To begin with I got 10 of the 12 grafts I did on the tree to take and produce leaves as well and grow last summer. Keep in mind that I did graft a few different varieties onto my tree. So now after going out and looking the tree over I find that only four survived the winter. Don't get me wrong I am quite pleased with that. Not having marked what varieties I placed where I can't say which type survived my zone 5 weather conditions. We did have a few days of heavy frost just lately.

I only took three photos of the grafted limbs hoping that you will be able to see the buds starting to swell. The fourth graft was a little too high on the tree for a photo but it’s there I assure you.

I am very pleased with my self beining a new bee grafter and just using the instructions furnished to me by Lucky and English that there four did get to bud. Fruiting will be the next hurdle for me.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Thanks Lucky and England.
Lou NE, PA

Carla in Sac

Lou - you did well!
I have a hard time getting persimmon grafts going on side branches - it's hard to keep the tree from just aborting them and channeling its resources into its own wood. I'd recommend cutting back/off any vigorous shoots of the rootstock tree that are in close proximity to your grafts, especially if they grew 'taller' than the graft last season; otherwise you may experience premature decline of the graft.

One problem with grafting branches on persimmon is that they 'self-prune' as they age and grow taller - lower branches are eventually shaded, decline, and drop off; so... in time, the varieties grafted onto lower branches may disappear from the scene.

Sautesmom
Sorry I misspelled that. I meant Meader tree such as described on this link.
http://www.millernurseries.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=47

Thanks again Lucky
Lou

But I agree, beautiful looking grafts!

Carla in Sac

What method of grafting did you use? Cleft, Bark, Or Saddle? and when was is done? Buds swell or starting to leaf out?

Tony

First couple of persimmons I grafted, I just did simple splice grafts, just like I learned to do with apples, and they did just fine - I didn't know persimmons were 'hard to graft' - actually, I don't think they're any harder to do than apples/pears - but aftercare is much more critical; you've got to check them almost daily to keep buds/shoots originating below the graft rubbed off, or they'll rapidly outgrow the grafted scion, it will decline, and die.

Check out Joe Real's bark-grafting pictorial tutorial - this is how I do almost everything, including nut trees:

Carla in Sac

As far as the grafts I used. I tried different types of grafting methods out. I use the Whip graft, Cleft, Whip and Tongue and the Splice graft. I found it rather easy
to do all of those grafting methods. I have grafted about 7 pear trees and about 10 apple trees a couple of years earlier and did just fine with all but a few. Most of them are still alive and growing in different peoples yards.

I mentioned that only two of the grafts I did on my persimmon tree refused to take. I did all the grafting in the early spring. Towards summer all the rest of them had grown leaves and increased in length. They where all doing well even into the first part of winter.

When spring arrived I inspected and found all but four to be still alive and budding. Remember I had a whole group of different American persimmon and others that where a variety crossed with Russian and other type persimmon varieties. I didn't mark any I did (a mistake) so I have no idea what type are living on the tree at this time.

I did do after care as Lucky mentioned above every few days. I had a good instructor in Lucky and Mr. England wrote me a few good instructional emails.

I must say I found it rather easy to apply those grafts to the tree. One thing I did do was to cover the entire scion and down over the grafting rubbers with melted grafting wax. I was thought that by Bass who has the Trees of Joy. com web site.

When I first did the pear and apple grafts two years earlier I covered each graft up with small plastic bags to keep in moisture. That seemed to work as well at that time

Hope this helped.
Lou.

I had a very high percent persimmon grafts take with bark graft the last 4 yrs or so. I do a 1.5 inch angle cut on the scion and then a very small in depth cut about 1 inch on each side of the angle cut down to the tip. In addition, I made a small angle cut on the back side of at the tip for more cambium layer exposure. I used black electrical tape around the graft union as tight as possible then wrapped the whole scion with parafilm or IV tegaderm. I usually see buds break about 2 1/2 weeks. I rubbed off all the new growth below the scion every 5 days or so. You can learn how to bark graft on youtube.

Tony

Tony

I grafted most of my Kakis on native 90 chromosomes D. V. Rootstocks. I do have several Kakis on Giant Hana Fuyu rootstocks for cold hardy trial in Z5A. SURE you can graft on branches of a mature tree. Only one catch is that persimmon tends to shred lower branches so graft high up. You can do a Whip and Tongue, Cleft, or Bark graft. I tried them all but preferred Bark graft for better results. I usually collect the scions in late February. I rinse them with 1/10 bleach solution to prevent molds and wrapped with moist paper towels of the same 1 part bleach and 9 part water solution. Placed them in a 1 gallon zip lock bag and stored in the fridge until early May for grafting. I graft when the temp in mid 70's for a period of a week. Good Luck. The photo below is my grown Prok and grafted a WS8-10, and 100-42 onto it.

Tony

I think the side branches you left on took all the energy supposed to go to the scion. 1/10 bleach solution won't kill any scions. I even use straight bleach to clean a bacteria canker on my peach tree. I have a multi grafted persimmon tree with Early Golden, Meader, WS8-10, H-118, H-120, U-20A, MB#3, Lena, Geneva Long, 100-43, and Knightville.

Tony

i imported three dozens of Asian sweet persimmon from Korea 20 years ago, and plated in Virginia. They had produced good quality of persimmon for five years. The persimmon was seeded, sweeter and crispy. I collected and planted their seeds. I took scions from the mother persimmon and grafted on the seedling from their own seeds. I have no problem with grafting persimmon during right season. Strangely, I have found the grafted persimmon trees do not produce the same persimmon. They are bitter (tannic) and no longer sweet. But, when I use Scions from Fuyu on the same stocks, the grafted produce Fuyu.

I have contacted few college extension services, but unsuccessful.
Any one knows why and what I am doing wrong?

I have a Sheng, Honan Red, and Saijo on a Giant Hana Fuyu rootstocks for a cold hardy trial. They are only 2 years old grafts and have not fruit yet. I don't have a mother tree grafted on its own seedling rootstocks. I am not sure why it tasted bitter for you. The graft should be identical to the mother tree because you just use the root system of the seedling to feed the graft. You can try to graft that mother tree to a native persimmon rootstock and to see if the fruit taste the same.

Tony

I grafted pears scions from your dad's pear several years ago and I'm happy to tell you that this year they are carrying a nice little crop. Thanks for sending them. I'm looking forward to trying them.

(For those that don't know the story, Lou's dad Joe saved cuttings from a doomed tree in a Pennsylvania coal mining area and decades later Lou shared with me, as well as sending me a great cd detailing whip and tongue grafting.)

Nice work- thanks for sharing the pictures.