How to Grow Persimmon

Updated June 2026

The astringent versus non-astringent split, a zone selector, and variety picks including American persimmon

What it looks like as it grows

A persimmon earns its place twice over. In fall the leaves turn fiery orange and red, and once they drop the bare branches hang with glowing orange fruit like lanterns, which makes it one of the most ornamental fruit trees you can plant. Then there is the fruit itself, sweet, honeyed and unlike anything else in the home orchard. The Asian persimmon (Diospyros kaki) is deciduous, long lived and, once established, close to carefree, while the native American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) carries the crop into far colder country.

The one thing that trips people up is that persimmons come in two completely different types, and confusing them is why so many people decide they hate persimmons. Astringent types must be eaten fully soft and jelly-like, because a firm one is mouth-puckering with tannin. Non-astringent types can be eaten firm and crisp like an apple. Choose the right type for your zone and know how to eat it, and persimmon becomes one of the easiest, most generous trees in the garden. The selector below makes that choice for you.

Astringent versus non-astringent: the one thing to get right

Every persimmon falls into one of two camps, and they are eaten in completely different ways.

• Astringent (Hachiya, Saijo, plus all American persimmons): usually tall and acorn or heart shaped. They are loaded with tannin until they are completely ripe, so a firm fruit is unpleasant and mouth-drying. You must wait until the flesh is soft, translucent and almost jelly-like, then scoop it out with a spoon. At that point it is intensely sweet.
• Non-astringent, also called sweet (Fuyu, Jiro, Izu): usually squat and tomato shaped. They lose their tannin while still firm, so you can eat them crisp like an apple straight off the tree, or leave them to soften. These are the beginner-friendly persimmons.

A quick way to tell which you have at the store or off a friend's tree: squat and flat-bottomed usually means non-astringent and ready to eat firm, while tall and pointed usually means astringent and needs to be soft. If you are ever unsure, simply wait until the fruit is jelly-soft, which is safe for both types.

Climate and position

Persimmons want full sun, the more the better, both to ripen fruit and to develop strong fall color. Asian persimmon is deciduous and needs a modest amount of winter chill to crop well, so it shines in roughly zones 7 to 10. A dormant, leafless tree is frost hardy to about minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit, so cold is rarely the problem in those zones. The real risk is a hard early frost striking the fruit while it is still hanging on bare fall branches. For colder country, the native American persimmon is extremely hardy and crops well below zero.

Give the tree shelter from strong wind, which can scorch foliage and knock fruit, and a free-draining soil. Asian persimmons grow happily in large containers, which is a smart option in colder zones because you can overwinter the pot in a sheltered spot or unheated garage.

Planting

Plant bare-root trees in winter or very early spring while they are dormant, or set out container trees in fall or late winter. Dig a hole the same depth as the rootball and twice as wide, tease out any circling roots, and keep the graft union well above soil level so it is never buried. Water in well and mulch, keeping the mulch off the trunk.

• Space full-size trees about 13 to 16 ft apart.
• Dwarf trees and container plants can sit much closer.
• Most Asian persimmons are self-fertile, so a single tree will fruit on its own. American persimmon often crops better with a pollinator.

Watering and feeding

Keep soil moisture even, especially while the fruit is sizing up in late summer and fall. Erratic watering, a dry spell followed by a soaking, is a common cause of fruit drop. Feed modestly with a balanced fertilizer in late winter and again in spring. Go easy on nitrogen: excess nitrogen pushes leafy growth at the expense of fruit and is itself a major cause of young fruit dropping.

Pruning

Persimmons need only light pruning. Train young trees to an open vase shape so light reaches the center, then keep it tidy. Fruit is borne on the current season's growth that springs from last year's wood, so do not shear the tree back hard or you remove next season's fruiting points. Persimmons tend toward biennial bearing and the wood can be brittle, so thinning a heavy crop both evens out cropping year to year and protects limbs from snapping under the weight.

Harvest and storage

Fruit ripens in late fall, often after the leaves have dropped, which is when the orange fruit on bare branches looks its best. Cut fruit from the tree with pruners, leaving the green calyx attached, rather than pulling it.

• Non-astringent (Fuyu, Jiro, Izu): pick firm and eat crisp, or let them soften to taste. They keep well in the refrigerator for a week or two.
• Astringent (Hachiya, Saijo, American persimmons): leave on the tree until jelly-soft, or pick firm and ripen them off the tree with an apple or banana, or freeze and thaw to remove the tannin.
• Drying: astringent fruit is traditionally peeled and hung to air-dry as hoshigaki, which concentrates the sugars into a soft, sweet dried fruit.

Pests and problems

Persimmons are pleasingly pest-light, but a few things are worth watching.

• Birds and wildlife: the bright fruit is a magnet for birds, deer and raccoons. Net the tree or bag individual fruit as it colors up.
• Fruit drop: usually traced to too much nitrogen, uneven watering, or a young tree shedding a heavy set. Feed lightly and water steadily.
• Sunburn: exposed fruit on a hot, open branch can scald. A little leaf cover or light shading in extreme heat helps.

See our Pest and Disease Guide to identify and fix any issue.

Varieties to try

Region and season note

Across the US the planting window is winter dormancy or very early spring for bare-root trees, with fall an option for container stock. Non-astringent Fuyu types ripen most reliably where fall is warm and long, so they are a safe bet across the South and the warm West. In the coldest zones, where Asian persimmon struggles, the native American persimmon is the dependable choice, and in frost-free Zone 10 chill becomes the limit, so reach for low-chill, astringent selections.

Frequently Asked Questions

See also: Persimmon in the plant library →

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