How to Grow Persimmon (Japani Phal): Grafted Tree, Zones, Fruit
To grow persimmon (Japani phal) that actually fruits, buy a grafted, named plant and put it in the ground or a large tub while it is leafless in December or January. It does best in Swat, the Pothohar plateau, Islamabad, Peshawar and the cooler edge of the Punjab plains; it struggles in Karachi and the hottest parts of Sindh and south Punjab. A grafted tree usually starts bearing in three to six years. A tree from seed may take far longer and may never fruit at all.
Quick facts
- Plant type: deciduous fruit tree (Diospyros kaki), drops leaves in winter
- Planting window: late November to January (bare root or potted, while dormant)
- Buy: grafted named variety; Fuyu type eats crisp, Hachiya type must go soft
- Sun: full sun, 6 to 8 hours; afternoon shade in hot zones
- Pot: start in 50 to 60 litres (about 18 to 20 inch); ground is better long term
- First fruit: about 3 to 6 years from a grafted plant
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Will persimmon grow where I live?
Persimmon wants a real winter rest and a long, warm autumn to ripen fruit. Here is the honest picture by zone.
| Zone | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hills, Swat, Murree foothills | Plant | Classic persimmon country; trees crop well |
| Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar | Plant | Enough winter chill, good autumn |
| Lahore, Faisalabad, Delhi | Maybe | Grows; fruit set is patchy after hot dry springs, needs summer shade and steady water |
| Multan, Bahawalpur, Sukkur | Skip | 45°C summers scorch leaves and drop fruit |
| Karachi, coastal Sindh | Skip for fruit | Too little winter rest; grows as a shade tree at best |
For picking, ripening and eating the fruit, our persimmon ripeness guide covers it all. This page is about the tree.
Should I grow persimmon from seed or buy a grafted plant?
Buy grafted. Here is why seedlings disappoint:
- Extension advice puts seedlings at roughly 4 to 9 years before they even flower.
- Many persimmons carry male and female flowers on separate trees, and a seedling’s sex is a gamble. Some named oriental varieties fruit alone; a random seedling might not.
- Fruit from a seedling rarely matches the parent you ate.
Grafted, named plants bear sooner, about 3 to 6 years, and you know whether you’ll get the crisp, non astringent (Fuyu type) or the soft eating, astringent (Hachiya type) fruit.
What about cuttings and air layering?
Persimmon cuttings root very poorly at home. Air layering is possible but slow and unreliable. Nurseries in KP propagate by grafting named wood onto seedling rootstocks, and that is the method that works.
Grafting your own (for keen gardeners)
- Grow a few seedlings from fresh persimmon seed as rootstocks. Wash the seed, keep it in a bag of barely damp cocopeat in the fridge for a few weeks, then sow 2 to 3 cm deep in March.
- Grow them on for a year until the stem is pencil thick.
- In late January to February, while still dormant, cut a scion (a pencil thick shoot with 3 to 4 buds) from a fruiting named tree.
- Make matching sloping cuts on rootstock and scion (a whip graft), join them so the green layers under the bark line up on at least one side.
- Wrap firmly with grafting tape and seal the top cut. Remove shoots that appear below the graft.
- Expect some failures; success improves with sharp knives and quick work.
Plant it bare in December, not in leaf in April
Persimmon has a long, fragile taproot and hates being disturbed in leaf. Nurseries in Swat and Peshawar sell bare root grafted plants in December and January; that is the moment to plant. A potted tree bought in leaf in spring often drops its leaves in shock and loses a year. Check the graft union: a clear bend or bump low on the stem means it is grafted, not a seedling sold as one.
How do I plant persimmon in the ground or a pot?
- Pick a spot with full sun in the north, or morning sun and afternoon shade in Lahore or Delhi. Allow 4 to 5 metres between trees.
- Dig a hole about 60 cm wide and deep. Mix the dug soil with a third well rotted compost.
- Set the plant at the same depth it grew; keep the graft above the soil.
- Water deeply and mulch 7 to 10 cm thick, leaving a gap round the trunk.
- For a pot: start at 50 to 60 litres with drainage holes, in a mix of 2 parts garden soil, 1 part compost and 1 part coarse sand. Move up to 100 litres or into the ground in two to three years. A potted tree stays smaller and fruits less.
Our guide to fruit plants in pots shows which trees suit containers better, and potting mix ratios explains the mix.
How often should I water and feed persimmon?
- Winter (leafless): water every 2 to 3 weeks if no rain; pots, when the top 5 cm is dry. Frost won’t harm a dormant tree.
- Spring growth and flowering: steady, deep watering weekly. Dry spells now cause flower and young fruit drop.
- Summer: deep soak twice a week in the ground in heat, daily checks for pots. Mulch heavily.
- Feeding: compost or rotted manure spread in February. Persimmon dislikes heavy nitrogen, which causes leafy growth and fruit drop. If using fertiliser, use a balanced NPK at the label rate in spring, and see our fertiliser guide.
How do I prune persimmon?
Lightly, in winter. Fruit forms on new shoots from last year’s wood. Shape a young tree to three or four main branches, remove crossing and damaged wood, and stop there. Heavy pruning means fewer flowers. Branches are brittle when loaded, so thin heavy crops and prop long limbs.
Why is my persimmon tree not fruiting or dropping fruit?
- It’s a seedling, possibly male, or still too young.
- Water stress or a hot dry wind in April and May.
- Too much nitrogen fertiliser.
- Some fruit drop in early summer is normal; the tree sheds what it can’t carry.
- Pests: mealybugs and scale on stems (wipe or spray soapy water, then neem in the evening), and fruit fly on ripening fruit (bag fruit, pick up fallen fruit).
Unripe astringent persimmons are harshly mouth puckering, so eat Hachiya types only when fully soft, and in ordinary amounts. Anyone with a history of stomach surgery or bowel blockage should ask their doctor about high fibre fruits like this one. If you use any spray on the tree, read the label, wear gloves and a mask, and keep the harvest wait it gives. Bags of fertiliser and pesticides stay locked away from children.
More fruit trees and vegetables are in our Kitchen Garden section.
Persimmon growing questions
How do I grow persimmon at home?
Plant a grafted named variety in full sun while dormant in December or January, water steadily through spring and summer, mulch, feed lightly with compost, and prune only a little in winter.
Can persimmon grow from seed?
Yes, seed grows into a tree, but it can take many years to flower, may be male, and its fruit is unpredictable. Use seedlings as rootstocks for grafting rather than for fruit.
Can persimmon grow in pots?
Yes, in a 50 to 60 litre pot at first and larger later. It stays smaller and crops less than a tree in the ground.
How long does a persimmon tree take to fruit?
About three to six years for a grafted plant. Seedlings often take longer and may never fruit.
What is the best time to plant persimmon in Pakistan?
Late November to January, while the tree is leafless. Bare root grafted plants are sold in KP and the north in these months.
Can persimmon grow in Karachi?
It grows, but winters are too warm for good fruiting. In Karachi it is better treated as an ornamental, and chikoo or guava are wiser fruit choices.
Do I need two persimmon trees for fruit?
Many oriental named varieties fruit on their own. Ask the nursery whether your variety is self fruitful; native American types need male and female trees.
Why are persimmon fruits falling before ripening?
Usually dry spells in spring and early summer, excess nitrogen, or a heavy crop the tree is thinning itself. Keep watering steady and feed lightly.
Japani phal ka paudha kaise lagaye?
December ya January mein grafted paudha dhoop wali jagah lagayein, gehra paani dein, mulch karein, aur garmiyon mein paani kam na hone dein.