Was checking some of my last years grafts and they still have some of the wax on them. Works well, I even used parafilm and then waxed over it… just have to be careful not to have the wax too hot or you will melt the parafilm. Which, I did a few times… I like the crock pot idea.
Welcome! 
Dax, I am intrigued that your recipe for your wax coating contains so much paraffin. Just curiosity provokes this as I have no experience with the process and it’s only that bee’s wax is easy for me to get. No doubt you have experimented with different proportions of paraffin and bees wax and found that this works for you.
There’s no intent to criticise or offend , just a healthy curiosity.
Mick
Hi Mick,
It goes on beautifully. Sometimes we all get lucky I guess. I wouldn’t be surprised however if .5 oz paraffin to .12-.15 oz. beeswax works just as well. I have to rely on memory from year to year and I may have doubled it this year. It sure gets a beautiful coverage though.
I would say to get paraffin + beeswax @Slicko. Beeswax alone may be difficult to get the right consistency with. It’s real thick stuff. I think it might crack off on its’ own too. I’m sure somebody has a recipe somewhere, however.
@ILParadiseFarm What sorts of cultivar of pawpaws/persimmons are you grafting/where do you get your wood?
Dax
I received several pawpaw scions this year from https://ohiopawpaw.com/ they had a pretty good list.
@BobC how did that go, Bob? Did you need become a member/pay for a membership? How much wood did they send/did they send as much as you requested/limits?
@ILParadiseFarm I heard the KSU (Kentucky State U.) pawpaw program was going to stop sending scions, but I can’t say if that’s right or not. Last year they sent several cultivars and for free. They are a part of The US germplasm bank - so send wood to anyone that requests.
I bought pawpaw/persimmon from Jerry Lehman of Indiana this year. He’s great to talk on the phone with because he really knows pawpaws and persimmons. I can put you into contact with Jerry if you’d like. PM me. We’ve spoken extensively and he picked these persimmons for both the home orchardist and the wholesale grower as the ones he likes best. Early Jewel (Claypooly H118), Dollywood (D128), 100-42, 100-44, 100-45, 100-46, Claypool’s I115, Claypools H63A. He sent ‘Maria’s Joy’ pawpaw and some numbered pawpaws of his own creations…
Anyone else liking to get into contact with Jerry Lehman… PM me, please.
Dax
I became a member only because it was cheaper to get as many as I did. So membership was $20 and shipping was like $6,95 or so. Scions alone would of been over $30.00. I contacted them late so the selection was limited. I received 15 sticks of 7 varieties of pawpaw, I can’t recall them right now… I didn’t get Mango that I wanted.
Wasn’t a limit that I know of… scions free to members other than shipping cost. My (THIS YEAR) membership will allow me to order more next year at no cost other than shipping.
1 Like
Ok. So my buddy grafted persimmons on a thermostat-controlled basement floor last year. He’s been around the block 30-more years than I have grafting. He recommended 83 degrees last year should I ever do this on my own.
I’ve watched my towels go dry quickly from 77-degrees Fahrenheit that heat mats are manufactured at and… I’ve watched some gather quite a lot of mold.
I called another friend with a callousing heat tube bench. He said 65 F is what he uses. That must be the norm. People who build professional benches are likely to use suggested temperatures I think it’s fair to assume.
My other friend I pal with that had such good success with persimmons got his heat numbers from some guy named Sutton who apparently if you want to search the internet is some sort of guru regarding callousing. What I can tell you now is I’m all finished.
I’m not going to tent them or anything anymore. I’m going to bench graft them. Roll them up in towels and fill a container of some kind with peat moss and my grafts that will not dry out because they’ll either waxed or covered in parafilm, and, they’re simply going into my greenhouse to finish the job.
Lesson learned. I’ll be taking that video off youtube.
Dax
Cool post!
Re: callus formation:
This isn’t about heat but it is yet one more tool in the kit for developing a healthy callus. (From the interweb (Google) search “callus in tree graft.”)
1 Like
I believe what you’re doing is perfect.
My heat mats to the touch are so hot it’s ridiculous. An option is to purchase a thermostat.
I’m going to do it the old fashioned way. Temporarily roll the grafts in towels and then transfer to bins. My greenhouse warms up plenty every day to get the job done.
Thanks for going out on a limb to try this method. What you’re doing looks real good.
And, still looking forward to your results.
Dax
All spot on.
I lost 200 or so pecan grafts from rain a few years ago. This was dead middle of June/July-ish. A few stragglers held on but it rained for two weeks.
I didn’t do it right either. I knew it was trouble. I didn’t go get poly and cover my hoophouse.
Dax
1 Like