Persimmons

Today had many little pieces to it.

I picked some persimmons from my best seedling persimmon tree.

Persimmons are not native to Michigan.  A gentleman named Jerry Lehman mailed me about forty seeds about fifteen years ago.  One of those seeds grew into a tree that embodies a fine balance of characteristics:  Good yield, good quality, decent size, ripens early enough, has sufficient winter hardiness.

Today I picked a dozen, half ripe persimmons from that tree and mailed them to Jerry.

I looked around to see if the seedling had thrown any rootsuckers.  Unfortunately it had not.  I have a spot in my yard that kills trees.  I decided it is time to plant an American Persimmon there to see if it will survive.  A sucker which would be genetically identical to my super-seedling was my first choice.

So I dug out the dead tree and planted a seedling persimmon.  I will graft it over to a proven selection in the Spring of 2016 after it has had a year to establish.

I wrapped it with newspaper ads to make it less interesting to rabbits and to minimize chances of sunscald.

Care enough to wrap with the best.  This should keep it warm!

I fiddled with my lead pot.

I added a radiator type clamp to ensure it held together.  I also shimmed the base to bring the bottom of the pot back to horizontal. I have an order placed to buy a sampler pack of tension springs.  I will do nothing more on this project until the springs come in.

Guerrilla Gardening

I am a guerrilla gardener.

My specialty is planting in those neglected spaces that are coming up in pucker-brush: species like Autumn Olive, Gray Dogwood, Wild Black Cherry, Box Elder, Cottonwood, Aspen, Willow and Silver Maple.

Sometimes it is a matter of stepping ripe persimmons into the soft dirt beneath dead ash trees on public property.  Sometimes it is a matter of flinging Black Walnuts, Pecans or Hickory nuts into neglected spaces.  Lighter weight seeds are sometimes made into "snowballs" with clumping kitty litter and a dash of fertilizer before being sent on their way.  Once growing, "my" trees will lurk until the short lived species go Tango Uniform.  I am not in a hurry.

The legality of poking a shovel into the ground and planting nursery stock is much shakier.  For one thing, one is trespassing if one does not have written permission.  For another thing, one is modifying somebody else's property without their permission.  Some people see no difference between yahoos mudbogging and gardeners planting raspberries.

Also, in Michigan it is illegal to plant "un-inspected nursery material" if it is not being replanted on one's own property.  It is an effort to stop the spread of various diseases and bugs.  I could move a plant five feet, from one side of a property line to the other side of a property line....and I would be in violation of the law.

So you will understand if I am a little sketchy on the details, but I have a premonition that a hedge of outstanding blackberries will start growing somewhere within spitting distance of my property.  Who knows, there may even be some really good raspberries plants mixed in.