Persimmon grove on new farm

[NoviceTreeGuy]

All,

Have a persimmon grove of 50 trees on my new farm in 6b. About an acre in size.

Probably 35 producing female trees and many still hanging fruit in December.

Problem is I hung trail cams in and around the grove and got a ton of pictures of raccoons but very few deer in daylight. Plenty of deer in the area though as this grove grows adjacent to a cornfield.

It seems these persimmons are not attractive to the deer.

Would you try grafting these trees to some new variety?? If so, what kinds?

 

[Native Hunter]

Any ripe persimmon is attractive to deer. If deer aren't coming in daylight, it's likely because they don't feel safe at the spot. Food is important, but safety trumps food. However, since you have so many of those trees, I would graft a few of them to other varieties. You could get some different drop times and maybe persimmons that you like better to eat yourself.

You obviously have wild persimmons in your area. If there are other trees in more secure locations nearby, that's probably where the deer are in daylight - either that or a more preferred food source. Best wishes.

 

[NoviceTreeGuy]

Native,

The smaller the diameter of the trees the better to bark graft, correct?

Some of these are very mature trees with 12” diameter trunks.

Could a guy try grafting one of the stump sprouts after topping a bigger tree?

 

[yoderjac]

All,

Have a persimmon grove of 50 trees on my new farm in 6b. About an acre in size.

Probably 35 producing female trees and many still hanging fruit in December.

Problem is I hung trail cams in and around the grove and got a ton of pictures of raccoons but very few deer in daylight. Plenty of deer in the area though as this grove grows adjacent to a cornfield.

It seems these persimmons are not attractive to the deer.

Would you try grafting these trees to some new variety?? If so, what kinds?

First, I'm sure these are American persimmons if they are growing natively. This is important because they are astringent and climbing animals don't eat them all before the ripen and drop. Kaki and Lotus may not be astringent so they are not as good for deer.

Second, I would not worry about grafting them for attraction. Like native says, location is probably more important than anything else for daytime use. Sometimes they need to sit on the ground a bit before they sweeten up and the coons could be getting them first. Any persimmon will be attractive to deer at the right time. If you have native persimmons growing, the only reason I can think of to graft them is to put persimmons on the ground over a longer period. Most commercial varieties will drop earlier. By trading scions with others who have persimmons dropping at different times of year, you can increase the time period they are eaten.

And yes, 1" - 2" in diameter is an ideal size for bark grafting. If you have native persimmons, you don't need to worry about pollination, so if you do plan to bark graft trees, I would wait until they bloom and mark the males for later grafting. If you simply want to increase the volume of persimmons, you can use scions from your native trees. If you want to increase the drop time, use scions from other sources.

 

[yoderjac]

Cliff England of England's orchard is a good source for persimmon knowledge and scions.

 

[Native Hunter]

Native,

The smaller the diameter of the trees the better to bark graft, correct?

Some of these are very mature trees with 12” diameter trunks.

Could a guy try grafting one of the stump sprouts after topping a bigger tree?

Yes, trees of about 1 or 2 inches in diameter are your best ones to graft. They will heal over and fill in the space quickly.