I have a persimmons tree that is full again this year after dropping half this summer. It's now November and I would like to know if I need to fertilize now or wait until spring to fertilize. I try to use 10.10.10 in the spring but if I add a little in the full will it hold on to more persimmon when next spring come.

There is no way to tell what fertilizer products are appropriate w/o a soil test to first determine what nutrients are lacking. W/o the benefit provided by a soil test, you're playing a guessing game. Since a toxicity (excess) is as likely to be limiting as a deficiency, there is roughly the same potential for the application(s) to be limiting as beneficial. If you feel it's essential to provide supplemental nutrition w/o benefit of a soil test, and since nitrogen is most commonly the scarcest nutrient in landscapes, it would make better sense to apply a high nitrogen lawn fertilizer than any other product - something with (by weight) 25-35% nitrogen, no phosphorous (seldom deficient in landscapes), and 3-10% potassium.

Too, there are many factors that determine how well a plant holds onto its fruit - temperatures, light levels, water availability, number of fruits set, etc.

Al

No need for a soil test. Young persimmon trees should not be fertilized at all. If an older persimmon stops growing or the leaves lose their dark green color, fertilize in late winter/early spring with a balanced fertilizer. Never more than once a year.

Most persimmon problems are caused by too much fertilizer or inconsistent watering.

Agree with Lucy. Fruit dropping by plants is normally because they weren't pollinated. Besides we had a strange year for plants, it may have been protecting itself by reducing stress by dropping fruits, but it was probably just not pollinated

@jckeystone12 No one can say, w/o benefit of a soil test, that a plant shouldn't be fertilized. If there is ANY deficiency of a nutrient essential to normal growth, the plant would definitely benefit from using fertilizer to eliminate the deficiency.

Any fertilizer applied to plants in the landscape w/o benefit of a soil analysis, whether it is a "balanced fertilizer" applied as a shotgun approach or an element/compound applied specifically meant to target a perceived deficiency of one or two nutrients, is the result of no more than a SWAG.

Al

Jckeystone, i suggest you google "how to fertilize a persimmon tree" as one of us doesn't know what they're talking about and I'm not willing to argue the point. But, I don't want you to inadvertently kill your persimmon because of bad advice.

My persimmons are almost ripe. I hope the deer leave me a few. Have a very pleasant evening.

Wait...

You want to fertilize while the tree has fruit on it?

I wouldn't do that.

Matter of fact... Fertilizing just before going into dormancy seems like a very bad idea.

If I was doing this, I would avoid the chem treatment period.

Maybe add some nice compost on top of the soil...

As far as dropped fruit?
I'm with Lucy...

Expect some fruit drop... Especially in a stressful growing year.

Thanks to everyone's response to my question about my Persimmons Tree. For I have learned from Tapla That my first step is to have a Soil Test, from Lucky 68 I found out why my young two Trees were not producing correctly. When I planted them i planet one with fertilizer, and one without fertilizer. The one with fertilizer gave fruit that year and the one without fertilizer did not, everything fell off the without fertilizer It's now going on the 3rd year, and it has not given any fruit as of yet. The one with fertilizer is doing a wonderful job and growing taller. From Kittriana I also agree with you and Lucky 68, And I have read about the stress droppings of fruit which is a good thing no one likes stress even trees LOL. For Stone, I was not going to fertilize right now I am looking to the end of December when it's just starting to get cold in southern Georgia. Adding up all the responses. So far, I need to get a soil test. Look out for more stress. Add some compost and ash. For the winter. And in the spring, add a balanced fertilizer with missing nutrients.

Applying a balanced fertilizer w/o a soil test always carries with it the potential for creating or contributing to a toxicity of one or more nutrients. To wit, if there is an adequate amount of phosphorous and or potassium in the soil, fertilizing with a balanced fertilizer can create toxicities of either/both nutrients. When acting on advice resultant of a soil test, all nutrients essential to normal growth should be represented in the soil at favorable to ideal levels, which is (or should be) the ultimate goal of supplemental nutrition.

Bad advice is instructing someone to fertilize willy nilly with a product that has as much as or more potential to create a problem than resolve one. It's easy to poison the well by simply saying someone is providing bad advice ...... not quite as easy to be specific and point to the error.

