One of my wild DV (Tooie persimmons) grown from seed last year… was budding heavy last week and today i found it like this.
It has really come out this past week.
What say you persimmon grafting experts … is it time to graft this one ?
I have kassandra scions i plan to graft to it if the time is right ???
All my other persimmon seedlings are not this far along.
This will be my first attempt at persimmon grafting.
Thanks
TNHunter
That’s usually when I field graft as long as I have warm/hot temps ahead.
Thanks @snowflake
My 10 day has a low of 48… high of 84.
3 days in 80s
4 days in 70s
3 days in 60s
That should work…
As long as you have 3-4 days of temperature above 65 and no freezing, you can graft persimmons. I found the best time is when buds start swelling and the weather god gives you a 3-4 days of >65 degree. The earlier the better.
So you are more than OK to graft now. Remember to remove the new shoots from rootstocks (remove most now and remove all when the grafts take).
See this video of how Chinese orchard farmers bud graft persimmons. The rootstocks were most likely lotus. Note the peach tree blossoms in the background and the buds on rootstocks were still tiny.
Could not understand word he said 
but he sure made that chip bud grafting look easy.
I am going to have to try that on one of my persimmon grafts this spring.
I have around 10 rootstocks to try out this year.
A few of those are 2 inch diameter trees… which i will bark graft to.
Many are 5/16 to 1/2 inch diameter seedlings.
HiTrev
Your growth signal is good, if your daytime ambients are 70F and climbing, it’s an excellent time
Dennis
Kent wa
Indeed budding on persimmon is easy…I have 100% taking rate. Watch the video carefully and see how they cut and match scion bud with rootstocks.
Well the twins I grew from seed have been grafted.
Kasandra on the larger one… Nakittas Gift on the smaller one.
Scion matched to rootstock diameter and whip/toung on both.
There are some buds below both grafts so chip bud could be done later if these dont take.
I will post progress hopefully.
TNHunter
We have a 10 day full of 70 and 80s coming up and i have several more persimmon seedlings now with heavy bud swell and small leaves forming.
The one below is one of the larger seedlings out in my field. It is high chest high… has several branches.
At 1 ft up from the ground it is about finger diameter.
Most of my other seedlings… i will whip/toung or modified cleft graft. Size wise they are right for that.
On this one… think i could cut it off quite low (where thicker) and bark graft a couple of scions in.
Or i could cut it off higher and possibly cleft graft a couple scions in ?
I plan to graft Prok on this one.
Of course higher up the tree i could whip/toung or mod cleft to individual limbs there.
Any recommendations?
Thanks
TNHunter
Do you have deer issues? I’m guessing yes? A tree that size, with no deer concerns, I like to whip/tongue about 30" high and just let it branch out.
Here’s an early golden grafted at about that height after two years of growth on the graft. I haven’t fussed with pruning. A persimmon will figure it out 
30 inch is just above that limb that goes out to the right near the middle of the tree. It is close to 1/2 inch diameter there.
I dont have any persimmon scions that thick… but i may have 2… 1/4 inch scions that i could fit in a cleft graft there.
I could do a modified cleft there with the largest single scion i have. I have had very good luck with modified cleft on pears apples cherries and goumi this year … 100%takes.
I have not tried a regular cleft yet… but it seems pretty simple to me.
Cut off the side branches and W&T at the height you want. Diameter looks good and it should grow well for you. Diameter doesn’t have to match perfectly although it can if you have wood the same size. Just ensure perfect alignment on one side and you will be golden.
Size difference can be really bad and it will be fine Wrap thinly and completely to seal up.
https://growingfruit.org/t/grafting-isnt-always-easy-to-big-for-whip-and-tongue-to-small-for-cleft-grafting-not-a-candidate-for-rind/45410/14?u=snowflake
HOW TO MAKE YOUR SCION MATCH: Cut the scion for a cleft graft. Cut your tree. Lay the scion across the top where it stretches from side to side. Note location and make cut there. Now it’s a perfect cleft on both sides. I love cleft grafts. Much sturdier than bark grafts.
I checked all my scionwood… and the largest was JT02. It was still smaller but closer to rootstock size. Did a whip/toung at about 36 inches and lined it up best i could on one side.
It has two nice buds.
I will post the results.
Thanks
TNHunter
Looks like you have some good contact in there. You should be good.
Great job, I hope to do it as skillfully.
Next week I’ll try to graft coffeecake and chocolate to my fuyu and hachiya trees.
The biggest reason I don’t whip and tongue or cleft graft the end of the branch / whip when topworking persimmons has nothing to do with the grafts taking. On well established seedlings, your scion can easily push 6 ft. of growth. Also the leaves on newly topworked trees are massive. Between thunderstorms, temperature swings and fronts moving through, we get a fair bit of wind here, I have to spend a lot of time securing the new growth and/or pruning it back so that it doesn’t snap right off at the graft.
My method now, similar to what I do with mulberries, is to side graft partway up, leaving the rest of the trunk. It makes a nice stake. , The nurse leaves I keep help the scion to push too, I believe. I’ve observed scions at the top of stems just sitting there, while the rootstock has decided instead to put its energies into pushing buds down low. My method keeps the sap flowing past the graft until it’s made connection. Another nice thing is that you can also put as many scions on a rootstock as you care too. I often do 2 single bud (scion, not t or chip) grafts instead of a single scion with 2 buds, as I might do with apples. That way, I figure I have double the odds.
I probably have around to 90% take, though I was more like 25% my first couple of years.
Last years topworked seedlings- taken mid August:
I just looked today, one of these trees went from 3’ tall and 1/4” caliper at the graft to 10’ tall and 5/8” at the graft. That tree, a JT-02, had a second stem slightly smaller (the 2nd graft) that DID snap off despite my efforts to lash it off. I was outside that night fortifying my stakes and Velcro ties for fear I’d lose much more
I think your choices are many, temps are about right and a good time with buds breaking out! I would tend to do whip & tongue at a height matching scion diameter and a chip bud just below that as an insurance backup. Rootstock seems healthy so even if you fail you have plenty time to graft again. Another if you want to graft lower would bravado z graft where your size does not matter as much, but I fave the whip & Tongue as a stronger graft union than Z! Good luck Trev. I am just starting outdoor figs using Z grafts and bark grafts to top work a mature tree to earlier varieties.
Dennis
Kent, wa
That is one nice graft! Great technique. You can be sure the graft will be successful and it’ll heal clean
