I have a question about what is upper graft wood, and therefore part of the trunk, and what is root on an Asian persimmon. I got this potted plant mail order this summer. The grafted sapling’s trunk came straight out of the pot, no root flare. Leaves became yellowish, and I gave it some Fertilome Root Stimulator, very low Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potash. It had little response, though all other struggling plants have really responded in the past.
THEN I re-potted it in a bigger pot, to grow more roots till fall. This revealed a buried 3"+ section of much darker wood and then a flare and roots. That’s the graft wood, I thought. There were no roots coming from the black formerly buried trunk part. I potted it with that black wood out of the ground. The leaves stayed yellowish. I gave it more Fertilome to little effect.
The yellow leaves may be a completely separate issue, of course. The plant seemed to have recently been put in the small pot. It may even have been stuck in for shipping.
Yesterday, I planted this tree out. I split the difference, burying about 1"+ of the dark graft wood, as it seems to me. There were no roots coming from the dark wood, more support for the notion of a trunk that got planted too deep. But again, it stayed black and it and the tree did not change after 2 months +/- above ground.
The picture shows the black trunk base and the clear line between the bottom black part, which I think is the graft, and the lighter brown trunk. I can bring in some more soil if the black should be buried. Or I can lift it if more of the black should be out of the ground. I have written the nursery but have gotten no response yet. Help!!
I don’t see the picture, just a link, but I have not posted a photo here before:
