How to plant and care for Persimmon (Kaki)

Diospyros kaki

🌳 Tree 🍓 Fruit 🔁 Perennial

A handsome small tree with glossy leaves that turn fiery orange, then drop to leave bright orange fruits hanging like lanterns. Fuyu can be eaten firm.

At a glance: harvest in November.

When to plant and care for it

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Harvest

Prune

Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.

Growing Persimmon (Kaki): what it needs

Light: Full sun · 6+ hours a day
Watering: Water weekly in dry spells for the first two summers
Soil: Fertile, well-drained soil · pH 6.0–7.0
Spacing: 4 m
Height: 4–5 m
In pots: Only in large containers
Feeding: General fruit feed in late winter; mulch in spring
Hardiness: USDA zones 7–10

Step by step

On planting day
Plant the Tree
Plant at the same depth it grew in its pot, in a hole twice as wide as the root ball, 4 m from other trees. Firm and water well.
0–1 days after “Plant the Tree”
Stake and Tie
Drive a short stake in on the windward side and fix it with a soft tree tie. Loosen the tie each spring so it never cuts into the bark.
0–2 days after “Stake and Tie”
Water In Deeply
Soak the root area with a full can, then keep the soil moist (not wet) for the first few weeks.
7–21 days after “Water In Deeply”
Mulch the Base
Spread 5–8 cm of compost or bark mulch in a 1 m circle, keeping it clear of the trunk.

Every year

February
Winter Pruning
Lightly thin crowded branches while dormant; it fruits on new shoots.
March
Spring Feed and Mulch
Scatter a general fruit feed and mulch the root area.
October
Autumn Colour
Spectacular orange-red leaves — take a photo.
November
Pick Persimmons
Cut fruit with a short stalk once fully orange, before hard frost; ripen indoors next to apples if needed.
Starts from year 4.