Why persimmons trees for deer
American persimmons (Diospyros virginiana) are deer magnets — deer relish their sweet, plum-like fruit, which drops from early fall through winter. They’re vigorous, develop extensive root systems, and are very shade tolerant. Our stock is cold-hardy, northern-sourced (hardy to about -30°F), and blooms late (late May to early June), which helps avoid late damaging frosts.
Male vs. female (dioecious) — the key concept
Persimmons trees are dioecious: trees are either male or female, and only female trees produce fruit (males provide pollen).
- Grafted persimmons from Blue Hill are grafted females — so they are known, fruit-producing females. Because there are typically enough male seedlings/natives around and our named females set reliably, our grafted females can be treated as self-fertile / reliable fruiters for planning purposes.
- American persimmon tree seedlings are a genetic mix of males and females. Our seedlings are grown from all-female (BH Hoosier / Full Draw™ lineage, Szukis as pollinator) seed, which raises the odds of getting many females. Plant seedlings in groups of 6–10 (spacing ~5–10′). Seedlings that turn out male can later be bark-grafted over to a female (see Grafting).
Seedlings vs. grafted — what to expect
- Seedlings: inexpensive, vigorous, reach 50′–80′, give a variety of drop times (late summer through fall into winter), and in optimal soil the females begin flowering/producing in about 4 years or less. Great for large plantings and diversity. Space closer (~8–10′) and thin/graft as sex is revealed.
- Grafted (named females): known drop time, taste, and fruit size; typically 40′–80′ depending on variety; a plannable choice for specific windows.
Notable grafted varieties (examples)
- Full Draw™ — early; a foundational Blue Hill female.
- Deer Candy, Deer Magnet, Meader, Millers, Szukis, Elmo, Morris Burton, Prok, Tin Cup, Yates — spread across early/rut/late windows.
- Example drop notes: Meader and Deer Magnet drop through bow season into mid-November; Tin Cup is mainly October with ~10–15% into November; Elmo is a large, good-tasting fruit that avoids late freezes and drops October–November.
(Confirm each variety’s zone, size, and drop window on its product page.)
Planting & spacing
- Hole: ~2′ × 2′ × 2′. Amend with about two handfuls of pelletized lime and a spade-shovel-full of chicken manure or 0-20-20 mixed through the pile of soil — no more, or you can shoot yourself in the foot. No nitrogen directly on the roots.
- Planting depth: persimmon roots are black, so the transition from root to trunk is easy to see. Plant so the original soil line is about an inch below grade (soil settles over summer).
- Spacing: seedlings ~8–10′ (they’ll produce top-to-bottom as they mature together, even the center trees, because persimmons are shade tolerant); grafted/large trees give more room and place tall trees where they won’t shade others.
Growing in tree tubes
Persimmons trees (seedling and grafted) grow well in tubes as long as you lift the bottom of the tube and make sure growth hardens off by fall. This is critical: anything on a persimmon that doesn’t harden off before frost dies back. Keep vegetation and the tube base clean to deter voles/moles.
Fertilizing — a special rule
Persimmons trees like nitrogen to grow but not to fruit.
- Do NOT fertilize in the fall — you don’t want to push tender growth that won’t harden off before frost (especially outside their native range).
- Do fertilize in spring for the first 3–4 years to push a big, healthy tree (e.g., a spade-shovel-full spread on the uphill side of the stone to leach down). After ~4 years, stop or feed only very lightly — too much nitrogen makes the tree drop fruit and just grow wood instead of producing.
- Persimmons fruit on the new spring wood, so over-feeding an established tree costs you fruit.
Cold / hardening-off note
Because our persimmons are pushed to grow outside parts of their native range, aim to have new trees leaf out and get growing by about July 4th at the latest so growth hardens off before first freeze. Trees that leaf out very late (rootbound or missing roots) struggle to harden off — a reason Ryan grows larger sizes (e.g., 3–4′) with full, non-rootbound root systems.
Key takeaways
- Only females fruit; our grafted trees are known females, seedlings are a female-weighted mix (plant 6–10).
- Cold-hardy to ~-30°F; late bloom dodges frosts; drops fall into winter.
- Fertilize in spring only, first 3–4 years; never in fall; never nitrogen on the roots at planting.
- In tubes, ensure growth hardens off by fall.
- Plant persimmon trees for deer!