Hi.

I was at the 3 Home Depots in my area today and I noticed that they are bring out the newly arrived bare fruit trees. The trees are pretty good size. Most are in the price range of $15-$20, which is in my price range.

I'm sure I can make room for two more fruit trees in the yard.

Can someone give me a recommendation (the name) on a type of PERSIMMON and ASIAN-PEAR I should seek? I don't know any good variety (their name), but I ate them before. I don't like the the acorn/heart shape persimmon. The asian-pear I had before, was sort of rough skin, juicy, yellowish-brown and speckled. Sorry, that's all I can remember.

I prefer eating fruits when they are hard and crunchy. I don't like mushy ripe or too ripe of a fruit.

In my experience, you can't trust the varieties from the big box stores. I speak from personal experience, the "fuyu" I bought was astringent! I've even heard they ask the supplier to leave the labels off so they can put their own on. Let's see, persimmon, fuyu is most popular, lets label all the persimmons fuyu. In my case, I used the "fuyu" as grafting material after it became apparent it wasn't fuyu! A better bet is to buy from small local supplier, may cost more but more likely it is the variety that it's labeled. In my experience persimmons are very close in flavor for the 15 or so I've tasted. My favorites are giombo and saijo though. The astringents are sweeter in my back yard. I've currently got giombo, saijo, ichi ke kei jiro and hanna fuyu. I had 6 or 8 other kinds but cut the branches off to grow my favorites. I used to have 3 trees, but was snowed under with fruit, so now I have a non-astringent with ichi and hannu fuyu and an astringent tree with saijo and giombo. Hanna fuyu is a big zero as it has never fruited on the same tree ichi has bean breaking branches for 3 years. Ichi breaks the branches with fruit if you aren't careful, same with saijo. Stay away from pollinators like chocolate if you want seedless fruit. One two foot chocolate branch caused several hundred pounds of persimmon to be full of seeds. I cut off the branch and next year, not a single seed!

So far, Home Depot stores have correct variety tags from all those that I bought. Sellers from eBay are usually the worst when it comes to labeling. At least with apples, pears, apricots, and cherries, I can distinguish from the scionwood which variety is which, given the limited standard selections. Persimmons are a bit more difficult, but haven't heard any problem. With bareroot, the plastic bag containing the roots has a label, and the tree has also a label tag.

Well,

I finally bought me a Fuyu persimmon tree at HomeDepot. Yay! That sucker is about 6'7" and pretty damn straight too. I went to the HomeDepot off Thornton Ave in Newark. Though their nusery is small, nobody ever visit that place, so my selection/picking was good.

1) When I plant the persimmon in the ground, at what height (recommeded) should I cut off the leader/tip so the side branches can come out? There are many nice buds on the main stem, but I assume the trunk will just grow higher and higher. The tip hasn't been cut.

I went in HD, hoping to find first, a Shinko, then Hosui. But all that it had were Shinseiki, 20th Century, and Chojuro. A lot of Chojuro left. The trees/branchings weren't that nice, so I quickly dropped by Regan's Nusery off Decoto Ave in Fremont. Regan's has better shaped trees and better selections. I think the Wholesellers ship the crappy trees to the Big Box Stores and the nice ones to the Private Nurseries.

I listened to JoeReal and got a Shinko Asian Pear tree. A little bit more expensive, but a nice trunk and shaped tree, like a fork. The root system could be better though. Regan put all their fruit trees into the ground, in one big enclosure (save on soil, I guess). When someone buy one, they pull it out and bag it. I was contemplating if I should get the 3-in-1 tree, like the Hosui, 20th Century, and Chojuro grafted together, but the price was about $45 bucks (I think). And the grafting (I think it was T-bud) looks nasty. I'm a rookie, and I KNOW I can graft better than that.

2) Can a Shinko semi-self-pollinate itself? Or do I need another tree?

When my tree get established, I am willing to trade a Shinko limp for say, a Hosui or Chojuro limb. I want maximum fruits! Any Asian-Pear Growers? Keep me in mind.

3) If a Shinko is not susceptible to fireblight, and a Hosui and Chojuro are susceptible, is it wise to graft a Hosui/Chojuro limb to a Shinko base tree? Just wondering...


