To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Whose fruit trees didn't freeze?
Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 15:54:50 -0500
At 03:22 PM 4/13/2007, Hal wrote:
I am only familiar with grafting persimmons onto larger stock with bark
grafts, not bench grafting. I would think whip and tongue would work when
the stock is pushing leaves well, but I'm not certain.
I've only done grafting onto seedling D.virginiana rootstock that was
well-established, either in the nursery bed or in situ; have not done
any 'bench-grafting'.
While I now do bark grafts almost exclusively, the first few
persimmons I grafted were done as simple whip/splice grafts - dormant
scions worked onto actively-growing rootstocks of similar
diameter. I got 100% successful takes(4/4) but perhaps I didn't know
any better than to do them like an apple.
My own opinion is that the type of graft performed is less important
than aftercare. Persimmons vigorously push shoots from
latent/dormant buds below the graft, and it is essential to keep
those rubbed off - you almost have to do this on a daily basis;
otherwise, these rootstock shoots will rapidly assume dominance and
your grafted scion will shrivel and die.
Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY