Creating Transgendered Persimmon Trees: Updated 14 months later

[NCHillbilly]

This is from a two-year-old graft. Those are Meader persimmons, about 3/4 the size of a golf ball:

 

[Jim Boyd]

I am def following.

We bought a small farm this year and it is loaded with juvenile persimmons.


NCHB - do you buy the various types of scions or do they all come from known trees?


I have several trees marked that are decent females with good fruit but I am sure these are all the common variety and would like to introduce some new blood.

I am gonna be all over this come the green up. I have already selected a great many males and an starting time clear to trees and brush out around the trees.

 

[Ugahunter2013]

When you graft a tree does the entire tree start producing fruit, or just the limb you attached the graft to?

 

[NCHillbilly]

I am def following.

We bought a small farm this year and it is loaded with juvenile persimmons.


NCHB - do you buy the various types of scions or do they all come from known trees?


I have several trees marked that are decent females with good fruit but I am sure these are all the common variety and would like to introduce some new blood.

I am gonna be all over this come the green up. I have already selected a great many males and an starting time clear to trees and brush out around the trees.

I started out cutting scion wood from a couple Meader and Yates trees that I had planted. After a year or two of grafting, you have plenty of scion wood from pruning the ones you've grafted in the past.

 

[NCHillbilly]

When you graft a tree does the entire tree start producing fruit, or just the limb you attached the graft to?

It would depend on where you made the graft. I cut the whole sapling off about waist level and bark graft it, so the whole tree will fruit. I'm creating a new trunk, not just a branch. I cut off all the branches that sprout out of the original trunk below the graft union.

 

[Ugahunter2013]

So this is more ideal for smaller trees? I have a few nice and healthy males on the edge of a food plot. Probably 15 ft tall and 5” or so in diameter. Of course i have smaller ones that are shaded out in the pines but the healthier looking ones are on roadways etc

 

[NCHillbilly]

So this is more ideal for smaller trees? I have a few nice and healthy males on the edge of a food plot. Probably 15 ft tall and 5” or so in diameter. Of course i have smaller ones that are shaded out in the pines but the healthier looking ones are on roadways etc

I prefer grafting trees that are 2" diameter or less. 5" persimmon has thick, rough bark.

 

[Ugahunter2013]

NC, at what point do you make your cut on the male tree that you are putting the scion grafts on? Do you do that at the time you apply the grafts?

Also, have you seen any benefit to adding fertilizer to your trees after they have taken shape. Maybe the 2nd year? Just wandering if this could speed up the process.

For the scion wood, i assume if you find a nice healthy female you could get loads of scion grafts from it right? I guess do you limit how many you take from any one tree?

I have been looking hard for female trees the past few weeks. I have found probably 30 , To which i have flagged. Of course i have found many more males trees i have my eyes set on.

 

[Howard Roark]

I prefer grafting trees that are 2" diameter or less. 5" persimmon has thick, rough bark.

This tree is in the middle of my bottom food plot. Has never had a persimmon on it. There are 4 trees like this in the plot. My assumption is they are all male.

There are 100 or so persimmon trees in the area.

 

[NCHillbilly]

This tree is in the middle of my bottom food plot. Has never had a persimmon on it. There are 4 trees like this in the plot. My assumption is they are all male.

There are 100 or so persimmon trees in the area. View attachment 1048554

That one might be a little too big, but you might be able to make it work.

 

[Howard Roark]

I prefer grafting trees that are 2" diameter or less. 5" persimmon has thick, rough bark.

This tree is in the middle of my bottom food plot. Has never had a persimmon on it. There are 4 trees like this in the plot. My assumption is they are all male.

There are 100 or so persimmon trees in the area.

That one might be a little too big, but you might be able to make it work.

That is the largest of the 4. Does the fact that they have never produced fruit a sure indicator they are male?

 

[NCHillbilly]

This tree is in the middle of my bottom food plot. Has never had a persimmon on it. There are 4 trees like this in the plot. My assumption is they are all male.

There are 100 or so persimmon trees in the area.

That is the largest of the 4. Does the fact that they have never produced fruit a sure indicator they are male?

Probably so. They usually start producing pretty young. You can look at the flowers and tell for sure.

 

[SakoL61R]

NCH, Thanks for posting this up. Remember seeing the thread awhile back and found it very interesting. Going to give it a go on a persimmon and a couple of pears this winter / spring.

 

[NCHillbilly]

You need to try it. Most of the original year’s trees in this thread are over 15’ tall and bearing plenty of fruit.

 

[Jim Boyd]

You need to try it. Most of the original year’s trees in this thread are over 15’ tall and bearing plenty of fruit.

I cut scions from our best producing tree today.

Problem was, the lowest branch was about 25’ up.

I used a ladder and a pole saw and cut a 3” limb off - got 50-60 scions from that limb.

I do not know what sort of tree it is. It is about 50’ tall and maybe 16-18” in diameter.

What I noticed is that the new wood is very small in diameter. The scions I cut are only 3/16 to 5/16” in diameter. Most are 10” long and have very small buds on them.

Not sure about the scions…..


Got em in fridge.

 

[weagle]

I would love to buy some Meaders or Yates scions if anyone is selling.

I just took delivery of a potted Meaders tree from Stark Bro's Nursery and plan to plant it this weekend. Hopefully I'll have my own source for scions in a year or 2. I have tons of wild persimmons on my property to graft to.

 

[SCDAWG]

Weagle, where are you located?

 

[weagle]

Weagle, where are you located?

Roswell.

 

[Jim Boyd]

@NCHillbilly or other knowledge folks:

Is it too early to try to graft?

Want to start next weekend.

Thanks !

 

[NCHillbilly]

@NCHillbilly or other knowledge folks:

Is it too early to try to graft?

Want to start next weekend.

Thanks !


View attachment 1221626View attachment 1221627View attachment 1221628

As long as they're leafed out and the sap is running, it's grafting time. Those look like the perfect stage.