Growing Persimmon From A Seed At Home: 4 Stages

Persimmon is a wonderful, tasty and healthy fruit. In China, persimmons are called the “plum of the gods.” Europeans and Americans are very fond of persimmons, so every year there are more and more of them on the shelves of our stores. Many have a question, is it possible to grow this culture at home? Yes, maybe! In this article, we will talk about how to grow persimmons at home from a seed.

Persimmon contains a large set of useful elements: iron, vitamin C, calcium, manganese, copper, malic acid and more. It grows mainly in southern latitudes, so the fruits are formed in autumn, no earlier than the second half of October. Persimmon does not tolerate sub-zero temperatures!

Bright orange fruits can be enjoyed only in late autumn and winter. Many different groups of this culture are known, so there are a large number of varieties. Each of us can make sure of this when buying fruit in a store. Fruits differ in shape, color, size and, most importantly, taste.

How to germinate a persimmon seed before planting at home

Let’s consider this important process step by step:

Free the seed of the fruit from the pulp. You need to take a stone from a specially chosen variety of persimmon that is suitable for your conditions and taste preferences. The fruit from which the stone is supposed to be used must be well-ripened, undamaged by diseases or pests, not frozen (which often occurs during the harvesting period after sudden frosts or storage in the store).
Carry out preliminary pre-sowing preparation. It does not require time-consuming and special knowledge and skills. The main thing here is to follow some rules and recommendations. First, the stone of the fruit should be well washed and dried. The fruit stone has a very dense shell, hence its slow germination. Therefore, you should not despair if you do not see the desired sprout after 2-3 weeks. Be patient and a miracle will happen in the form of a small light green sprout.

Treat the stone of the fruit from infection. After soaking the fruit seed for 2-3 days in a disinfectant solution (you will be advised in the store). In addition, moving into a liquid will help to immediately identify and remove weakly similar specimens: they will immediately float to the surface. Soaking in ordinary warm water for a couple of hours leads to a similar result.
Soak in growth stimulants. This will speed up the process. For this, various drugs are used – both store-bought and self-prepared.
Stratify the seeds. Stratification of seeds will increase the effectiveness of such soaking. This is the transfer of seeds to an environment of reduced temperatures, close to natural ones, simulated at home. Seeds prepared in this way, in our case – a stone, germinate much faster. You should wet a napkin or a cotton pad in any suitable preparation and carefully wrap a stone in them or cover it with a second cotton pad on top. All that remains is to place the wrapped bone in the refrigerator for 1-1.5 months.

How to scarify persimmon seeds for home cultivation

When growing persimmons from seed, a much more effective method of seed preparation is scarification, that is, breaking the integrity of the outer shell of pits with a very hard shell. This will be the next stage on the way to obtaining a future seedling. Scarification can be mechanical, chemical or thermal. In our case, the first option is best:

In any convenient way, carefully cut or prick the shell. You can use a sharp knife or an awl. It is very important here not to damage the internal content – the nucleus.

With a large number of persimmon stone, you can use coarse sand or fine gravel, with which the persimmons stones are thoroughly ground.
The most common method of scarification is to carefully rub each barrel of the persimmon stone with fine sandpaper. There are recommendations for using a regular vegetable grater.

The seed is ready. It is time to proceed to the next stage of soil preparation.

Preparation of the container and soil for growing persimmons in a pot at home

We probably won’t say anything new about soil preparation. Soil requirements are similar for any crop. It should be fertile and loose for good air and moisture access. If you do not have pre-prepared soil, then we advise you to take purchased universal soil. I advise you to add vermiculite to the soil. This technique will allow water to stay better in the soil, ensuring maintenance of the necessary soil moisture. This will free you from frequent watering.

The size of the planting containers depends on the number of seeds. The main requirement is to pour expanded clay on the bottom for drainage. This will free excess moisture from stagnation.

How to plant a persimmon from a seed at home in 4 stages

Now we will tell you how to plant a tree from a bone at home:

Persimmon seeds are spread over the surface of the soil and sprinkled on top with about 1 cm of soil, lightly patted with the hand.
Now you need to moisten it.
After that comes a very important moment. You need to place your mini-garden in greenhouse conditions: put it in a plastic bag or container and move it to a dark, warm place. Placement on or near a heating battery (not too hot) is suitable.

Do not forget to regularly wet your small greenhouse. Over time, moisture – condensate – appears on top of the lid of such shelters. As a result, mold often appears, which can harm young sprouts. This should not be allowed, so regularly ventilate the plants.

If the necessary conditions are met when planting a persimmon with a stone, the appearance of a sprout is expected no earlier than in a month, and sometimes even longer. It is very important not to miss this moment and release the sprout in time. Often, the sprout is “captive” in a hard shell, which must be carefully removed with tweezers or a needle.

Caring for persimmons from the seed: how to water and feed the sprout

Seedlings are exposed to light in a warm place. It is advisable to exclude the influence of direct bright sunlight. Further care will consist of regular watering and periodic feeding with any nitrogen fertilizers for growth. Fertilizers in small packages are good for feeding seedlings or indoor plants. If there are several stairs, you should choose the healthiest and strongest. The remaining ones (if you don’t need them) will have to be thrown away. You can share with friends or neighbors.

Rules for transplanting indoor persimmons

The selected seedling that has already grown is transplanted to a permanent place. For this, choose a small pot, no higher than 10 cm. For better rooting, it is advisable to cover the young plant from above with a glass jar. For hardening, it should be removed regularly for airing and spraying. After about 4 months, you will get a full-fledged young plant, reaching a height of about 15 cm.

Now you know how to get ripe, fragrant and tasty fruits. They will appear 3-4 years after planting.