Persimmon trees - Ask Extension
persimmon tree was planted in our backyard several years ago. There are now two more. How/when can they be moved? Also, how do I tell the sex? A ma...
Knowledgebase
Persimmon trees #924550
Asked February 13, 2026, 12:17 PM EST
persimmon tree was planted in our backyard several years ago. There are now two more. How/when can they be moved? Also, how do I tell the sex? A male and female are needed for fruit, right?
Clark County Ohio
Expert Response
Hello,
The American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, is normally dioecious, meaning the trees are separately male or female. Both needed to be in proximity to each other for pollination and fruit set to occur. The male flowers are tubular and in clusters of two or three. The female flower appears as one bell or urn shaped flower with four recurved petals. This may help you distinguish between the two sexes.
There have been instances where female persimmons produce fruit without a male but it is not a common event. Also there are cases where a tree contains both male and female flowers, again that is rare.
As in your yard, the persimmon is known for suckering or sending up shoots from roots that travel out from the original tree. These can be pruned if you want to keep the tree from forming a large colony.
Persimmons have a large taproot which makes them difficult to transplant. The taproot grows deep into the ground and enables the plant to reach water during times of drought. It has less lateral roots which makes it harder to grow in a new spot.
If you want to try to move one, it would be best to do so in the early spring. You could try to dig up a good portion of the root of a sucker and replant it in the ground at the same level as before. It will have to be watered everyday until it develops sufficient roots. The leaves will be wilted until it acclimates to its new home.
Or, you could try potting up the sapling in the spring and letting it develop a root ball in a pot over the summer. Again, it will require daily watering. It can be transplanted in the fall if it has a good mass of roots. But, as previously stated, root establishment and transplanting will be difficult and survival is not guaranteed.
The tree can also be propagated by root cuttings. This should be done while the tree is dormant before it starts putting out new growth. The instructions for this process is explained in the last two articles listed below from the USDA and the the University of Florida.
Please read those and all the articles about the persimmon tree by clicking on the links below. If you have more questions, please feel free to write back.
Thanks for asking Ask Extension.
Betsy B. - MGV
https://extension.psu.edu/native-persimmon-in-the-garden-and-the-kitchen
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/diospyros-virginiana/
https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/diospyros/virginiana.htm
https://propg.ifas.ufl.edu/05-cuttings/02-types/06-cuttingtypes-root.html
The American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, is normally dioecious, meaning the trees are separately male or female. Both needed to be in proximity to each other for pollination and fruit set to occur. The male flowers are tubular and in clusters of two or three. The female flower appears as one bell or urn shaped flower with four recurved petals. This may help you distinguish between the two sexes.
There have been instances where female persimmons produce fruit without a male but it is not a common event. Also there are cases where a tree contains both male and female flowers, again that is rare.
As in your yard, the persimmon is known for suckering or sending up shoots from roots that travel out from the original tree. These can be pruned if you want to keep the tree from forming a large colony.
Persimmons have a large taproot which makes them difficult to transplant. The taproot grows deep into the ground and enables the plant to reach water during times of drought. It has less lateral roots which makes it harder to grow in a new spot.
If you want to try to move one, it would be best to do so in the early spring. You could try to dig up a good portion of the root of a sucker and replant it in the ground at the same level as before. It will have to be watered everyday until it develops sufficient roots. The leaves will be wilted until it acclimates to its new home.
Or, you could try potting up the sapling in the spring and letting it develop a root ball in a pot over the summer. Again, it will require daily watering. It can be transplanted in the fall if it has a good mass of roots. But, as previously stated, root establishment and transplanting will be difficult and survival is not guaranteed.
The tree can also be propagated by root cuttings. This should be done while the tree is dormant before it starts putting out new growth. The instructions for this process is explained in the last two articles listed below from the USDA and the the University of Florida.
Please read those and all the articles about the persimmon tree by clicking on the links below. If you have more questions, please feel free to write back.
Thanks for asking Ask Extension.
Betsy B. - MGV
https://extension.psu.edu/native-persimmon-in-the-garden-and-the-kitchen
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/diospyros-virginiana/
https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/diospyros/virginiana.htm
https://propg.ifas.ufl.edu/05-cuttings/02-types/06-cuttingtypes-root.html
