Believe I’m seeing Sudden Death/Decline Syndrome in kakis here. Saijo died suddenly over the (relatively mild) winter. Now, certain branches on Ichi-ki-kei-jiro are displaying black leaf veins and defoliating:
And it’s blooming for the first time, too—dang it!
I topworked the virginiana rootostock of the deceased Saijo with Mikkusu (JT-02) this spring. But as the reports in this (old but valuable) thread suggest, that may have been a waste of time, as many hybrids are apparently susceptible as well. Anyone here have any luck regrafting the rootstock of a KSDS victim with Mikkusu or any other hybrid cultivar?
If this fails, these rootstocks will have to be destroyed, as there isn’t really sufficient room for American persimmons where they’re located. In any case, I think I’m done with Asian persimmons; Kentucky is not kaki-friendly.