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Originally Posted by tve
Have you experimented with different rootstocks and grafting yourself on top? You may be able to get cuttings for free at a local scion exchange or even from other fruit fanatics.
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I have started trying to monitor what rootstocks do well in my area. Not every nursery I have purchased from displays the rootstocks, but those that do I make note of and check back later. One thing I have noticed is that in regards to Persimmons, those grafted onto Diospyros Virginiana(American Persimmon) seem to survive the winters better than those on Diospyros Lotus(date-plum). Of course that is what one would expect, being that the American Persimmon is native. Still, if the scion is cold sensitive, the native rootstock won't be enough to save it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tve
I don't have experience in your area at all, but I'm surprised that late frosts kill your trees, I would have expected that to perhaps kill some of the new shoots and flower or such, but not the tree. Is there perhaps something else going on, like waterlogging? Or perhaps you need to get some heavy "floating row cover" to put over new trees for a year or two until they're more established?
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It's not just late frosts. It's late freezes. Freezes that come after several nice warm sunny days. The trees wake up and start sap flowing, start leafing out and BAM! 25 degrees and the leaves freeze, the sap freezes under the bark, bursting trunks and killing trees. The temperature swings like crazy here. I remember one year it got to 23 degrees one night and snowed two inches. The next day it got up to 70-something and all the snow was melted before noon!
I'm going to start painting trunks with white latex paint and see if that helps. A floating row cover or insulating each tree is not really an option with the number of trees that I have and my limited time.
I messed up this year and planted some stuff too early. In some ways I didn't have much choice, as the nursery shipped too early and it was either plant them or pot them all and keep them protected until late April, which I didn't really have time for, but I now wish I had, because a late freeze killed all four of the persimmons I planted and two of the four plums I planted.
In the future I will never plant until after last frost unless I know the plant is very cold hardy.
But yes, if the tree is mature, it can take the temperature swings much better. It's the one and two year old trees that are high risk.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tve
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I have visited that forum a few times, but am not a member. I'll take another look at it.