When using persimmon or paw paw seedling as rootstock, how old should the seedling be before you attempt to graft scion wood onto it? I’m also looking for grafting tips pertaining to this specific situation.
I would say it depends more on the size of the seedlings .
More so than age.
Well grown seedlings can reach grafting size at 1 yr.
1/8 in +will work depending on if you have matching size sions ,
And good knife skills
1/4 in. - 3/8 in . Is about ideal for me .
Some seedlings are slower to size up than others .
So some maybe 2 yr. old
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I’m going to try to graft seedlings and put them in my hot callus pipe this spring. Are your seedlings already in the ground @FarmGirl-Z6A?
I have 4 - 5 paw paw and 4 - 5 persimmon seedlings that will be on their 2nd leaf this spring. I also ordered 25 each paw paw and persimmon 1 year old seedlings from my local conservation for pick up in April.
I’m going to have to revisit your hot callus pipe thread.
@Barkslip says it is the way to go for higher success rates! My apples will be in it later today if I can get some free time. For the amount of time and effort I have put into research, I’ll take all the help I can get for higher success.
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I really appreciate you mentioning this. I think I looked at a hot callus pipe thread briefly, maybe a week or two ago when someone posted pictures of the one they built. I didn’t really know what the contraption was for because I didn’t have time to read the thread and I forgot about it later on. When you mentioned it here I remembered that I didn’t have a chance to read what the thing does. I found the one started by Dax a few years ago and… WOW, let me just tell you, I am SO excited about trying this. I’m planning on trying to get the supplies today (or at least get them ordered if I can’t find everything locally). 
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If you’re planning to plant your own orchard with these grafted trees, you might consider planting your rootstocks in the ground and giving them a year or two to establish themselves before you graft to them. I’ve grafted to pencil diameter rootstocks or smaller of both persimmon and pawpaw with success. But if the rootstock is kept in a pot or planted in the ground the same season as it’s grafted, it generally only grows 6-8 inches that season and sometimes takes several years to start growing vigorously. Grafts onto established rootstocks in the ground typically grow several feet the first season for both persimmons and pawpaws.
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Thank you for this reminder. I think I’m going plant half and use the hot callus pipe contraption on the other half. Either that or I’ll buy more rootstock… decisions decisions, lol
That was me who posted a modified design recently. If you have access to a router to make it, or wood or something else with a “notch” down the middle like I had, that will take the guess work out of keeping the graft union above the heat cable, you can just shove em’ in the foam tube without adjusting the union to be above the cable. The wood I used for that was previously clamping our orders of pvc pipe together. If you have a local place that would have pipe (pipe supply, Lowe’s, home depot etc) maybe try checking their dumpster or ask nicely if they might have these pieces. I’d imagine they get tossed once used. They are just to space the metal /plastic bands away from the pipe and hold them all in place during transportation.
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Yeah, I saw your modification and thought it was a great idea. I’m going to try to incorporate that into my design too. Thanks for the tips.
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