Kilchherr and Lozano: Storing harvested fruits to share

Dale and Wilma ask: We have a 5-year-old Fuyu persimmon that has produced a large crop and the fruit is turning orange earlier than in previous years. The fruit is good, crisp and very edible but not as sweet. We would like to harvest most of the fruit now to share with friends and neighbors and would like to know: will it continue to ripen if it is picked now or should we wait for it to become sweeter while left on the tree? We never refrigerate the harvested fruit, and it seems to hold up well simply by storing it in a flat box.

Yes, you can harvest the Fuyu fruit now and you can assure your friends that they will ripen/sweeten, albeit somewhat slowly, and remain firm for some time if stored properly, just as you previously shared your own storing method.

Also, the not over-ripe fruit will be perfect for displaying as decorative elements during the Thanksgiving holiday as well as enjoying as a delicious fruit.

For those readers not familiar with the Fuyu persimmon and only remember eating the ripe and very soft Hachiya, this variety, Fuyu, is entirely different. It’s best eaten when firm and will not cause a puckering sensation in the mouth. The shape is round and more flattened.

Any of the persimmon varieties will become overly soft when left on the tree but as an added bonus the birds, especially flickers, mockingbirds and robins, will arrive en masse and have a feeding frenzy on the remaining fruit. It is quite an enjoyable and entertaining sight.

Peter asks: Last spring, I planted an ash tree on the south side of our house and it is “mulched” with an ornamental rock ground cover. Now, according to what I read, it is suffering from sun scald. What should we do to help it survive? Our initial plan was to create more shade for the house and conserve water.

You actually have a condition called sunburn: sun scald is a similar condition but occurs in areas that have freezing temperatures.

Unfortunately, newly planted trees are susceptible to sunburn damage and many well-meaning gardeners make the mistake of immediately thinning out the tree’s foliage that protects it from the intense sun.

Also, choosing the right shade tree for the intended location is even more important, since there are those species that are known to be more sensitive (thin-barked) to hot reflective surfaces such as a southern exposure near concrete, houses, parking lots -- just to name a few examples.

Lastly, our unusual weather and diligent efforts to conserve water most likely contributed to the probable dehydration and injury to your newly planted thin-barked ash.

What are the symptoms of sunburn? The bark shrinks, becomes discolored, splits, peels and exposes the underling sapwood. If severe, insects then attack the stressed trees. The condition is usually obvious on the southwest exposed areas of the tree trunk and on newly planted street trees with little or inadequate initial irrigation.

Hot days that follow cool days will result in leaves being sunburned. Notice the redwoods along Highway 101 and especially the southwest sides of the trees, which are showing brownish-orange needles indicating sunburn and stress from lack of water.

Depending on the severity of the sunburn, you can try these remedies:

Reduce the temperature of the tree’s environment by using a mulch of organic wood chips that won’t give off reflective heat and light. The mulch should be 4 to 6 inches deep and kept away from the trunk. This will help retain moisture in addition to keeping the roots cooler.

Protect the sensitive bark by applying a reflective whitewash mixture of 50 percent latex paint and 50 percent water.

Keep the lower foliage branches on a young tree’s limbs and trunk. Extensive removal of small branches/limbs exposes the tree to damaging sunburn.

Newly planted trees should be irrigated frequently, say once a week, making sure the root ball is kept moist but not soggy. The timing depends on the type of soil and how water is retained.

Wrap the trunk with a light-colored tree wrap during the hot summer months and remove during the cooler months.

Dana Lozano and Gwen Kilchherr are garden consultants. Send your gardening questions to The Garden Doctors, at pdgardendoctor@ gmail.com.