With all the incorrect information out there on random asian persimmon cultivars being “zone 6” hardy etc, we need a good resource of what the facts are on cold hardiness of asians and hybrids etc.
Especially taking into consideration these 10 year polar vortex freezes that kill back nice orchards in zone 7 where hardier plantings could have avoided that, if the correct info were available.
Would you all be up for us getting together and sharing lists of what persimmons were lost or survived, in your experiences or trials, or those of others, and at what low temp and zone this result happened?
Then we can make or edit a good list of estimated max cold hardiness with the goal of better recommendations for longer term zone dependability.
I am compiling a list of the Asian and Hybrid persimmons and what experiences have been with each cultivar and I am curious as to whether any of your types are ones with a reputation to be a bit on the hardy side (-5F to -10F?) like Saijo etc?
I would love us to all get together and compile a great list of minimum temps each has survived or failed and get a factual list of what is worthwile for further trials in zones 6a(took -20 to -25F), 6b(took -12 to -18F), 7a(took -6F to -12F), 7b(took 0 to -6F).
There is a lot of mis-information out there such as on reputable sites like ediblelandscaping of Asians being hardy to “zone 6” etc and it would be great if we could create a detailed resource that took into account these 10 year lows.
There are quite a few asians that seem hardy to zone 6b down to about -15F like Steiermark and Inchon, and Chinebuli, from the reports I have read so far.
So here is my rough draft list of types and Low temps that they seemed to have survived based on info and reports I have read, if you see any that need updates or corrections or added data let me know. And I understand this is tricky since a mature tree might take a temp undamaged yet a young graft next to it might die…, yeah so many variables such as wood thickness, windchill, windbreaks, micro-climates, humidity, snow cover, etc, and also some named cultivars may have more than one strain or type being shared under the same name… So yeah, younger grafts probably need protection for a few years before reaching this level of hardiness temos, but yeah. So here is a rough draft of what I have been able to gather on estimated maximum cold hardiness for perhaps a semi-mature tree for longer term zone semi-dependability and some are only estimates based several differing experiences or on people making general statements of one being a bit hardier than another so this is general estimates so far with need for further testing and confirmation: *(This list is for 15 year polar blast safety, and longer term viability of an orchard, not average USDA zone low ratings). *(Also, said zones near US coastlines, and east of the Appalacians, are less apt to get such extremes, than inland, mountain, and midwest areas) So here is my list for hopefully longer term success, coldest survival temp range with limb/top damage likely: (More edits comming as we compare results) *Zone 5b:(USDA zone low is -10F to -15F but 15 year midwest/mountain polar vortex can be -20F to -33F±.) Jt-02. -20 to -25F? JBT-06. -20 to -25F? Americans are more sure in z5, some of the best are: Geneva Long. -32F. Prok. -32F. Early Golden, 100-46, H63A, H118…
*Zone 6a:(USDA zone low is -5F to -10 but 15 year midwest/mountain polar vortex can be -15F to -24F±.) Chuchupaka. -16 to -20? NGxThor. -16 to -20? Rosseyanka. -18 to -22? David’s Kandy. -16 to -20? ProkxHokaido. -16. Okja. -16. Kasandra. -17 to -20. Nb-02. -16 to -22F.
*Zone 6b:(USDA zone low is 0F to -5F but 15 year midwest/mountain polar vortex can be -10F to -18F±.) Sosnovskaya. -12 to -18? Cherniaeva. -12 to -18? Pamjat Pasenkova. -11 to -16F? Sovietski. -12 to -15? RosseyxSaijo. -11 to -16?. Inchon. -11 to -16. Steiermark. -11 to -15. Korea Kaki. -10 to -15 Patapsco. -10 to -14? Chinebuli. -11 to -15.
