My husband told me they had white and yellow tape too when I sent him to the store to get some electrical tape. Next time I will get a lighter color. Should be easier to spot when it is time to remove it. Hopefully the black will be okay here as we usually do not have terribly high temps, although there are a few days we do in most summers.
Sandra
Edit: Just ordered the white tape from Amazon. Looks like a good price for 5 rolls, and I can sure go through some tape. 
2 Likes
Freedom is considered CAR resistant. Odd to hear its covered in rust
2 Likes
Yes, I thought it was supposed to be CAR-resistant, too. I am sure that is what I bought and planted in that spot because I kept careful records of the trees I planted.
It is quite possible, however, that it was mislabeled, because I have never seen such a rust magnet as that tree. And there is no getting away from the eastern red cedars (junipers) and their rust spores in this area as they are literally everywhere.
Sandra
3 Likes
Perhaps the Freedom scion died off and your tree grew from the rootstock?
Added a couple of grafts to the tally today, got a total of 305 for the season. 141 apple, 108 pear, 24 plum, 9 mulberry, 9 peach, 7 plumcot, 4 grape and 4 autumn olive. Got a couple of years to learn how to can fruit, lol
MF
3 Likes
@MF25 I guess the scion dying off is a possibility. Sadly, it shall forever remain a mystery as with many plant-related things.
Yes, with that massive number of trees and vines, you will need to learn to can, dehydrate fruit, freeze fruit, make jams and preserves, make wine and cordials, bake fruit pies, cakes, sweet breads and muffins and freeze them, leave baskets of fruit at the neighbors’ doors and the list goes on………
Fortunately, all of those things can be worthwhile and are fun!
Sandra
3 Likes
I grafted another 7 pear trees on betulifolia rootstoock this afternoon. I have 4 rootstocks left and at least 5 more varieties left to graft. So I went walking and found a callery growing in the edge of the woods which is ideal to graft. One more to do, but not this evening. I also dug holes and planted 3 more apple trees out of 5 gallon containers.
3 Likes
Ok to beat the odds, graft more than you need.
DO NOT cut off the extra branches instead graft multiple duplicate varieties. onto all the available branches.
If they all take, YIPPIE! Prune what you want. If only a few take, then prune off all the failures and leave your successes to grow to maturity .
My thoughts
4 Likes
What state are you in? Here in GA we have government subsidized tree farms. I bought my native persimmon root stock from them by the lots of 50. But you have to be a resident of GA. Check your AG people local and see if they have something like that going on. I had to order the first day sales opened to get it before they sold out!
When do you graft your persimmons there?
We graft persimmons in southern Tennessee between April 1st and May 10th. I’m about to graft a bunch this weekend. Was waiting on hot enough weather.
1 Like
I’m in Oregon, but I’ll look around .
I did sow a bunch of seed and they’re starting to pop up though.
@larryrolson …usually mid to late April.
Or more specifically when they start looking like this.
Persimmon rootstock in the same field getting the same sun can vary a week or two in getting to that point new growth wise.
I have 2 that are almost ready now and one that is still at heavy bud swell.
TNHunter
3 Likes
Finished grafting cherries, still waiting on persimmon and a hickory. Going to put hican on a hickory.
3 Likes
Well, here goes nothing! For the 1st time ever, I’m trying to graft using a hot callus pipe.
This morning I grafted 12 persimmon scions to bare root DV rootstock that I received a few days ago. The roots are now individually bagged. The grafts are inserted into the pipe. The foam seems to do a good job holding the grafted tree a small distance from the cable. Right now, the ambient temperature is ~56 F. I’ve got a thermometer with a temperature probe inserted into the pipe just like the grafted trees. It registers 76.8 F.
The two week weather forecast is for daytime temps ~55-65 F, nighttime temps 40-50 F. Right now the pipe and grafted trees are on the floor of my unheated garage, which I expect to stay ~45-55 F. I’d hope to keep the grafts at 75-80 F.
Suggestions welcome.
Edit: I realized that roughly half of the temperature probe was still outside the pipe and probably biasing the temperature reading down. I adjusted the position, trying to maximize the amount of the probe inside the tube without causing direct contact between the probe and the cable. The reading now is ~85 F.
9 Likes
Wonder if this quince will fully root. Was like this in the refrigerator. Lots of white dots on alot of the scions but this one looked like had roots.
Planting it in some ProMix to see if roots will spread.
6 Likes
Got a few more done last week. Mast of these are on G214 that was too big for my scions. There are also a few blueberry starts, apples coming up from seeds (cores planted in November), undersized rootstock, and herbs in the non-blue pots. Now onto field grafting and general upkeep.
6 Likes
My dads 15 year pear tree just never seems to produce fruit. There’s a pollinator but it’s over 100yards away. Before he cut it down, I gave it a haircut. Shenandoah, harrow sweet, Bartlet, and Korean Giant.
All he had was Vaseline, so I used that instead of black pruning seal. No pictures of the Vaseline on there but I sealed every crack of that bark graft.
4 Likes
Curious how Vaseline will work. It probably might melt in sunlight.
2 Likes
I grafted the first pecan of many today. It is a Converse Major using a bark graft. I plan on doing about 25 pecan grafts this year.
5 Likes
