Question
QUESTION: I have read a bunch Q&A's regarding persimmon seed germination.  There
were successes with planting them directly into the soil and spouting them in
water.  Several them mentioned they kept the seeds moist until they planted
them.  Is this important?   I ate the fruit, retrieved the seeds and put them in
my pocket then an envelope.  I took no steps to keep them moist.  All seeds I
have purchased over the years have come in a paper bag or envelope.  So
keeping the seeds moist was never a consideration.  Have I made a mistake
or will my seeds germinate.

Thank you very much
Samuel J Sunseri

ANSWER: Hi Samuel,
Thanx for your question.  If you are speaking of the American Persimmon, its seeds require cold stratification.  This means they should either be planted outdoors in the fall (leave the pots outdoors exposed to the cold, rain, snow, etc.) in order to break dormancy of the seed.  You can duplicate this by placing the seeds inside a damp paper towel and placing inside a plastic baggie and seal it.  Keep the plastic baggie in the refrigerator for about 60-90 days.  The seed can then be planted after the cold treatment, in a pot or seed flat and kept in a warm envirionment.  Germination should begin in a couple of weeks.  Japanese persimmons on the other hand, which can sometimes be found in ethnic markets or sometimes in standard grocery stores have seeds that do not need a cold treatment.  Plant them in a pot or seed flat and keep them warm and watered and they should germinate in a few weeks.  Bear in mind, fruit from the store (Japanese persimmons) are the result of intensive hybridization.  Seeds will most likely produce fruit and plants of inconsistent, most-likely, inferior quality.  Trees raised from store-bought fruit seed should begin bearing in 4 or 5 years.  American persimmon seedlings can take up to 10 or more years to produce fruit.  It would be easier to go out into the woods and harvest suckers (plants) growing from the tree's roots) or buying nursery stock.  The persimmon seeds must be kept dry until ready to plant or given the cold treatment or they will rot.  I hope this helps.
Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I don't know which seeds I have.  All I know is I loved the fruit from the first time I tasted it.  As the seasons went by different varieties appeared in the store.  As soon as I found seeds in one, I knew I had to grow some.  Currently I have 4 seeds in water with paper towels.  Just as I did as a child growing bean sprouts. And many years ago my little brother germinated Date seeds in this fashion.  However after a couple years and only maybe three palms it perished.I have six more seeds what should I do with them. Bare in mind that I am in the suburbs outside Chicago and winter is almost upon us.  Thanks angain   

Samuel J Sunseri

ANSWER: Hi Samuel,
Thanx for your question.  If you bought the persimmons at a grocery store, it is most likely a Japanese persimmon.  The fruit are larger, prettier and sweeter than the American persimmon which must endure frost and practically fall to the ground before it is edible.  Before that, the fruit is much to astringent and unpleasant by most people's standards.  Japanese persimmons are not hardy in the Chicago area and you would have to grow the plant as a tub plant however, it would require some chilling hours in order to bloom and set fruit.  It just won't tolerate sustained temperatures below 10F for long periods of time.  If you still want to grow the seeds follow the instructions I provided you in our previous correspondence.  I generally do not use water emersion for long periods of time except with seeds that have very hard coats and even then, I scarify or nick the coat so that the root can emerge and then the seed is removed from the water.  I hope this helps.
Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I have several mango seeds that I've been holding onto for an opportunity just as this.  I know I won't be able to get fruit from a mango here in chicagoland, but I would like to grow the plant anyway. Now wait a minute, when I was a boy my grand father had a fig tree in his back yard that we ate figs  off of each summer.  But each fall he would pull the tree down with pulleys he had anchored in the ground.  Then he would cover it with mulch or leaves.  Cover that with plastic and still more mulch.  And each spring he would uncover it and it flourished.  Would that be feasible with either of these? How would I germinate these?  Oh and by the way the persimmon seeds I have do have hard shells.


Answer
Hi Samuel,
Thanx for the additional information.  I think you have Japanese persimmons so you will have to grow that plant like a house plant as the trees are only hard from Zone 7-9.

The brown turkey fig will survive in the warmer parts of Zone 5 but it requires protection from winter.  Many people grow it as an ornamental and bring it indoors for the winter.  If one mulches it heavily it will survive but it will never be a tree but instead grow like a large shrub which dies back to the ground every fall.  You cannot do this with a mango.  Mangos are not frost hardy at all but they are fun to grow from seed. Plant the mango seeds about an inch deep and keep warm and well-watered but not soggy.  They will germinate in a couple of weeks.  They have a high light requirement so they will need to be in a south or east facing window.  In the spring after temperatures are consistently above 50F, the plant should go outdoors until fall.  I hope this helps.
Tom

Samuel,
I wanted to add that yes, the mango seed case does look like a big wood chip.  Plant this in a big pot with about an inch of soil over the top of it.  Keep it warm and moist, but well drained.  I hope this helps.
Tom