not sure if you’re doing it already but if not, each time i buy bare-root plants, especially those from out-of-state which don’t have warranties, i usually cut two or three segments(each with a node) from the apices of each of the broomsticks, label them, then store them in the fridge with a damp napkin, until it gets warmer and use them as budwood, regardless of whether or not the rootstock of the purchased specimen fails.
as you’re probably aware, failure of newly-planted bare-root plants to bud out are often due to rootstock failure. With the budwood you’ve stowed, you are provided with some insurance for your investment, and won’t have to wait another year. Take note that ‘stealing’ budwood from the broomstick not only gives you some insurance should the rootstock fail, but also helps optimize the ratio of root surface area to above-graft surface area of the bare-root specimen(as long as the above graft surface area has at least one viable node). This is because the above-ground parts of the plants have been reduced, and will not be as taxing for the rootball, which is often dangerously trimmed by nursery staff to permit squeezing into the parcel box dimensions.
even more promising is that many of the ‘stolen’ budwood actually exhibit more vigor and more fruitful than the mother-plant, since the trees i am grafting them onto have established rootstocks.
Oh I agree wholeheartedly, if possible I always take budwood from a bareroot just incase. But if you look at the picture I posted earlier in the thread, Bay Laurel shipped me a fricken stump of a tree. Not a single branch…and about 1" in caliper. So not way to take wood from it really. I guess I could have taken individual buds and chip grafted them maybe. Its all good, I called it in to Bay Laurel and they will ship another next bare root season.
I transplanted a finger thick grape vine last fall, with good roots. I waited until late May and it still had not put out buds. When I put down shovel to take it out, I saw strong white root hair down there. One week later, it put out two tiny buds. Now it has put out like 3 true leaves.
I have no idea as to why… The new buds came out at about 8" above ground. The top wood died, maybe from the cold.
So today I received my tree order from schlabachs nursery and I called them because I thought my persimmon tree roots were dead and molded. They assured me the mold was normal and tree will be fine. Then they told me to sweat the persimmon tree before I plant it. So I read up on it online and checked here for info. Doesn’t look like many people do it. Has anyone sweated their persimmon and had good luck with getting it to leaf out?
I also want to add I’m very impressed with Schlabch’s customer service. Very nice people who really want trees to do well for you.
Below are the roots I thought looked moldy.
I was comparing black persimmon roots to orangish pear roots and thought persimmon roots were completely dead!
Hopefully this will wake up and leaf out for me after the sweating. Have to make sure I don’t dry it out. Never done this before.
Persimmon roots are black and it looks like they managed to dig up a lot of them. I’ve never employed sweating and have never seen the need for it. It may be a faith based method- people often practice methods because it has long been done, or they could be onto something. Sometimes refrigerated trees take longer than I’d like to come out of dormancy- that used to be the case with ACN trees but they must have changed their methods of storage. Maybe sweating would have helped.
Just wanted to give an update on my post from March 28.
So I went ahead and sweated my persimmon tree. I placed the tree on top of moist straw and covered it with black garbage bag. Checked daily. sometimes noticed mold. When I did that I left the garbage bag off so it could air out. Covered again with the bag next day. I let it be for three weeks or so. When I noticed buds swelling, but before leafing out I planted it in the ground. It seems to have come through transplant shock ok because it’s leafing out nicely now. Not sure if the sweating made a difference. But I’ve read so many people complaining about persimmon not waking up at all the first year. So I’m happy with progress so far.
I found this from the University of TN about sweating a tree that won’t break dormancy: https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Sweating_to_Break_Plant_Dormancy-1.pdf
I am having this problem with a quince tree. It had good amount die back which I removed. I’m in FL so it is very humid and the temperature is higher than described in the sweating process. I checked the other day and it is still alive via scratch test but not doing anything yet while the plum I got at the same time is a shower of green
I’ve got a pear and a jujube and a mulberry that haven’t broken out yet. all were planted in March, all other trees similar and in similar spots are wide awake. all are scratching green and I’m at wits end with them. might give this a try
edit to add: I tried on all three, no go.