Persimmon trees are self pollinating, which is not to say they don't benefit from cross pollination. With few exceptions, fruit will not form until pollen from male parts are transferred to the female parts of a flower. Without pollination, flowers may bloom abundantly, but will not bear fruit. If at any point a persimmon tree produces fruit, pollination has already occurred, so it is not a 'lack of pollination' that causes shedding of fruits that have already set.

Fall IS a very good time to fertilize. It helps strengthen the root system, which continues to grow after fall defoliation, increases resistance to chill (nutrients act as intracellular antifreeze), and since nutrients can be stored within the plant, fall fertilizing ensures a more robust spring push.

BTW - there is no credible evidence that fall fertilizing with products that include nitrogen (N) detracts from the plant's ability to resist chill, or that N forces tender growth destined to be killed by chill injury. Plants begin setting buds in mid to late summer; and while N does provide building blocks essential to new growth, plays no role in initiation of bud break. Bud break is regulated almost exclusively by day length (actually, it's the length of the dark period). A plant's ability to resist chill is initiated by increasing length of the dark period and sealed by increasingly cold temperatures. Cold hardiness is enhanced by regular fertilization well into the fall and early winter - as long as soil temperature remain above 55*F so soil organisms can turn ammoniacal N into nitrate forms which can be stored in the plant. In spring, when soils are cold and N difficult to access, stored N (and a full compliment of stored nutrients) play an essential roll by fueling early spring growth.

Al

This is what I asked you to do:

https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/nas...

https://www.starkbros.com/grow...

https://extension.uga.edu/publ...

https://extension.msstate.edu/...

http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/...

https://www.planetnatural.com/...

https://www.plantmegreen.com/p...

https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/abo...

Now make your own judgement.

The links are contradictory in their approach to fertilizing; and since I didn't suggest that @jckeystone12 SHOULD fertilize, the links are moot. My suggestions/comments were offered to help avoid taking a path that could easily lead to limitations imposed by using any fertilizer product w/o a soil test.

The idea that young persimmon trees shouldn't be fertilized, regardless of nutrient deficiencies or toxicities existing in the soil is rather shortsighted. It's far more likely that a little persimmon tree with appropriate fertility will grow to be an old and fruitful persimmon tree than a tree in a landscape where the soil has deficiencies and/or toxicities (nutrients in excess). Think Goldilocks. The level of each nutrient in the soil should be neither too high nor too low; rather, the goal is getting it 'just right', and the only way to do that is by acting on the findings of a soil test.

If, however, Jckeystone is convinced it is essential that the plant is fertilized, the best way to travel that road is by starting by adding nutrients most likely to be deficient, rather than adding nutrients which are most likely not. It is highly unlikely (nearly impossible) that using a 1:1:1 ratio fertilizer like 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 would lead to results equal to applications of specific nutrients shown by a soil test to be deficient.

Al

tapla said: Persimmon trees are self pollinating...

At my house...
Persimmon trees come as males and females. Takes both to get fruit.

Japanese persimmon can be parthenocarpic, producing seedless fruit:

https://balkanecologyproject.b...
Sexual Reproduction - The species is mainly dioecious, which means that each individual tree is either male or female. The pollen from the flowers on the male tree should be carried via insects (generally bees) to the flowers on the female tree for the fruit to set, however, many popular cultivars are parthenocarpic which means that they only produce female flowers and will set seedless fruit without pollination.

Re fertilizing...
I wouldn't do it in the winter...

In Augusta, you should have clay soil... Which is usually very good for growing stuff...
If you are in the sand... south of the fall line, Then... yeah, the soil is awfully poor for growing stuff.

I still would urge caution in fertilizing...
Those chemical fertilizers are stressful too...

Edit:
It always helps when we mention stuff like soil type...
Knowing whether you are in the good red clay or the white sand is relevant to the fertilizer question.

What steps have you taken to rebuild decent soil?
Can't do that with chems...

This is my persimmon tree and with all the good advice next year it will look even more beautiful and full. Thank again to all! I have more time before all the leaves fall off so I am just planning what to do next year.