North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[alexis <alexis@conev.org>]

I love persimmons. I think they are the greatest fruit trees ever. So 
much so that I have helped establish various orchards around central 
Virginia. I plant Asians, Americans, and my favorite, the Asian-American 
crosses.
The Asians seem to need little if any pruning. The others are forking a 
lot, not maintaining a central leader at all. This is true for Saigo, 
Rosseyanka, and most of the Americans. Do other folks have much 
experience pruning these things over the long term? Does it work to let 
them turn into big bushes, or should I hack at them and maintain central 
leaders? On some of these trees, it seems like I have had to do a lot of 
cutting to deal with tight forks in the center of the tree. Any opinions 
welcome.
Alexis