I wish I can fastword to spring to see if my hybrids survived this cold NJ weather! Springtime can’t come soon enough!!!
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The passing of David Lavergne
I have grown to cherish the ideals and information that we have exchanged over the years and I feel we are directly connected in so many ways even thou the distant between us is so great
I worked with David Lavergne in Persimmons and Pawpaw’s and I talked with David Sunday and Monday of this week and I am truly at a loss for woods
He has like so many of you have inspired us to continue the work we do and to keep turning the page and writing this life long novel of successes and failures
I just found out and I am stumped and really set back and not at ease at all and I am shocked to find out of our loss of this dedicated breeder
Blessing to all thoughts and prayers for the family of David
Thank you
Cliff England
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Cliff,
Does David has anyone in his family to take care of all his hybrids?
Tony
I didn’t know David, but I do appreciate and enjoy his NAFEX articles and breeding work. He will be missed.
Tony, I emailed David a few months back to obtain Scion wood. He deferred my email to Cliff England.
Tony
He does have siblings all sisters not married and no children 2 brothers have passed before him SO I guess the planting will be lost
I tried and tried to get him to label his trees so that some one could at least identify the tree in this event but it did not happen
All I can say is that I have the largest continuous planting of he work growing here at our farms
and with 2 new hybrids this year one is one we have named Lavergne PVNA and one named Kandy both are wonderful persimmons
still with about 300 of David hybrids still have not expressed sexuality and sure there is plenty of male that will be grafted over to well known cultivars
Its is just so sad
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During my years with Nafex i got to know a lot of members. Those were the years that got me going, still have a lot of the little quarterly mags from them. A few have past-away, sad to say. I am way up in years also, still scooting.
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I’ve just started in the persimmon community, and I can’t express enough how important people like Dave, Cliff, and Jerry are. Losing Dave is a huge blow… may he Rest In Peace, and may he know he has contributed significantly to those of us trying to grow persimmons in northern climates.
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Nick of Louisiana lives not far from David and this was his report of what took place
His brother n law said he collapsed in his yard. A neighbor brought him to the hospital where he died. He didn’t know what killed him. He mentioned something about anemia possibly… When I Saw David last he was very pale and I Told him that but he said he felt fine.
He had a family member named Roland Robichaux who is into fruit exploration as well. He is a pharmacist in St. Martinsville. The pharmacy is called Robichaux’s. He would probably be a good contact person if you needed one
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A few seedlings from chinebuli are starting to pop up. The pollen parent is an f2 rosseyanka male. I’m hoping some of these are males to cross with my non-astringent kakis.
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Good luck Steven.
Tony
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Ignore this, cool project though. Did u get the male Rosseyanka from Cliff?
I have several hybrid males growing. Different lineages to use for different breeding aims, most are from Rosseyanka but some are from JT-02, though those are still young.
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Why does nobody cross the hybrids back to American persimmons? Are the hybrids only compatible with Kaki? Does anyone know the ploidy and chromosome count on the current hybrids out?
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I’ll only speak for myself here. I’m interested in the cold hardiness and richness of American persimmon fruit but in a smaller tree with larger fruit – traits that come from kaki. But most male hybrids, which you need to pollinate known kaki or American females, have less kaki in them then American, since most of those males are offspring of rosseyanka back crossed to American. So crossing back to kaki is going to get a truer hybrid whereas crossing back to American is going to get you something that’s mostly American. That’s how I see it, anyway.
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This is all knowledge I’ve gained from listening to people like Jerry Lehman. But this was covered in another thread.
Scroll down to post 33ish.
I am not sure about D. lotus
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England Nursery is offering another Hybrid persimmon called David’s Kandy. Cold hardy and late ripening in Kentucky. The fruits hung till Christmas. I think Cousin Floyd is looking for this late one. Cliff said it tastes like a good Kaki.
Tony
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Those sure look soft and good tony. I need to get me some rootstock growing
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Derby,
You should grow the JT-02 Hybrid. A very Small tree. Very easy to harvest. Very good tasting. Here is the photo from Cliff.
Tony
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Tony is that just grown in-ground? Been considering JT, hate to stake anything in a yard but we also get colder than you–a couple days below -20 this winter…that could make a nice tub tree to dolly into the garage every november, in a 30-gal planter…
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Two of my trees are in-ground. Since it is a small tree then grow in a tub should be good.
Tony
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