Seed-grown fruit trees offer several advantages, especially for those looking to affordably scale up for larger projects. They avoid issues related to graft incompatibility and failure, and arguably make a more robust tree. Seed-grown trees also bring genetic diversity, which means that each tree is unique and may even produce fruit with novel flavours or characteristics, adding excitement and potential for discovering unique varieties. However, this diversity can be a double-edged sword. Mulberries and Persimmons are dioecious (with separate male and female trees) so only half of these trees will produce fruit (the females) . This lack of genetic consistency may be challenging for those looking for uniform crops but can be a boon for those open to experimentation and seeking resilience in their orchards.
We have extremely cold hardy Mulberries: Morus alba ssp tatarica, which is commonly used for rootstock when grafting mulberries. We also have the less cold hardy black mulberry (Morus nigra) which should offer better quality fruit on average.
For persimmons, we have the american persimmon which is very cold hardy and produces small but delicious, complex flavoured fruit and hybrid persimmons which are from a cross of the american and asian persimmon. These hybrids will have larger fruit on average and will be less cold hardy on average (compared to straight american persimmons).
We also have paw paws grown from large fruited cultivar parents. These are quite slow to get started but have one of the best tasting fruits we can grow here in my opinion.
Seed-grown fruit trees offer several advantages, especially for those looking to affordably scale up for larger projects. They avoid issues related to graft incompatibility and failure, and arguably make a more robust tree. Seed-grown trees also bring genetic diversity, which means that each tree is unique and may even produce fruit with novel flavours or characteristics, adding excitement and potential for discovering unique varieties. However, this diversity can be a double-edged sword. Mulberries and Persimmons are dioecious (with separate male and female trees) so only half of these trees will produce fruit (the females) . This lack of genetic consistency may be challenging for those looking for uniform crops but can be a boon for those open to experimentation and seeking resilience in their orchards.
We have extremely cold hardy Mulberries: Morus alba ssp tatarica, which is commonly used for rootstock when grafting mulberries. We also have the less cold hardy black mulberry (Morus nigra) which should offer better quality fruit on average.
For persimmons, we have the american persimmon which is very cold hardy and produces small but delicious, complex flavoured fruit and hybrid persimmons which are from a cross of the american and asian persimmon. These hybrids will have larger fruit on average and will be less cold hardy on average (compared to straight american persimmons).
We also have paw paws grown from large fruited cultivar parents. These are quite slow to get started but have one of the best tasting fruits we can grow here in my opinion.
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