I planted 2 Persimmon Trees (Diospyros virginiana) about 10 years ago. Both were actually planted in the same hole because one was very frail and did not think it would survive, so I planted them together. The healthy one took off beautifully as hoped, and the sickly one barely managed to survive. This continued for a few years and the healthy tree was now almost 10 feet but still not bearing fruit. The once sickly tree was getting a little stronger each year but wasn't much more than the size of a branch of the big tree. Fast forward to last year, the big tree is about 15 ft tall, very healthy, but still no fruit. The smaller tree is doing quite well, but it is not fruiting either. What could be the problem? Why no fruit? I've been waiting years.

Gerry,

I'm sorry to bear bad news but Persimmon trees can be male or female. The male has clusters of flowers, the female has single larger flowers when they bloom. It does take a fair number of years before fruiting, perhaps 5 or 6 years - but after 10 years the male/female issue is likely the problem.

Well for one, neither tree has bloomed all these years. And I had been under the belief that it was self-bearing and monoecious, if those are the correct terms. Obviously, I could have been misinformed, so now I'm more perplexed than ever.

RockGardner said:Well for one, neither tree has bloomed all these years.

Well there ya go. Sounds like they are not ready yet to make fruit.

That sounds like sound reasoning.

I'd be tempted to say Gerry is right they are both males sold to you as self pollinating trees. Meader is the only self pollinating american persimmon out and most grafted persimmons should bear fruit within 2 or 3 years some take up to 5 but not 10 years like pecans. If you need some female sicon to graft on your trees you can contact me this winter. otherwise I'd suggest you purchase a dollywood, early golden, or yates persimmon they bear young often second year. Sorry I'm so late jumping in the conversation I just joined ATP a few days ago,

Persimmon Trees are 100% Dioecious. Male flowers are pink and female flowers are a creamy white color and appear in singles.

Maybe check out the flower colours to see if you have two flowers of the same sex

There have been no flowers.

Persimmons make flowers after the leaves and are green and small. I usually hear when the tree is blooming more than see the flowers. The male flowers attract clouds of pollinators that you can hear, right after the leaves emerge.

As stated, you may have 2 males. I have 2 trees, a bisexual tree and a male. The one tree made some fruit for a few years before the male started blooming, but with both trees now fully grown, the fruit load causes some limb breakage. This year with late fall frosts, the fruit are only now edible, but they have been hanging so long they are also 1/2 dry.

Leafypete, how old (large) are your trees?

Planted in spring of 1994. I'm guessing about 35 ft. tall. Tree on left is the bisexual tree. The closer one is male. On the right is a Gymno. dioicus. Spruce was a free mistake from Fish and Game.

Great looking trees. I look forward to mine becoming more mature.

leafypete said:The one tree made some fruit for a few years before the male started blooming, but with both trees now fully grown, the fruit load causes some limb breakage. This year with late fall frosts, the fruit are only now edible, but they have been hanging so long they are also 1/2 dry.

Are you familiar with twig girdler damage? That could also be the result of the dropping limbs.