*Zone 7a:(USDA zone low is 5F to 0F but 15 year midwest/mountain polar vortex can be -5F to -13F±.) Gora series. -6 to -12±? Kyungsan Ban Si. -5 to-11? Yamagaki. -8 to -11? Miss Kim. -8 to -11? Nikita Gift. -9 to -11? Shan Xi. -8 to -11 Orest, -8 to -11 Chibacha -9 to -11. Bass PA Tipo, -9 to -11? Picudo. -8 to -10. Russian Kaki. -8 to -10 Great Wall. -8 to -10? Tecumseh. -8 to -10? NB-21 Hybrid -6 to -8? Hokkaido. -5 to -9 Saijo. -5 to -10. Smiths Best. -5 to -7. Sheng. -4 to -6.
Most other kaki 0 to -5 zone7b, or zone 8 in extreme midwestern/mountain polar vortex blasts.
To be safe, especially in the midwest, I recommend going with things hardy a half zone above you, if in 6b plant those I listed in 6a, if in 7a plant those listed in 6b, etc…
Persimmons
American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) Astringent GRAFTED. Small 12 to 24 inches tall $55.00; Medium 2 to 3 feet tall $65.00; Large trees 3 to 4 feet tall $75.00
Early Jewel = H-118– Very Early, Large size fruit, Red colored fruit, Soft when Ripe very High-quality Fruit Precocious and a consistent producer bears seedless fruit south of the Ohio River due to it being a 90 Chromosome persimmon. Out of the Late James Claypool Breeding program, Very early, large size, reddish colored fruit, soft when ripe.
100-46 - Lehman's DelightFrom the Breeding work of Jerry Lehman of Terra Haute Indiana, one of his newest creations. Very large fruit, smooth flesh, clear pulp, and made to be loved. While not a large tree it is one of the heaviest producing persimmon I have ever witnessed. With very good flavor and smooth flesh, this fruit is all about taste.
H63A– Well known in the nursery trade and is a star among the Indiana Prairie , This selection was Breed By James Claypool and our tree is growing directly behind the house on top of the hill our 20 plus year old tree is a medium size tree of about 14 feet tall and is very productive and produces large delicious tasting Persimmons.
Claypool = H-120-Named After James Claypool Very productive tree of medium height, Quality of fruit is far exceeding all average trees and produces excellent tasting fruit clear juicy pulp with no black specking on the pulp.
Wonderful –Late ripening from October to November, the largest fruit to come out of the England’s selection of new cultivars for production and taste. Very large fruit, progeny ofYates/JuhlXF-100male, tree of medium size with spreading growth habits. It would be good for wildlife food source late in the fall or for a late ripening cultivar to add to any collection for pulp production.
Prok -Persimmon was a seedling from Cornell University breeding program grown out by John Gordon of Amherst NY. Produces very large fruit, ripens in late August here in Kentucky, has few seeds. It is my favorite persimmon for cooking and eating out of hand. Ripens long before frost.
Jenny’s Earlyis Pure American = produces a large fruit sweet early, productive and very precocious. Is a smallish tree. No pollinators needed; will set fruit without a male but this tree is not as vigorous growing as others. Noted because it may require improved planting site.
Journeyis a Hybrid 12.5 % Kaki F-4 cross of ( Rossey X Great wall ) X ( H-118 Early Jewel X OP) = no Male flowers has a taste of Vanilla, is excellent and begins to ripen before all the persimmons that we have planted, It has one flaw that I am not excited about, the production is so heavy that the limbs dangle with the weight of the fruit bending downward. First of the season to fruit then followed by J-59 and Prok.
Deer Magnet –Very late to ripen fruit hangs on the trees in to early winter Very vigorous grower once established and is known to be the number one tree in the Lehman’s Orchard most visited for Food in the winter time by the wild life but please do not get us wrong this is a very good tasting persimmon for human food value as well if you have ever eaten a persimmon popsicle then you will know what we mean because it is a delight to still find persimmons on the tree in to the month of December.
Deer Candy -Upright growing tree, fruit is orange and large for an American persimmon, ripens well into late November. This tree does hold its fruit well and drops over a long period of time with some fruit remaining on the tree into December. Fruit is 2 inches average and is great because of the long production season farther south where extending the growing season matters. Deer will check this tree daily for dropped fruit.
