Grafting persimmon

[Corey Peterson]

Grew some persimmon from seed last year and was surprised at how well they grew (3' or so) pulled them out of the nursery to graft them and was amazed at how deep the tap root was. Seemed like I did more damage to the root system than I do when digging Apple rootstock. Next time I think I will plan t them in place and field graft.

 

[yoderjac]

Grew some persimmon from seed last year and was surprised at how well they grew (3' or so) pulled them out of the nursery to graft them and was amazed at how deep the tap root was. Seemed like I did more damage to the root system than I do when digging Apple rootstock. Next time I think I will plan t them in place and field graft.

Persimmon grown from seed have a very deep tap root. They don't transplant real well. They expend a lot of energy growing that tap root. I've had much better success growing them in root pruning containers, keeping them until they filled 3 gal RB2s and then transplanting them to the field. Direct seeding can also work well but more protection is required.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[TreeDaddy]

Jack,

How do you determine when the 3 gal RB2 is "filled?"

bill

 

[yoderjac]

Bill,

It is just like any other rootmaker container. When you first transplant, saturate them with water until it comes running out the lowest holes. You will see the water infiltrates the medium easily because there are lots of voids in it. As the roots begin to fill the containers they become difficult to top water. You put water in the top of the container and it just sits there and takes time to soak in. You then add more water and wait for it to soak in. You repeat this process until the container is saturated and water is coming out the lowest holes. It takes a long time to saturate the container because the voids in the medium have been filled with roots. Start with your largest tree and unwrap the container. You should be able to pick the tree up by trunk and the entire root ball should stay intact. If you look at the bottom you will see roots coming from the center out. If chunks of medium fall off the root ball with normal handling, the roots have not yet filled the container and you can wait longer.

With my growing season in 7b, presuming I start the trees under lights in the winter in 18s, a fast growing tree like a chestnut can go from an 18 to a 1 gal to a 3 gal and sufficiently fill the 3 gal by the end of a single growing season. For a slow growing tree like a pawpaw, I keep them in 1 gals for the first growing season, overwinter them in my cold room, and transplant to 3 gals at the beginning of the second growing season. By the end of the second growing season, they have filled the 3 gal RB2.

Thanks,

Jack