Help identifying issue with Fuyu Persimmon leaves

Hey folks,

I’m trying to figure out what night be causing my persimmon to have leaf issues. Fruit is growing fine. Soil is black gumbo, slightly alkaline. Appreciate any help.

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Don’t know a thing about persimmons, but I was under the impression that yellowing leaves in any fruit tree was a sign of a nutrient deficciency…how often are you fertiliizing and when was the last time?

also, might consider pulling that mulch back from the base of the tree, give it a little breathing room…

Not much fertilizer. A bit of 10-10-10 and milorganite during late winter back in February or March. I know my clay is lacking in nitrogen. Think I should throw down some 29-0-5 with iron? I don’t want to make it drop the fruit it currently has.

I’ll push the mulch back a bit. 95+ degree temps were drying out the soil too fast.

Doesn’t look like anything is wrong- at least in my opinion. The teee looks healthy. The yellow leaf falling is normal, as that seems to happen to those more round smaller leaves every year. One leaf looked like it had some curl, but hard to tell if that is from persimmon psylla without seeing the underside. If psylla was a problem, you’d see a milky substance with eggs on the underside. Even if psyalla are present, it doesn’t look like there’s a huge problem. Overall, I think you have nothing to worry about.

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My Saijo persimmon had yellowed leaves. My soil test showed deficiencies in calcium and magnesium. I added lime and for the past couple of years the leaves have been healthy dark green. I also have Nikita’s gift right next to the Saijo, and it didn’t have any problem at all. So it might be cultivar related. Both are on D. lotus rootstocks. My Yates persimmon, on D. virginiana rootstock, also has health green leaves.

Maybe a soil test would be useful? It helped me avoid a lot of guesses, and guided my soil supplementation practices.

Edit: I forgot to add, I also added Epsom salts for the magnesium. Each spring, I add aboit 1/4 cup Epsom salts to 2 gallons of water, and pour around each persimmon tree. I think that made a big difference.

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Just an update on this persimmon. It lost a lot of its leaves and looks to be dying since the last pictures. All the fruit it had wrinkled up before ripening. Nutrients were fine(cherry trees and pear tree nearby are doing fine). Maybe a rootstock issue? I’m not sure what it was on. Came from Bob Wells Nursery in Lindale, Texas. Figured persimmons were bulletproof in my area(NE Texas). I’ll probably end up replacing it this fall/winter.

It still got some green leaves. You can check the base of the tree to see any borer issue. Some Kaki does get the Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS).

Tony

A new happening. We’ve had tons of rain lately. On and off for a few days. I see new growth coming out, but also some type of substance oozing out in many different spots. Nothing at the base. Is this caused by borers? Could this explain the massive die back? The persimmon is suppose to be one of my problem free trees…or so I thought. Here’s some pictures.

@chadspur, did you ever find out what this was? I have something similar on my Fuyu and was hoping to diagnose it. Thanks for the help!

I sure didn’t. I did end up losing that persimmon. Not sure if that played a part or if the rootstock, which wasn’t d virginiana, caused it.

Oh no, I’m so sorry you lost that tree. Thanks for writing back!