John, I'm not sure who you asked about grafting at the exchange, but it's a bark graft that works best when the sap’s flowing. Bench grafting is what we do at the exchange, and it’s best done when both the rootstock and scion are dormant.

If you've an established (3 year or older) persimmon tree, it's probably OK to graft it now. But I've heard when the sap begins to flow in some trees, an English walnut for example, it can 'overflow' the graft and 'bleed' so bad the graft will fail. Apples don't do that, but I'm not sure about persimmons? I've bench grafted (dormant) persimmon rootstock; it took them weeks and weeks to show growth, but all three lived (and still do!).

The type of graft you make depends on the size of stock you're working with. If the diameter of the stock (branch or rootstock) nearly matches that of the scion, the whip & tongue is best. When the stock’s larger, you get into cleft and bark grafting. If you wouldn't be 'sacrificing' a large branch, I'd suggest you graft now... of course your scion wood must be dormant. I think / hope it's not so late that you'll have a problem with excessive sap flow, and I'd hate to discourage you from trying it for fear of that...

Tell us how it goes, but be patient... I was rewarded for mine

John, are you grafting a Kiwi (too)? I know they'll 'bleed' right now... I never thought of grafting on a "pollinating limb" (or vine) to a Kiwi. I've always allowed mine to develop a pair of main trunks, in case one gets damaged by a mower or weed-eater. Maybe by doing the same, but earlier in its life, you could graft a pollinator to one ‘trunk’? You’d have to be very careful when pruning to balance between the two, but you wouldn’t need a stand-alone male. If anyone's successfully grafted Kiwi, I'd love to hear about it. ...guess I could search the net..?

"Plumping up" ... a technical term ? I doubt there will be any visible action with the Persimmon scion(s) for quite a while; and I doubt the tree will 'bleed.' …And, as much as I love a nice Spring Day ... there just aren’t enough of them " title="Crying or Very sad" /> ...Wet here too.

"Is it better to graft dormant to dormant with in -ground trees too?" Well, you don't want to put anything on so early that it sits there 'too' long before receiving a nutrient flow. But timing is based on which graft you're making. Actually, the most successful graft is "Budding" - done in August. Apparently the one bud being attached isn't overwhelmed by 'sap.' As far as a best time, I'd say there's an optimal time; working toward the best chance to achieve your aim, dormant or not.