Persimmon root suckers

[jcguarneri]

I’m not there yet in my persimmon journey (still waiting for rootstocks to arrive for grafting), but from what I’ve read getting cuttings or airlayers to take is low percentage at best. There are a couple of other techniques that I plan on trying out: etiolation and grafting a small piece of nurse root to cuttings.
I’ve found some info in the scientific literature if etiolation being used successfully on Asian and American persimmons. I shared my findings here

Rooting Cuttings By Etiolation

Has anyone tried etiolation methods of rooting hard-to-root species, such as persimmon, apple, peach? I first came across the basic method while reading through Garner’s The Grafter’s Handbook and was intrigued. Garner describes basically leaning over the stock plant, pinning it to the ground, and burying it. You then repeatedly cover the shoots that emerge from the buried buds (similar to stooling rootstocks) to promote a blanched, leggy growth that is more likely to root. I found this more up-…

Once you get them on their own roots, it should be easier to clone them from suckers or root cuttings.