Kaki seedscan be found in tasty and juicy fruits that appear in stores at the turn of autumn and winter. Find out more about kaki, where it comes from and what its requirements are. See what are the waysgrowing kakis from seedsand how to care forkaki seedlings grown from seedspotted kakisgrowing kakis at home is not difficult. All you need to do is follow our tips and you will soon enjoy this unique plant!
Kaki - Diopsyros kaki
Kaki - discover the secrets of this amazing plant!
The species Diopsyros kaki belongs to the ebony family (Ebenaceae) and the genus hurma (Diospyros). It occurs naturally in East Asia (China, India, Korea, Japan).Currently, kakiis also grown in Greece, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Brazil, California and Israel.Kaki fruitis known by many names, including as hurricane eastern, eastern ebony, Chinese plum, persimmon or Fuyu. In Poland, however, the most commonly used name is kaki.
Kaki is a treegrowing up to 18 m in height. In its region of occurrence, it is used as an ornamental and fruit tree. It is characterized by attractive large leaves (7.5 - 25 cm long and 5 - 10 cm wide) with an elliptical or ovoid shape. The upper side of the leaf blade is bluish-green and shiny, the lower side is brown and covered with a silky coating. In the fall, the leaves gradually turn yellow, orange and red.The tree sheds its leaves for the winter.
In the wild,kaki trees bloom in MarchThe flowers are inconspicuous, surrounded by green calyx tubes. They appear in leaf axils. From 1 to 5 flowers bloom on one branch. Kaki is a dioecious tree - only female flowers develop on one tree and only male flowers develop on another. The female flowers are cream colored and grow singly. Male flowers are pink and grow in threes. There are rarely single items.
Interesting fact!Sometimes bisexual flowers develop on male kaki trees, from which fruit with unusual, sometimes fanciful shapes develop.
Mutated kaki fruit. What reminds you?
Inthe commercial cultivation of kakiuses parthenocarpic varieties, i.e. those that bear fruit without pollinating the flowers. Parthenocarpic fruit is seedless but tastes worse.Kakis, which are made from pollinated flowers, are larger, and their flesh has a different texture and better taste.
Kakis look like tomatoesThey ripen on trees in autumn and at the beginning of winter (October-December). Then we also find them in stores. They stay on the tree long after the leaves have fallen.The kakis that we buy in stores are usually still unripe and require several days of aging at room temperaturebefore they can be eaten. The flesh of the ripe fruit is not very aromatic, has a jelly-like consistency and a delicate sweet taste. The rind of the fruit, inedible, is orange-red and shiny.The inside of the kaki fruit can be 2 to 8 seedsThe seeds are brown, slightly flattened, about 2 cm long.
How to grow seed kakis - step by step
Step 1 - take the kaki seeds out of the fruit
Kaki fruit with seedsgoes on sale around Christmas. They must be very well ripe, they should feel like a soft tomato and the skin should be watery and dark orange.
To obtain seeds for planting, cut the kaki fruit in halfand extract the seeds from the pulp. Wash the seeds thoroughly to get rid of the residual pulp. The remains of the pulp can cause the seeds to ferment.
Kaki fruit after cutting. Unfortunately, not all of them contain seeds
Step 2 - we stimulate the seeds to germinate
Then we prepare a paper towel and a string bag or a foil bag. Soak a paper towel with water, and then wrap the kaki seeds in it. Place the damp paper towel with the seeds in a string bag and seal it tightly. We place the package in the refrigerator for a period of 3 months. This treatment will helpbreak the seed dormancy, soften the seed coat and speed up germination.Throughout the seed cooling period, we systematically check that the paper towel is wet. If it starts to dry out, soak it with water.
Step 3 - sowing kaki seeds
After 3 months (March-April)kaki seeds can be sownPrepare pots and fill them with peat. Soak the substrate abundantly with water. Before sowing the seeds, we check that there is no mold on them. If they start to mold, we throw them away because they are not suitable for further breeding. Gently press he althy seeds into the substrate to a depth of about 2.5 cm. We wrap the pots with cling film and place them in a bright place.Kaki seeds need a temperature of 20-25 ° C and a constantly moist substrate to germinate. Germination occurs after 2-3 weeks.
Good to know!There is another way to grow kakis from seed, which does not require refrigeration. It consists in placing the cleaned seeds for 24 hours. in warm water. After this time, place the soaked seeds in a peaty moist substrate at a depth of about 1 cm. We wrap the pots with cling film and place them in a bright place.The seeds begin to germinate after 30-90 days. We keep the temperature above 24 ° C throughout the germination period.
When the kaki seeds start to sproutremove the foil cover. We place the pots on the windowsill of the southern window, if we do not have such a possibility, we must additionally illuminate the seedlings with plant lamps. The ideal temperature for growing seedlings is 20-25 ° C during the day and 13-16 ° C at night. Every now and then we turn the pots so that the seedlings grow upright, without bending towards the sun.
Step 4 - transplant the seedlings into larger pots
Whenyoung kaki seedlings grown from the stonehave 4 leaves developed, we can transplant them into a larger pot. The new pot should be twice as large in diameter.
Kaki - care for seedlings grown from the stone
Kaki is a plant of tropical climate. In the Polish climate, it is not possible to cultivate it in the ground due to too low temperatures in winter. That's whycultivating kakis is done at home .
Kaki grown in a potrequires a constantly moist and well-drained substrate. They should be watered regularly. It tolerates short-term drought which, however, adversely affects the plant.Growing kakis in pots at homeshould be carried out in a bright position, at a temperature of 20-30 ° C. The pots should be deep due to the strongly developed kaki root system.
In summer, the kaki pots can be placed outsidein direct sunlight. The trees should be protected from strong winds that can break the branches. In the fall, we move the kakis to a bright, cool room to allow the plant to rest for the winter. In winter, water the plant moderately, but try to keep the substrate moist all the time.
Older kaki trees can be formed , but it is not necessary. Kaki trees are not additionally fertilized, because it is done only during the flowering period, and in the Polish climate, kakis do not bloom.It is enough to replace the soil in the pot from time to time. When the roots start to escape through the holes in the bottom of the pot, it is a sign that the plant should be transplanted into a larger container and fresh soil.
MSc Eng. Agnieszka Lach
