North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jwlehman@aol.com]

The question was asked:  Is there any way to tell which sex persimmon trees
are before they have grown large enough to flower?   I have one that
has been in the ground for 2 summers now and I still have not seen any
flowers, at least none large enough that I have noticed them yet.   I hope
to take most of the other trees I have out to the country where I have 5
acres, but it would be nice to plant 1 more tree at home and get fruit
there as well. 

The answer is no, the sex of an American persimmon tree cannot be determined until it flowers.  

Typically many males flower by their 5th year, some as early as three years. The females typically take an additional 2 years. But it is not unusual for female trees to bear fruit in it's fourth leaf from seed. Especially if in very fertile soil with full sun. Transplanting larger trees doesn't speed the process up very much as it is my experience it usually takes them two years to reestablish their root system. 

Persimmon are as easy to graft as apples. Plant the seed where you want them and graft in place.    

There is great genetic diversity in persimmon and grafting to known cultivars is highly recommended. 

Jerry Lehman