Things You'll Need

Instructions

1

Look for a grafted and self-fruitful cultivar of common persimmon, such as Meander, since such cultivars bear fruit earlier and don't require a separate tree for pollination. Avoid purchasing young seedlings, as their gender can't be determined before they bloom, and you will need both a male and a female for fruit production.
2

Select a site that gets full sun for at least half the day, but is shaded in the early morning. Opt for a spot with well-drained, sandy loam, if possible, though a persimmon can grow in most soils except extremely acidic or soggy ones.
3

Plant your persimmon cultivar in spring or early summer. Position it at least 20 feet from other trees or buildings, to give it plenty of air, as the leaves are prone to a type of black spot.
4

Water the tree well, and cover the damp soil with a couple inches of mulch, pulling that mulch a few inches back from the trunk. Continue to water the persimmon as often as necessary to keep its soil moist while it is becoming established. Once it is growing well, it shouldn't require extra water in western Pennsylvania except during periods of drought.
5

Avoid fertilizing your tree, if it makes at least 1 foot of growth per year. Otherwise feed it once annually in the spring with 1 pound of an organic 5-5-5 fertilizer for each inch of its trunk's diameter. Rake back the mulch to scratch that fertilizer into the ground out to the drip line, and water it in.
6

Prune out any suckers or dead branches on your persimmon in late winter. The tree doesn't require other pruning, but you can restrict its size and/or number of branches, if you like.
7

Watch for mature persimmons to bloom in May or June, with small, bell-shaped flowers similar to blueberry blossoms. Allow the 1- to 2-inch orange fruits to ripen on the tree before you pick them, preferably after a frost, in September through November. When fully ripe, they should taste like spicy apricots.