.

Sudden temperature fluctuations

If a persimmon grows in an area characterized by constant weather changes throughout the season, leading to either an increase or decrease in temperature, the tree will react to them. This may be expressed in the inability to form ovaries or in the dropping of fruits. The way out of the situation is to land in right place without drafts and with good access to sunlight.

Diseases

Diseases can be one of the obvious reasons for persimmon shedding. One of the most common misfortunes is brown spot, the causative agent of which is a fungus.

The obvious symptom is white speckling on the leaves, which quickly develops into large spots. The pest gets not only to the leaves, but also to the stalk, which is why the persimmon crumbles long before full ripening.

Other pathogens include viruses and microbes. Their occurrence can be prevented using preventive treatments with a composition of sulfur and cuproxate.

Pests

Persimmons are often affected by various pests:

• codling moths;
• weevils;
• aphids;
• scale insect.

They mainly attack leaves, but often reach other parts of the tree. The branches stop receiving nutrients, which entails shedding and death of a crop that has not yet ripened.

Another characteristic feature pests that have settled on the tree - the leaves fold in half, dry out and fall off. It is easier to do prevention than to fight pests: before flowering, treat the tree with Confidor, and in the summer put a catching belt on it.

Persimmon - unique subtropical plant, which breeders were able to adapt for almost the entire territory of Ukraine. Varieties such as Rossiyanka (photo on the left) and Nikitskaya Burgundy (photo on the right) survived frosts of 30 degrees in the winter of 2006, opened their discreet flowers in due time and gave us incomparable fruits in the fall. However, they have such frost resistance only on Virginia rootstock; grafted onto Caucasian persimmon seedlings freeze already at -20 degrees, so for the soil and climatic conditions of each area you need to select your own variety-rootstock combinations.

Young trees begin to bear fruit in the third or fourth year after planting, however, especially at a young age, the fruits (photo) often fall off green. This happens for several reasons.

Poor or no pollination. For persimmons, the question is quite difficult, because monoecious varieties that bear both female and male flowers are most often not frost-resistant (Zenji maru, Novichok, etc.). It seems that nothing could be simpler - plant a male specimen of Virginia persimmon, which can withstand frosts far beyond -30 degrees, or graft it into the crown of a cultivated variety, and go whistling. Ah, no. The Virginian opens its flowers much later than the ladies eager for pollination, and the trick does not work. In our garden, we planted several male specimens in the sunniest and most protected places, and in addition, we cut off several branches in advance and put them in warm room on the south window, so that later you can hang bottles with flowering shoots in the crown of the varietal persimmon. Helps.

Insufficient supply of nutrients. Rossiyanka, Nikitskaya Bordovaya and some other varieties without pollination produce seedless parthenocarpic fruits, which are even more convenient to consume and process. But we know that a plant does not need flowers or fruits as such - it needs seed, and everything else is just a device for obtaining them. The tree, without much desire, raises “parasites” who do not contribute to procreation, and gets rid of them at the slightest discomfort. To prevent this from happening, you need to carefully monitor the garden's supply of food and watering, loosening, which facilitates the penetration of air to the root system, and the location of various species should meet their needs for heat, lighting, shading or ventilation as fully as possible - whoever needs what is more.

Protection plantings also not the last thing. Sometimes in the first half of summer, brown spots appear on persimmons in the form of dark spots on the leaves. The fungus especially attacks the stalks, causing the fruits to receive insufficient nutrients and fall off. At the same time, being a dioecious plant, the crop is pollinated with the help of insects, which, along with pollen, also carry fungal spores. Landing on the stigma of the pistil, the spores germinate into the ovary and destroy it, as a result of which the affected fruits subsequently fall off. Since persimmons bloom at the same time as grapes, we carry out preventive treatments of both crops with a solution of 0.4% cuproxate mixed with 0.5% sulfur before and after flowering, after which no problems arise.

Vigor limitation accelerates fruiting. Young trees sometimes grow very quickly, annual growth exceeds 0.5 m, so in the first two to three years it is necessary to pinch growing shoots more often to enhance branching. After pinching, the lateral buds, which give rise to new shoots, wake up after about two weeks, during which plastic substances that would have been spent on growth are used to replenish the plant’s reserves, differentiate and ripen tissues, and lay fruit buds. An increase in the number of lateral shoots increases the foliage of the tree, expanding the photosynthetic surface, which also leads to increased production of plastic substances and accelerated entry into fruiting; three to four years after planting, young trees produce a harvest.

Maintaining optimal humidity also helps preserve the harvest. Virginia persimmon (photo) is an excellent rootstock for hybrid and oriental varieties, increasing not only frost resistance, but also the general vitality of cultural forms. However, for all its drought resistance, it is very demanding of moisture, especially during the period of active fruit growth and fruit set. flower buds, i.e. in July-August. Often, sharp changes in soil and air humidity provoke the shedding of green fruits, primarily parthenocarpic ones.

One of the most reliable ways to solve this problem is to mulch the soil in the projection of the crown. A ten-centimeter layer of sawdust, pine needles, and plant residues will help avoid rapid drying out of the soil and save the plant from sudden fluctuations in humidity. Just remember to ensure that amateurs do not breed in the loose and wet mulch feast on young roots - mole crickets, mice or beetle larvae. You need to water regularly, especially during dry and hot times.

Persimmon - beautiful and useful plant, giving us in the dull autumn time the sunny joy of bright and tasty fruits. Considering its features, satisfying not so great needs, you can annually receive bountiful harvests exotic fruits for the benefit and pleasure of their children and household.