Princess Persimmon shedding leaves

[ragenmoan]

Hello Folks!

Interesting issue with only 1 of my many Princess Persimmon trees. Every year, in later part of summer, only this 1 tree sheds over 50% of its leaves. The dropped leaves have black veins. This has been happening for past 7 years. Tree was root pruned and transplanted 2 years ago. It also produces more sucker growth than any of the other trees. I either cut them off or root prune and pot them (think I'm going to start selling them, have too many now). I was told and I'm concerned the sucker growth may be an indication of a dying tree.

Fruit production has been a little low (I think kinda difficult to pollinate the flowers since the male flowers blossom quite a bit earlier than the female flowers). I live the San Francisco Bay area. All trees grow under about 50% shade. I water my bonsai almost daily with water from my koi pond with small amount of Miracid (we have hard Hetch Hetchy water and I also have Satsukis).

Anyone know why this tree keeps shedding its leaves?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I have only owned PP for a couple years, but mine do that too if it’s any consolation. Roots and trunk are black, so I assume the pigment is throughout the tree, and didn’t get too worried when I saw the black color on the leaf veins.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I don't have a solution for you, other that to note that since moving to NoCar, I have noticed a bit more fungus on my Princess Persimmons. I have lost a couple of small one-year old trees to what I believe was fungus. I have moved them into full sun (they were in partial sun in SoCal), and started treating with a systemic fungicide. I also see some black spots on some of your leaves - a definite sign of fungus. I would definitely treat for fungus... because there is no downside that I am aware of.

All PP throw sucker growth pretty heavily, but I notice it most often when I repot or stress the roots in some fashion. A general comment - based on the legginess of your growth, I wonder whether your tree is getting enough sun.

 

[ragenmoan]

Thanx for your replies! Have to admit I was stunned to see the fur ball type black roots at first but it is normal. Will try spraying to arrest the fungus (maybe the copper stuff I use for my grape vines or the rose black spot stuff). Been having some pretty significant heat waves here in the SF bay area so a bit hesitant to move them into more sun. Many of my Satsuki have already been sun burned despite being in the shade.

 

[River's Edge]

Thanx for your replies! Have to admit I was stunned to see the fur ball type black roots at first but it is normal. Will try spraying to arrest the fungus (maybe the copper stuff I use for my grape vines or the rose black spot stuff). Been having some pretty significant heat waves here in the SF bay area so a bit hesitant to move them into more sun. Many of my Satsuki have already been sun burned despite being in the shade.

I have been growing some princess persimmon from seed. germinated spring 2016. After encountering simian growth issues I moved the seedlings to a grow bed in full sun. The grow bed substrate is primarily pumice and I am using organic fertilizer. Since then the issues have resolved and the growth is excellent! I attribute the change to improved drainage around the roots , better sunlight access and better air movement. The grow bed is in the open.
Prior I experienced blackening, early and frequent leaf drop as well as some black or orange spotting. I assumed all issues were fungal in origin. Requires more frequent watering but fungal issues are no longer. Just prior to moving the plants in the fall I treated with Bonide infuse granular to deal with fungal issue prior to changing the set up. Once it appeared the fungal issues were resolved and the plants returning to health I transplanted in the grow bed to grow out. I did very limited rootwork at transplant time due to the prior weakness of the plants.
The pictures are taken from above, just for reference each plant now has a main trunk of approximately 30 to 36 inch length. They are contorted from early wiring to introduce movement in the lower portion. Will be grown out for four or five years from this point, then reassessed!
Long story short advice. Improve drainage, sun and air movement. treat for fungal issues, persimmon are prone to fungal issues.
The pictures below should illustrate healthy condition of leaves and plants.