Do persimmon volunteers stay true to sex?

[Shufigo]

I have a female persimmon sprouting volunteers under her branches. I would like to use them as a scion source due to their rapid yearly growth rates but obviously don't want to take a chance on grafting male scions. Has anyone had experience grafting from under-tree volunteers?

 

[George]

are they root suckers or seedlings?

G

 

[Shufigo]

I'm 99% sure they're from roots although they're up to 4-5 feet from the trunk of a 15 foot tall tree. The volunteers are inside the drip line and the tree has only dropped a half dozen fruits, all last year. I've got two more trees the same size that I planted at the same time which are also bringing up volunteers - but since the host tree hasn't borne any fruit yet I can't get excited about using the volunteers.

 

[George]

same plant, same sex. G

 

[Native Hunter]

You can also dig up and transplant those small, sprouting volunteers. However, the smaller they are the more likely they are to live. Get a huge root ball, and knee high sprouts are more likely to live than chest high ones.