At the NAFEX virtual conference last month, Timothy Lane of Ockoo Farms encouraged grafters to source their American persimmon rootstock from 90 chromosome northerly state sources if you lived in a colder climate for greater cold hardiness. He listed sources that he knew to be selling the 90.
Is there any research or other people’s experience on this effect?
When you buy a grafted tree from an online nursery in the south, can you really know which one you’re getting?
Only limited anecdotal experience. From zone 9a recently promoted from 8B.
I lost 2 trees that were on known southern rootstock over a previous winter. But I also have one on a southern rootstock that is one of my most vigorous trees.
Dax strongly believes in using northern rootstock. Maybe he’ll come back and comment? @Barkslip
That was the reason why I buy my Northern wild persimmon rootstocks from Missouri Department of conservation online. Their rootstocks came with decent size for me to graft in the same season as a bundle of 10 or 20 or more at around 60 cents a piece. You have to order Early like in September because so many people ordered from them. They are sold out quickly. Same with paw paw rootstocks from them with the same price I believed.
Tony
I’d love to hear from others who are growing on southern rootstock. If cold hardiness is not an issue, are there other reasons to avoid southern rootstock? @ramv The southern rootstock trees that you lost, did they die completely to the root or to the graft?
Last year I top worked several native persimmons in South Carolina for a family member with American and hybrid cultivars. We’ll see how they perform long term.
All the way to the root.
Does anyone know if the bareroot persimmons sold by the VA dept of forestry are 60 or 90 chromosome? I’m hoping 90 of course.
https://buyvatrees.com/
hmm I’d be interested too. I would assume 90, but then again Kentucky is at the same horizontal location of the US and I read 60 starts there.
I bought alot of rootstock close to $8-10 each (around the 18" to 3ft size).
I wonder if these $3 ones are good enough to graft or not. When I bought $3 persimmon rootstock from Maryland’s State Tree Nursery a few years ago, it was hit or miss, some are good to graft, some are good to graft if you graft very very low where the diameter was thicker, and some were too young to graft this year but fine the next year.
Btw VA Forestry people responded to me regarding your question (although they didn’t really answer 
):
“We do not do genetic testing to give the mix. I can tell you our seedling rand 8-12” tall.”
Having established rootstock already growing in the field is ideal. I bet they’ll do really good.
Thanks for writing them about that! I heard from a friend that the VA seedlings are generally too small to graft with typical scionwood. So I guess I’ll plant what I get and graft them next year.
Stan,
I think if you were in one of the more colder zones than we have then it may be a concern. Where I grew up waterlines had to be about 24”-30” deep to avoid freezing. It was nothing to see several weeks of 0 to low teens weather and the ground could easily freeze a foot down. Yet the 60 chromosome persimmons are native there. Their taproot goes much deeper than your freeze zone here. So. I don’t think for rootstocks here you could tell much difference.
Dennis
For anyone still looking for seedlings Missouri has them available again. Maybe some orders were cancelled or they just realized they had more stock.
https://mdc12.mdc.mo.gov/Applications/TreeSeedling/Home/ProductDetails/56
From another thread I saved a quote about 60c plants having glossy new leaves and 90c ones having fuzzy ones. Is this true on seedlings? Or does it start/change on mature trees? The local trees I collected seeds from are all shiny leafed (one is noticeably copper-reddish and pretty).
Can someone authoritatively confirm if Missouri persimmon rootstock is 60c or 90c?
I was told by someone not on this forum that they are southern type.
If they are southern type, then southern type can handle. -30F I would say they are northern, but I got mine a few years ago, so maybe they have changed their seed source.
I’ve had very good luck with their rootstock. Much better takes than other DV or lotus. And precocious fruiting.
But my climate doesn’t really test rootstock hardiness.
Picked up my persimmon seedlings from VA forestry. They said they buy seed from MD to grow them from soooooooooo… who knows if they’ll be 60 or 90 chromosome.
Hopefully I can report back in 1 to 2 years about Asian and hybrid graft success on them.
Also, the persimmons seedlings are not big enough for grafting. 12 to 24" tall, less than 1/4" diameter.
That right there is the best persimmon rootstock … for me anyway.
Wild DV that just pop up and grow in my field. That one sprouted up last year… I selected it, protected it from bushhoging summer and fall.
It grew 4.5 ft tall, 3/4 inch diameter at the base in one season.
I have had it wood chipped since early last summer… and just put a new layer on recently.
It is prepped for grafting this spring… i may put Dar Sofiyivky… or Journey hybrid there…
60c or 90c persimmon… IDK… should be 60c based on my Southern TN location.
In my lifetime… these have been tested to -17F (around 1985) and had no problem with that.
That is a pretty rootstock tree.
TNHunter
