North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Jwlehman@aol.com]

For what it is worth, here are my thoughts in blue.

I have noticed that about 1% of the fresh persimmon seeds I have are sprouting with no stratification. I thought they would need at least 90 days worth. 
Yes, a few will germinate if kept moist and warm. Also if they are allowed to set in water for a period of time like maybe 10 days the embryo can pop out of the seed which looks like a sprout. David Pierce tells that happens because the seed coat and cotyledon absorb too water causing it to swell forcing the embryo out. Makes sense to me. 

Anyone know if this is normal? I personally have never taken say a hundred seeds and planted them placing them in a warm environment to see how many sprout. In other words, I don't know. However, a friend sent me a few Rosseyanka seeds he had hand pollinated to kaki. I carelessly left them on the kitchen table (warm and damp) and one started sending out the tap root. So I potted it and placed it in the green house and it broke through the soil today. 

Would there be any disadvantage or even advantage to isolating these individuals for any purpose? None that I can think of. 

Would these particular seedlings be good for grafting later on?  I have started seeds in the green house in fall and after about 70 days active growth stops they want to go dormant. If they were to continue to actively grow seed could be fall planted then placed out in the spring for continued growth for a total of 9 months growing time before fall sets in. Except they want to go dormant in about three months.  Don't believe there would we any advantage. No better than normal that I can think of.

Perhaps if they were bred together a line of persimmons could be bred whose seeds would need no stratification at all? I can think of no reason to develop such unless you lived in the tropics. But then w/o dormancy of the tree I doubt if flower buds would  develop.    

Jerry