I have a big grove of wild Persimmons that I keep for the deer to bed down in. I was thinking about trying to maybe graft a few.
Persimmons are fairly easy to graft.
I usually chose a sapling an inch or so in diameter. And graft onto laterals the closest size to your scions. Whip and tongue works well as does chip budding.
I try to avoid making cuts on persimmons that are more than an inch and a half, as they do not heal well.
If you cut down a larger wild tree in the dormant season it will send up many shoots that can be grafted on in a year or so.
Persimmons send out a lot of sprouts below the graft that need to be removed for a month or so. Every few days.to force the graft.
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I’ve been grafting persimmons for quite a few years. You can convert male trees to female this way as well. I prefer bark grafting. With this approach you can get the first fruit in the 3rd leaf after grafting. The best trees are 1" to 3" in diameter. I’ve done this with threes as large as 5" in diameter but the large wound can be problematic.
First, wait until the persimmons leaf out and you’ve had some good rain. You want the sap running good so the bark peals easily. I like to cut the tree down at chest height. Deer don’t usually browse American persimmons but they are curious and making the grafts higher is usually enough to keep them from messing with them out of curiosity.
I will use multiple scions per tree to maximize success. The large root system can push growth on multiple scions easily. For a 1" tree I usually use 2 scions and I’ll use 3 or 4 and tree diameter increases.
You can find general bark grafting instructions anywhere but here are a few tips I find useful:
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I don’t cut the tree flat. I put a little slope on it so water doesn’t pool in the wound.
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I don’t put a scion on the side of the tree where the water will drain. Water will get into the graft.
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In addition to the normal cut on the scion, I put a small cut at a very slight angle to expose a little cambium on the back side near the bottom.
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I like to use electrical tape. I find pressure is the key for bark grafting, not cambium alignment. Electrical tape has some stretch to it.
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I wrap the scion with Parafilm-M. This helps it from losing moisture until the graft can take.
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I use Doc Farwell’s (any sealant will work) to seal the wound but I’m very careful with a liquid not to let it get into the graft.
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I tape a piece of bamboo to the trunk as a stake. I don’t attach the scion at this time. The bamboo is much taller than the scions and birds will choose to light on it rather than the scions. Eventually after the scion takes, I’ll very loosely secure the scion the stake to train it to grow vertically.
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If the tree gets direct sun, I’ll also build a sun shield out of aluminum foil and tape it to the trunk so it shades the scion from the south side.
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Probably the most important thing is aftercare. Every week, remove water sprouts from the tree. The tree would rather push water sprouts than except a scion. I’ll keep removing water sprouts as I see them for at least the first and probably second growing season. After that, they occur less frequently.
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If there are no signs of scions taking after 3 or 4 weeks, I’ll select 1 water sprout from near the top of the stump and keep it. This will keep the tree alive and you can try again next year. You can either cut the stump a little lower beneath the water sprout or W&T directly to the water sprout which has become your new central leader.
Success rates are high and these tips make them even higher for me. By the way, my experience is with bark grafting American persimmons to American persimmons. I have no lotus or kaki. I do have one hybrid, Nikita’s Gift, but I bench grafted all of those to young seedlings I grew from seed.
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Good feedback!!
Thanks for the answers. I probably have over 100 trees I can play with for grafting. I have to take my tractor and mow them down all the time to keep them from taking over.
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