Diospyros (virginiana)

John M. Englert USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Bldg. 509, BARC - East, E. Beaver Dam Road Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (301) 504-8175 (301) 504-8741 (fax) john.englert@wdc.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mdpmc/

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Family Scientific Name:	Ebenaceae
Family Common Name:	Ebony Family
Scientific Name:	Diospyros virginiana
Common Name:	Persimmon
Species Code:	DIOVIR
Ecotype:	Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Shenandoah National Park
General Distribution:	Southeastern Connecticut and southern New York to Florida, west to Iowa, Kansas and Texas. Found in well drained or dry soil.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Plug + (container-field grown hybrids)
Time To Grow:	0
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Bareroot and container plants. Height: 2 year old bareroot up to 36 inches; 2 gallon container plants (grown an additional 2-3 years) up to 72 inches. Root System: Bareroot plants have a somewhat thick deep taproot; it is important to set a seedling harvester deep enough so as not to slice off part of the main root system. Spin Out copper hydroxide spray is used on the inside of containers to prevent the roots from circling or from growing outside of the containers into the ground.
Propagule Collection:	Collected at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park by R. Caldwell on 12/21/90; by J. Englert on 10/24/94, 9/20/95 and 10/3-4/96, by J. Copeland on 11/12/97 and 11/24/98; Shenandoah National Park by J. Englert on 11/15/93; by J. Kujawski on 10/28/96.
Propagule Processing:	Seed Processing: Seeds are cleaned by separating fleshy fruit out in a Dybvig separator. Seeds/Kg: 3,600 seeds/kg average. Germination: Approximately 23%. Purity: Average purity is 98%.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seed Treatments: None; we sow seeds directly in the ground after they have been cleaned. Winter temperatures and moisture act as a natural stratification treatment.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Propagation Environment: Outdoor nursery beds. Seed Propagation Method: Hand-sown. Container Type and Volume: Some bareroot seedlings are transplanted into 1- and 2-gallon containers after harvest. Growing Media: In containers, plants are grown in woody mix (3.8 cu ft.bale Sunshine #1, 4 cu. ft. of pine bark mulch, 20 oz. Nutricote and approximately 20 oz. endo-mycorrhizae). Seed storage: Seeds are generally planted in the fall after cleaning, but if stored, are kept in plastic bottles or paper envelopes in a seed cooler at 40§F and 35% relative humidity. Seed dormancy: Persimmon may have delayed germination because of the hard seed coat; this restriction can be removed by moist, cold stratification (USDA, 1974).
Establishment Phase:	Sowing Date: November-December. % Emergence and Date: Seedlings generally emerge the spring after fall sowing (USDA [1974] notes delayed germination can occur 2 or 3 years after sowing). Sowing/Planting Technique: Seeds are imbibed in water, dusted with a fungicide and hand sown into rows (rows are 5 to 6 inches apart, seeds are sown about 1 inch apart within rows). Endomycorrhizae are sprinkled over the seed before covering with about 1 inch of soil. The beds are then mulched with aged sawdust. Establishment Phase: Sawdust mulch is scraped back in spring prior to seedling emergence. Newly emerged seedlings are monitored closely for irrigation needs. Young seedlings are shaded as soon as they emerge with poly screening at 30%. Shade cloth remains over seedlings until mid-August.
Active Growth Phase:	Rapid Growth Phase: Because National Plant Materials Center soil is a nutrient poor sandy loam, seedlings are fertilized from mid-April with a granular 10-10-10 once a week through early June. From mid-June through late July, the 10-10-10 is alternated with a granular urea every other week. From late July through late August the seedlings are fertilized with 10-10-10 every two weeks. Overhead irrigation is used after every fertilization. The rateof water applied is determined by soil moisture prior to irrigation.
Hardening Phase:	Hardening Phase: During mid- to late summer, fertilization is cut back to twice monthly. Beginning in September, irrigation is only used in a severe droughty situation.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time to Harvest: Bareroot plants are generally harvested 2 years after sowing; in some cases where we've seen good growth and want to end up with container plant material, we will harvest after 1 year. Harvest Date: Dormant bareroot plants are harvested in early to mid-December. Storage Conditions: Bareroot plants are bundled into groups of 25 (or whatever is manageable), and long roots are trimmed. Root trimmings are saved for vegetative propagation use. Bundles are placed into plastic bins; roots are covered with sawdust. Bins are placed into a cold storage room (40§F) and watered as needed during the winter. Gallon size and larger container plants are stored outside. Containers are laid on their side on weed barrier fabric, and covered with 2 layers of a microfoam insulating blanket. The blanket is secured over plants by threading a rope over the blanket between rebar anchors on either side of a block of plants. Seed storage: Seeds are generally planted in the fall after cleaning, but if stored, are kept in plastic bottles or paper envelopes in a seed cooler at 40§F and 35% relative humidity. Seed dormancy: Persimmon may have delayed germination because of the hard seed coat; this restriction can be removed by moist, cold stratification (USDA, 1974).
Length of Storage:	<b>Storage Duration:</b> December to March.
References:	Brown and Brown. 1992. Woody Plants of Maryland. Port City Press, Inc. Gleason, H and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. 2nd edition. New York Bot. Garden. USDA, Forest Service. 1974. Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States. USDA, Ag. Handbook 450. USDA NRCS National Plant Materials Center. Woody bed and container plant records. Unpublished data.

Citation:

Davis, Kathy M.; Kujawski, Jennifer. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Plug + (container-field grown hybrids) Diospyros virginiana plants USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Beltsville, Maryland. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/23). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.