Will sheering part of the root of my persimmon sapling kill it?

14 years ago

Hi,

Accidentally, when taking my American persimmon sapling out of its temporary spot to be transplanted into its permanent spot, I ended up damaging one of the 4 solid main root branches (one of the main legs of the roots) - unfortunately, not only did I damage it to the point of needing to prune it, which would have been fine or even helpful in getting it to produce more roots, but it snapped off at the point where the root "leg" meets the base from which all the major root legs come from. I cut it clean, but there is a gap or a hole where it snapped. Will the tree heal or, eventually, rot? If it survives this year and the winter, will it still be subject to an inevitable end in the upcoming future sooner then later?

I'm sure that willow and certain other types of roots will recover from having the actual solid, base portion of the roots system sheered, but I don't know if persimmons will.

I hope that it won't die from this.

Comments (4)

someguyinmaine
14 years ago
I know that persimmons can take quite a bit of abuse, but whether your problem could invite rot in, I don't know. To be on the safe side, I would use grafting wax to fill in the hole, with an antibacterial mixed in, such as iodine, which incidentally turns the wax a nice shade of yellow.

Good luck.
kiwinut
14 years ago
I would just leave it as is and plant it.
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brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
I agree with kiwinut. I don't think anything you do to the root other than maybe ensuring the cut is as clean as possible (which you did) will help at all. If anything, I'd expect any additions (wax or any other type of sealant) to be possible negatives. The tree should grow new roots from the area, and cover over the wound. If your tree survives the first few days after this injury, I'd think it will be able to fend for itself.
botanybabe
14 years ago
It's pretty difficult to kill a persimmon tree. They seem to be able to overcome a multitude of problems. Losing part of the root system, as little as 1/4, well I can only speak for my persimmon trees, but they'd hardly notice. Persimmons have an enormous ability to generate roots. I agree with Brandon and Kiwinut. Plant it, water it, and worry no more.

Lainey