Celebrity - U20A-Crystal clear fruit nearly seedless with the texture of Kaki persimmon. Rated very high for disease resistance and very high for the quality of fruit. Closest to a kaki as you can get with the cold hardiness of Virginiana. Selected from the Jerry Lehman's crosses of Dollywood D128 X F58 male. Both are progeny of Miller and Early Golden. This tree comes from the Lehman breeding program.
Jon’s Pride -Upright vigorous grower very precocious Medium to large fruit, Ripens Very Late into December and slowly dropping over a 3 to 4 week period , Taste is like Vanilla but with a thicker consistency than Pudding and is Visited daily while the fruit are dropping and into the winter once the deer have that flavor imprinted to their Memory the deer will be there daily to the sugar shack for this gum drop.
Yates– a Favorite of many, large fruit and very flavorful, and is a very heavy producer of 2.5 inch persimmon fruits with low numbers of seed to fruit ratio, It is a favorite here at England Orchard as one of these is planted in the Yard next to our home. Discovered by Ed Yates of Kentucky. Container grown sizes
Osage = H69A Seedling- Medium size tree, comes into production very early, Heavy producer of large fruit and was grown out and Named by Wes Rice of Oklahoma Seed ratio is low, and taste is excellent. Container grown sizes
Dollywood=D128- This Persimmon tree was named by the Late Jerry Lehman while on a trip to visit Bill Owens in Dollywood Tenn. It has a most interesting growth habit (while producing large flavorful persimmon fruit of about 2.5 inches wide) it is a spreading tree while instead of growing upward it tends to spread outward from the trunk making a large canopy with drooping branches to include this growth habit with heavy production it is well worthy of having in the orchard. Limited numbers on hand.
Early Golden –This Persimmon is the original grafted persimmon from the late 1800s. It set the standard and for the past 100 years has been used as a measure for all newly developed persimmon cultivars.EGis the progenitor of the most recently developed persimmons cultivars in the Claypool and the Lehman breeding programs.
Mohler- Medium size fruit, upright with spreading growth habits. Ripens early August through early September. Fruit is exceptionally sweet with complex fruity flavors. Considered to be one of the best tasting legacy cultivars still on the market.
Elmo A-118– Mis season, very Large size fruit, Bright Orange colored fruit, Soft when Ripe very High-quality Fruit Precocious and a consistent producer bears seedless fruit south of the Ohio River due to it being a 90 Chromosome persimmon. Out of the Late James Claypool Breeding program.
Barbra’s Blush = WS8-10-A long with Celebrity these 2 trees would produce all the persimmons needed in a number of years healthy, very productive and has an even lateral limb structure that will support the large load of the very large 2.25 to 2.50-inch fruit.
Other cultivars on hand in few numbers Yates/Juhl, I-94 Valene Beauty, Barbara's Blush (WS8-10)
Asian Persimmon Hybrid (Diospyros VirginianaX Kaki)- These very fine persimmons have been tested and selected for many years. They have been selected over many others for their taste, size and cold hardiness. Zone 5b and higher recommended. S, M, L, XL, XXL sizes available for most varieties. Can ship up to 84 inches tall
Zima khurma =NB-02Persimmonbred out of Nikitskaya Bordovaya, cold hardy and good producer of orange medium to large size fruit that ripens Late-season on a semi-vigorous tree. Has low spreading growth habit and is a beautiful specimen in the fall. Trees are very cold hardy tested down to minus -16.4 F for a long time. This cultivar was bred in Japan and brought to America byJerry Lehmanof Terre Haute, Indiana.Zone 5b to ZONE 8, tested to -16 F.
Kasandra -A Hybrid ofGreat Wallcrossed by an F2 Male of Rosseyanka Hybrid back crossed to Virginiana. Tested cold hardy to - 16 degrees with no evidence of freeze damage. It is a large fruit measuring about 2.50 to 2.75 inches and is delicious when ripe. Hybridized byDavid Lavergne, has a Brix test of 21 and ripens mid-season. Luscious bright green foliage looks like a true Kaki. Zone 5b to 9.