By the way: The label on HD's trees says Nurserymen's Exchange, San Francisco. The label on Regan's fruit/stone trees says Dave Wilson Nursery.

greenZ,

I can send you budwoods of Chojuro, or you can drop by and select from many of my multi-grafted pear trees. There is also an upcoming scionwood exchange by Sacramento Chapter of CRFG. It will be on January 20, 2008, Sunday from 10:00 am til 1:00 pm at

4145 Branch Center Road, Sacramento, CA

Dave Wilson Nursery trees are top-notch. Pricey, but high quality.

Home Depot also carries the DWN trees, but much later. HD sometimes sell the more exotic potted pomegranates, Apriums, and pluots coming from DWN. And the price is not that bad.

About your persimmons, just cut off the top 1 ft or leave it alone as it doesn't have any branches. The Fuyu will easily spread its canopy, so the straighter longer the better now, just my observations.


Regards,

Joe

Hi Joe,

Thank you for all your help. Your knowledge is invaluable.

Maybe I can take up on the offer of the Chojuro when my Shinko get established. It was sort of a bareroot tree and there weren't much roots. But the tree overall is very nicely shaped, healthy, and 5'7", a Dave Wilson tree. Regan didn't do a very good job of saving or caring of the roots during transport/storage, I don't think. I was shocked when I saw the small Shinko root system. The overall looks and branching of the tree made me buy it. Hopefully the Shinko will make it.

I did some googling and found that the Shinko asian pear is pollinated by Hosui, Chojuro, Kikusui, and Bartlett. So therefore I see a future grafting opportunity for its future.

1) What is the atmosphere like at a Scionwood Exchange? Does one need to bring some scionwoods for trading? I would like to attend one in the future, but I really don't have a lot of scions to give/trade away (not yet anyways), and I don't want to be considered a freeloader.

Thanks for your help Joe.

Most people that come to the exchange don't bring anything except themselves. The scionwood should have been given a week before, but properly labeled and prepared scionwood are a welcome only if you cannot be prevented from bringing them,

I myself am not bringing any scionwood, except pre-arranged by other members who will get them directly from me, but I don't consider myself a freeloader as I share information with people I meet there.

I encourage you to be a member, costs $8/year and attendance to all meetings are optional. If you're not a member, you are required to pay $1 to get into the exchange, it is literally a hairline more expensive than free.

California Rare Fruit Growers, Sacramento Chapter

January 2008

OUR NEXT MEETING: The annual Scion exchange January 20th 2008 from 10 am to 1 pm: People are needed to stay from 1-2 to help clean up.!Clean up Only. Last year people thought it would be a good way to continue "shopping". If you are not helping you will be told to leave after 1PM. The only people who will be allowed in before 10 am are the CRFG OFFICERS who traditionally set up the Scion Exchange.

Where: Sacramento Cooperative Extension Center at the corner of Branch Center Rd and Kiefer . South of highway 50. One block west of Bradshaw. 4145 Branch Center Road, Go south on Bradshaw off of highway 50 to Kiefer turn right and approx. 1 block turn right on Branch Center and, immediately turn left into parking lot

When: January 20th, 10-1, clean up 1- 2.

Remember to bring your plastic bags, a marking pen and a roll of masking tape and healthy, named scion wood if you did not get it to your local officer for the pre scion exchange with the 5 northern CA. chapters. There will be demonstrations of grafting techniques. Because of a few people taking advantage - we will charge for grafts. The first graft will be a dollar, the second $3, each one after that will be $5. Pay before you go in and get a receipt

There will be root stock for sale this year. We are ordering some for next year, so let us know if there is something you will want. Please remember: Demonstrators are volunteering their time. DO NOT take bags of scion wood-only one or two of each.

If you bring Scion Wood(and we hope you will) All scion wood should be taken from healthy trees. The wood should be about the size of a pencil in width and length. Scion should be bundled into Zip lock or other baggies, clearly marked what variety they are, such as: Apple-Golden delicious. Bundles of about 5-10 pieces of scion wood is appreciated. You can put 5,6,10 bundles in a bag together, rather than using a bag per bundle. The wood cannot be dried out it needs to be fresh. Do not come before 10 am. Please -we will not open the doors. The Scion exchange ENDS at 1PM! After 1PM there is clean up only.