Deer Luscious™ Persimmon

DEER LUSCIOUS™ PERSIMMONS This grafted female persimmon is named Deer Luscious™ because it is self-fruitful and produces heavily without a male pollinator. The fruit is seedless without a pollinator. This tree is well over 100 years old and growing up out of the native range for American Persimmons in north-central Pennsylvania. This tree produces very sweet 2″ sweet persimmons, dropping its fruit free from the tree beginning in mid-September and continuing to drop well into December. Deer Luscious™ produced abundantly after easily tolerating a temperature of -10 degrees after the polar vortex of 2019. This tree has thrived during lows to -30 degrees multiple times throughout its lifetime. If you want to plant persimmon trees for deer in the north, this is easily one of my top choices, as it will ripen in time even in the extreme north, as it ripens before Meader. From a culinary standpoint, this fruit has no black specks in the flesh and is relatively large, and taste is very sweet, and above most all American persimmons. Mature height 80′ and suitable for plant hardiness zones 5-9. These trees are grafted, defined as using plant tissue from the original tree and attaching it to the new roots. This essentially gives you an identical tree to the one you see in the picture and description. POLLINATION FOR DEER LUSCIOUS™ PERSIMMON Deer Luscious™ persimmon tree is self-fruitful and will produce seedless fruit without pollination through parthenocarpy (the development of fruit without prior fertilization). If you wish to have seeded fruit, I recommend planting at least 3 of our cold, hardy, highly vigorous seedlings in your persimmon orchard if you want to have fruit with seeds. There is no need if you want abundant fruit that will be seedless. PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS Persimmons will do best when planted in well-drained, fertile loam soil with a pH of 6 to 7. However, they are very adaptable to many soil types and conditions. Persimmons will tolerate even planting in heavy soils such as clay and a pH as low as 5.5, as long as adequate nutrient levels are available. Do not plant in wet soils. If you have not completed a soil test and improved your soil. I recommend mixing 1/2 to 1 ounce of 0-20-20 granular fertilizer in your soil when planting. The first number tells you the percentage of Nitrogen contained in the fertilizer. Nitrogen applied directly to the tree’s roots will cause your tree’s death. Make sure the first number is zero. Nitrogen is very mobile in the soil. Apply a small amount of Nitrogen the following year as needed. The 2nd and 3rd numbers are Phosphorus and Potassium. Apply these two nutrients at or well before planting because they are immobile in the soil. They will need to be mixed into the soil. We recommend completing a soil test and making amendments for the best results. Persimmon trees are drought-tolerant once established, as they grow a very extensive root system. The trees grafted to this rootstock will give you a mature height of 60′ to 80′. A recommended tree spacing of 25′ to 30′. Plant in a location that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight for optimal growth and fruit production. Persimmons are very shade tolerant and will produce abundantly, but need sunlight on the tree for tree health and growth, and fruit is a given even in the shade. You can use your imagination when spacing persimmon trees. SHIPPING/PICK UP Shipping to Plant Hardiness zones 2 – 8 will begin in early March (you select your ship date) and continue until the last Monday in April. Dormant bare-root trees must be planted in the spring, while trees in your area remain dormant. You can select your ship date when you check out on the website. If you are looking for winter shipping, write me at ryan@bluehillwildlifenursery.com The last week of March or the first week of April is ideal for planting in Pennsylvania. Free local pick-up is also available in the surrounding states. When you check out on the website, you can select your pick-up date for these two weeks. However, if you can not make the selected date, please call or message us to make an appointment.  We are open 8-4 Monday through Friday for tree pick-up. For More Information: https://bluehillwildlifenursery.com/about-persimmon-trees/ https://www.facebook.com/bluehillwildlifenursery