Diospyros kaki is a fruit tree native to China that was introduced into Italy towards the end of the 19th century. The scientific name of the plant loosely means “fruit of the gods”. Here in Italy, both the tree and the fruit are called cachi in the dictionary, kaki by industry experts and caco in common parlance, not counting the many dialect names such as diospero.
Symbols of autumn, persimmon fruits are about the size of an apple and, with their reddish-orange colour, they stand out on the bare trees from which they are harvested between October and November. Persimmon trees are fairly adaptable, long-lived and slow-growing, which enables them to reach a considerable size that can generally be reduced by pruning, and pruning persimmon trees is precisely the topic of this article.
Distinguishing the branches of a persimmon tree
The supporting structure of a persimmon tree is made up of the trunk and 3-5 main limbs, that is, the largest and oldest branches (at least two years old) which have exhausted their capacity to produce new foliage and fruit and have become scaffolds for other branches. In older plants you can also see secondary limbs – more recent branches with a smaller diameter – forking off from the primary limbs. These secondary limbs can themselves ramify into sub-limbs, and so on.
Every year the plants develop new productive branches that will produce twigs, leaves and fruit the following year and which behave in different ways. These younger branches grow at the periphery of the crown and, in particular, on a persimmon tree you can distinguish between:
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Suckers: long, vigorous branches that grow vertically.
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Medium or mixed branches: branches 30–50 cm long that over time will form the structure of the plant.
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Spurs: thin and fairly short branches (10–30 cm).
The most interesting branches for the production of persimmons are medium branches and spurs, whereas suckers are not very productive. To prune correctly you therefore need to be able to identify active branches: this pruning principle applies not just to persimmons, but also to any other fruit tree.
Persimmon trees bear fruit on one-year-old branches, that is, from flowers blooming in spring on branches that grew in the previous spring. Therefore, medium and short one-year-old branches should be left on the plants: these are the ones with fruit buds, of mixed type, that develop into shoots (and subsequently branches) bearing flowers, which eventually turn into fruits. On persimmon trees, fruit buds are found at the end part of the branch, while vegetative buds that produce only branches and leaves are located at the base of the branch and on the uppermost part of the tree.
When to prune persimmon trees
Pruning serves various purposes, depending on the age of the fruit tree. In young plants it helps to set the shape of the supporting structure, whereas in adult specimens it serves to renew fruit-bearing branches and control the height of the tree so that it is easier to tend (treatments, harvesting and pruning itself). In old or long-neglected plants it serves to reduce and rejuvenate the vegetation, forming new fertile branches and thus stimulating productivity.
What is the best time of year for pruning persimmon trees? Dry pruning, also called winter pruning, should be done before the vegetative awakening (around February/March), whereas green or summer pruning should be done in summer (from June to August). Here you will find an overview regarding winter pruning of plants in general.
How to prune persimmon trees
Referring specifically to adult trees, by pruning persimmons you avoid the fruit-bearing branches "escaping upwards", since the trees tend to grow vertically. This way you keep the lower part of the plant productive, so that you can harvest the fruits more easily. On the other hand, it is important to thin out the crown so that it lets in light and air: this serves to limit falling fruit and also protects against diseases and parasites, both of which proliferate in dark and humid environments.
Below are the steps to follow for winter pruning of persimmon trees:
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Identify the fertile branches to be left on the plant (medium and one-year-old branches), so that it can produce flowers, and therefore fruit, in spring/summer. One-year-old branches are found at the outermost part of the crown, are covered with buds and have smoother and darker bark than the older branches (limbs).
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Keep the supporting structure of the persimmon tree, consisting of the main limbs that perform a “scaffolding” function with respect to the branches and twigs that grow on them. Therefore:
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Cut off dry or diseased branches at their base.
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Keep the main limbs at approximately the same height: if they are too long, don’t cut off the top of the tree, but instead shorten the limbs (without overdoing it) using a reduction cut near to a secondary limb, which will thus become the new tree top.
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Remove, by sawing them at the base, any suckers that have sprouted on the upper side of limbs, any branches that point upwards and towards the inside of the tree, and any branches that are too close to or overlapping with others.
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Repeat the steps performed on the main limbs for the secondary limbs, and if needed, for other sub-limbs, taking care to keep a good quantity of fruit-bearing branches on the tree so as to ensure that it has sufficient production potential (crop load), bearing in mind that a portion of the harvest will be lost due to a number of unripe fruits falling early (premature fruit drop).
By contrast, summer pruning of persimmon trees eliminates suckers, which otherwise need to be removed later through dry pruning. Although suckers should generally be removed, they can be useful for forming new stems, from which branches will grow that will bear fruit in subsequent seasons. To achieve this result, which takes a few years, you have to bend or angle them. Suckers are found on young and adult plants that are tended in a balanced way, but they grow in great numbers on persimmon trees that have undergone drastic pruning or which are very vigorous due to over-fertilisation.
What tools should you use to prune a persimmon tree? Shears, handsaws and loppers are fine, whereas for thick branches or large pruning jobs you can use a chainsaw, or best of all a pruning chainsaw. To prevent the wood from tearing (splitting) when sawing larger and heavier branches, do it in several steps, which lightens the load by the time you make the final cut, as explained in this article on pruning decorative branches.
It might not seem like it, but persimmon wood is fragile: do not climb the tree or lean a ladder against it, either when you are picking fruit or when pruning. The persimmon is not a plant that lends itself to tree climbing, so if you have a huge persimmon to prune, it is better to work from the ground with telescopic equipment: you can use a telescopic saw, pruner or telescopic pruner (which enables you to cut up to 5 m above the ground) or, alternatively, a multifunction brushcutter equipped with the appropriate pruner accessory.
Whether they are manual or motorised, make sure to keep your tools sharp (to ensure clean cuts every time) and disinfected (to avoid spreading any diseases). By the way, here you can find a guide to pruning tools. When pruning, always use the most appropriate protective clothing for the situation at hand: with manual tools, all you need are protective glasses or a face shield, utility gloves and safety shoes. When working with a chainsaw or pruner, wear cut-resistant clothing, gloves and footwear, noise filtering ear defenders or earplugs and, to guard against falling wood, a protective helmet.
What is a reduction cut? How to cut a branch while paying attention to the collar? How can you prune persimmons or any tree in the least traumatic way possible? You can find all the answers in our articles on pruning mistakes and tree pruning.
If your garden contains not just a persimmon tree but also a peach tree, here's how to prune it. Fruit trees are pruned quite differently compared with ornamental plants: here's how to prune lavender, oleander and cherry laurel.
