How to Start Persimmon Trees

Persimmon trees not only produce delicious, honey-sweet fruit but also add a flowery aspect to your landscape. The trees most often grow in the southeastern United States but can grow as far north as Canada and as far west as Washington. Full-grown persimmon trees need little maintenance, but starting your own tree from a seed requires patience and fairly constant care. Persimmon trees also are dioecious plants, meaning they either are male or female, so you'll need to start several trees if you want to ultimately enjoy their fruits.

Persimmon seeds from a garden store or direct from the fruit

Peat moss

Sand

Polyethylene bag (plastic shopping bag)

Pot

Potting soil

Shovel

Soak your persimmon seed for 24 hours, removing any pulp first if you took it from a fresh fruit. Put a mixture that is two-thirds sand and one-third peat moss into a polyethylene bag. Squeeze out excess moisture. Poke a few small holes into the top of the bag.

Place the soaked seed into the bagged mixture and put the bag in the refrigerator. Refrigerate the bag for at least three months.

Fill a pot with potting soil. Get a pot several inches deep to accommodate the persimmon tree's long taproot. Plant the persimmon seed about 3/4 inch into the soil. Place the pot somewhere in the house that receives plentiful, but not direct, sunlight. Don't let the indoor temperature drop below 70 degrees F.

Keep the potted soil moist and monitor the seed for about eight weeks for signs of sprouting. If the seed does not sprout in that time, cover the pot in a loose plastic bag. Poke holes in the bag and put it in the refrigerator for another three months.

Once the seed sprouts above the soil, move the pot into sunlight. Keep your persimmon seedling indoors until you see a hardy stem poking out of the soil. This might take several months.

Choose a sunny, loamy and well-draining spot. Dig a hole about the same volume as your pot. Carefully plant your persimmon tree, keeping it planted about the same depth as it was in the pot.

Water your newly planted persimmon tree, and water it weekly if you have no rain during the week. Cage the tree during its first year while it establishes its root system, and keep the area around your tree free of weeds.

When planting more than one persimmon tree, plant them about 15 to 16 feet apart for optimal fruit production.

Don't keep your persimmon tree indoors too long before planting. Persimmon trees have a fragile root system that you are more likely to damage as it matures.