Khaki Diospyros

El Khaki Diospyros It is one of the most beautiful fruit trees in the world, if I may say so 🙂 . Not only does it produce fruit that is truly delicious, but if conditions allow, its leaves turn a gorgeous deep red in the fall before falling off. And all in exchange for receiving basic care!

Without a doubt, it is a very interesting plant for both orchards and gardens. Would you like to know more about this plant?

What is the origin and characteristics of the Khaki Diospyros?

It is a deciduous tree native to Asia which we call persimmon, kaki or rosewood. It can reach a maximum height of 30 meters, although the normal thing is that in cultivation it is not allowed to grow more than 5 meters so that the collection is easier. Its leaves are petiolate and pubescent when young, but they acquire an elliptical, ovate or obovate shape with a size of 5 to 18cm long by 2,5 to 9cm wide.

Are the flowers female or male?. The former are solitary, composed of a calyx of about 3cm in diameter, 4 lobes, and a yellowish-white and bell-shaped corolla; the latter, on the other hand, are grouped in a number of 3-5 in cymose inflorescences, with a white, red or yellowish corolla, which measures from 6 to 10mm and has 14 to 24 stamens.

The fruit is a globose berry similar in size to that of the jinjoleros, that is, it measures from 2 to 8cm in diameter., with orange or reddish skin, and the pulp of a similar color that finishes ripening in autumn. The seeds, if any, are oval, dark brown, and about 15mm long by 7mm wide.

What uses does it have?

The persimmon is a tree that is used above all as a garden plant. Its fruits have a sweet taste, very pleasant., and that is why they are consumed as a dessert, or to make jams, ice creams, liqueurs, etc.

However, its ornamental value is very high. It is a tree that looks great as an isolated specimen, in groups or in alignments. The budding of its leaves, something that happens in spring, is very elegant. Watching them grow is wonderful, since as soon as they sprout they are arranged in a way that could almost remind us of the shape a rose acquires shortly before opening its petals.

And that's not to mention that, as I mentioned above, in the fall it becomes quite a show, as long as the summer has been mild and the fall is cool.

What are the care of the Khaki Diospyros?

If you dare to have a kaki in your garden or orchard, the first thing you have to know is that it must be in an area where it will get the sun, if possible throughout the day. In semi-shade its production is scarcer, and its development somewhat weaker. Likewise, it is important that the land has good drainage; that is, that it is capable of filtering the water as quickly as possible. It is not demanding in terms of soil type: it grows just as well in clay soil as in slightly acidic soils.

Irrigation should be frequent in summer, and a little more scarce the rest of the seasons. In general, it is recommended to water every 3 or 4 days during the warmer season, and every 5 or 6 days the rest. In case of doubt, check the humidity of the soil, for example by inserting a thin wooden stick to the bottom.

To achieve a better production, and incidentally a stronger and healthier tree, it is highly advisable to pay from spring to summer with organic fertilizers, such as compost or mulch.

If we talk about pruning, it is done at the end of winter. You have to cut the branches that look bad, and trim those that are growing too much. always use previously disinfected pruning tools, otherwise the risk of infection would be high.

Finally, you should know that it resists frosts down to -7ºC.