David’s Kandy-HybridKuro Kaki X (Hybrid Male = Rosseyanka X OP D. Virginiana) about 50/50 Kaki X Virginiana; Bred by the lateDavid J. Lavergnehybridized in the spring of 2011. We at England's germinated the seed, grew it out for one year and then planted it in our persimmon planting for trials in our area. It was tested for cold hardiness during the Polar Vortex of 2014-15 winter. This tree had no winter injury and gave fruit the following year. David's Kandy has been cold hardy in -16°F temps. However, it has not been tested in ZONE 5. We can not be held responsible for extreme cold weather events.
David's Kandy - an Original Hybrid Persimmon Coming in Fall 2018 A Complex Hybrid - Adaptable in Zone 5 Precocious -- Gorgeous! A Great Ornamental!
David's Kandy attracts deerBUTis too tall for deer to reach fruit ClickHEREfor details about David's Kandy and pictures of this tree and its fruit.
Rosseyanka Hybrid -Persimmon of exceptional quality and the large size which in near a 3 inch persimmon that ripens late and is very delicious we have been growing this selection for Approx. 20 year or so and We have never been disappointed with the crops of Luscious fruit that looks like Orange Orbs when the tree looses the leaves and the fruit remains on the trees. Reminiscent of Dio. Virginiana our native persimmons but Suitable for Zone 5 and very hardy down to about -18 degrees it is one of our favorites here our orchards.
Mikkusu kaki Hybrid = JT-02 -A true 50/50 hybrid of Josephine V. X Taishu Kaki. Bred in Japan, imported byJerry Lehmanin 2006 and grown in several locations in the USA. Medium to large fruit, square-ish shape, is an astringent type till soft when it's a mouthwatering tasty 2.5 to 3.0-inch fruit. Smallish tree, not vigorous at all, is precocious and has spreading growth habits. It must be staked to support fruit load as it is a very heavy producer. Very cold hardy, has never had any freeze damage or cold injury.Zone 5b and Zone 8 / tested to -16 Degrees F.
Sestronka / NB-21 Hybrid– Developed by Jerry Lehman of Terre Haute IN. Fruit is very large as large as the Pure Kaki but oh so much tastier and larger than average pure Kaki fruit, is reddish with thin skin does not fall from the tree trees are small and not very vigorous, it is a seedling of Nikitskaya Bordovaya crossed back to Virginiana. Breeding and embryo rescue was performed in Japan to bring this cultivar to the world, is not any more cold hardier than pure kaki persimmon.
Mt. Roman Kosh-A smallish tree, originally from Ukraine, precocious and very productive has no astringency once the fruit is ripe and is a medium to large fruit. It is a complex hybrid of American and Asian Persimmon hybrid. Cold hardy to Zone 6a
Mount Gorvela Rogers-Smallish size tree but vigorous grower has tendencies to spread out wider than tall. Productive of medium to large fruits that are delicious when ripe. However, must be soft to eat. Complex hybrid of American and Asian Persimmon hybrid from Ukraine. Cold hardy to Zone 6a Sizes.
Picudo from Italy- This tree is also know as Costata. A tree of great vigor, regularly fertile and very productive. Its very decorative foliage is a beautiful bright red color in autumn and accompanies fruiting. Its cold hardiness is high. Fruit mid-season, early flowering, good size, conical and ribbed, it is a beautiful yellow-orange. The skin is thin, light and creamy flesh is soft, tasty and pleasant, the taste is good, their ability to dry is good. The fruit are of an astringent type.
Asian Persimmon - Diospyros Kaki- These very fine persimmons have been tested. Selected for many years over many others, primarily for their cold hardiness, they have been tested down to minus -16 for the last 2 years. Their taste, size and productivity are excellent.
Chinebuli- NON-Astringent Asian Persimmon, which comes to us from Bulgaria. It is sweet crunchy when hard and a medium size fruit that ripens mid-season. It has had only minor freeze damage while we have grown this cultivar here for the past 8 years during one of the coldest winters we have ever experienced (the Polar express) with temps dipping into the mid-teens. There was tip burn but this tree took it in stride and produced the next spring. It is a smallish growing tree with beautiful foliage. Zone 6 to 9
