Question: Following a recommendation, last year I pruned my native persimmons and paw paws to harvest height, treating them like orchard trees. This seems like a colossally bad move, judging by how they've responded. The paw paw is dead, though it did send runners out all around the main. The persimmon looked dicey all winter but came back this past year, though it's now sending shoots off the top because of being topped off. I feel terrible about this and wish I had not listened to the advice. Should I just let these trees heal themselves at this point? I have removed the broken branches from the persimmon (mainly from raccoons getting at the fruit) but have otherwise let it be. Thanks in advance for your input.
Lisa, there is conflicting information about pruning persimmons. In the book, "Pruning and Training" by the American Horticultural Society, they say: "...nor does the tree tolerate heavy pruning well." Penn St Extension, however, says, "Persimmons respond well to pruning and may be espaliered or trained into hedges." (https://extension.psu.edu/native-persimmon-in-the-garden-and-the-kitchen). Both, however, refer to using "thinning cuts" (removing an entire branch to where it meets a larger branch) instead of "heading cuts" (which can lead to all the branches emanating from assorted cuts, in effect, topping the tree (not good). AHS recommends any light pruning be done in winter. Having said that, persimmons are tough trees and can bounce back. Regarding paw-paw trees: Kentucky St. recommends only corrective cuts in late winter/early spring, before bud break ( https://www.kysu.edu/academics/college-acs/school-of-ace/pawpaw/pawpaw-training-and-pruning.php) so the timing or the severity of that pruning may have caused its demise. Stark Brothers Nursery concurs with the light pruning technique for pawpaws: "The best time to prune is late winter or early spring, when the tree is dormant..
Corrective pruning consists of removing broken, interfering, dead, or diseased branches.
Since pawpaw fruit is produced on new growth, annual pruning will stimulate new growth on older trees." (https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/how-to-grow/fruit-trees/pawpaw-trees/pruning). I have a lot of personal experience pruning persimmons; and zero with paw-paws, so I would advise doing more research with pawpaw growers on bringing down the height of a paw paw tree.
By the way, you have a very good Substack column, Brunette Gardens, although I didn't read enough of it to figure out where you live. Missouri, maybe? All gardening is local!
Question: Following a recommendation, last year I pruned my native persimmons and paw paws to harvest height, treating them like orchard trees. This seems like a colossally bad move, judging by how they've responded. The paw paw is dead, though it did send runners out all around the main. The persimmon looked dicey all winter but came back this past year, though it's now sending shoots off the top because of being topped off. I feel terrible about this and wish I had not listened to the advice. Should I just let these trees heal themselves at this point? I have removed the broken branches from the persimmon (mainly from raccoons getting at the fruit) but have otherwise let it be. Thanks in advance for your input.
Lisa, there is conflicting information about pruning persimmons. In the book, "Pruning and Training" by the American Horticultural Society, they say: "...nor does the tree tolerate heavy pruning well." Penn St Extension, however, says, "Persimmons respond well to pruning and may be espaliered or trained into hedges." (https://extension.psu.edu/native-persimmon-in-the-garden-and-the-kitchen). Both, however, refer to using "thinning cuts" (removing an entire branch to where it meets a larger branch) instead of "heading cuts" (which can lead to all the branches emanating from assorted cuts, in effect, topping the tree (not good). AHS recommends any light pruning be done in winter. Having said that, persimmons are tough trees and can bounce back. Regarding paw-paw trees: Kentucky St. recommends only corrective cuts in late winter/early spring, before bud break ( https://www.kysu.edu/academics/college-acs/school-of-ace/pawpaw/pawpaw-training-and-pruning.php) so the timing or the severity of that pruning may have caused its demise. Stark Brothers Nursery concurs with the light pruning technique for pawpaws: "The best time to prune is late winter or early spring, when the tree is dormant..
Corrective pruning consists of removing broken, interfering, dead, or diseased branches.
Since pawpaw fruit is produced on new growth, annual pruning will stimulate new growth on older trees." (https://www.starkbros.com/growing-guide/how-to-grow/fruit-trees/pawpaw-trees/pruning). I have a lot of personal experience pruning persimmons; and zero with paw-paws, so I would advise doing more research with pawpaw growers on bringing down the height of a paw paw tree.
By the way, you have a very good Substack column, Brunette Gardens, although I didn't read enough of it to figure out where you live. Missouri, maybe? All gardening is local!