Read up on summer pruning for size control - I prune my persimmon shoots twice in the summer to keep their height down. In general it slows down the persimmon's growth enough that keeping it at a smaller size works out OK.

Scott

brownmola:

You could just chop it off once a year but I'd take a more measured approach. First don't push the tree too hard. That is don't apply too much fertilizer or water. Second starting while the tree is still pretty small, say 6ft, cut back the tallest branches to a lateral or bud pointing in the direction you desire. Do this two or three times each summer. By the time it approaches 12 ft you will know more about this than needed to keep the tree in bounds.

Thanks guys. So basically what you're saying is that if I prune the highest branches, that will keep the trunk from growing much higher so I won't have to worry about chopping the top of the trunk?

The time to plan for controlling tree height is from the very beginning. One of the early steps in Backyard Orchard Culture is to plant the tree and then prune it down to about knee height. The tree will then begin branching at a much lower point than normal. Also, Giant Fuyu is not a giant tree -- it has large fruit (compared to Fuyu), but is generally considered to be somewhat of a dwarf.

Here is a link that might be useful: PERSIMMON

Hi MrClint, thanks for your suggestion. The tree I bought from the nursery is already at about 8 feet tall. I just planted it today. Should I still chop it down to knee height or maybe head height?

Thanks!

ha, I think its been a year, so you did what you had to do :)

But I would have suggested that you do not chop it since you just planted the Tree. Instead of stressing the tree while planting it, wait and let the Tree settle down before doing any major pruning. But like I said, you may have pruned it back then and your tree is doing nicely regardless. At least i hope :)