What's eating my chocolate persimmon?

Chocolate Persimmon (Diospyros kaki 'Chocolate'), like all oriental kaki cultivars, is most seriously threatened by scale insects on branches and bark. Persimmon borers, mealybugs, and deer browsing also cause damage. Regular dormant-oil sprays and physical trunk protection keep most problems manageable.

Armored waxy bumps on bark and branches; sap loss causes dieback, leaf yellowing, and honeydew-fueled sooty mold. Spray thorough dormant horticultural oil in late winter; use a soft brush on trunk infestations; release scale predators (Aphytis wasps) if available.

Larvae bore into lower trunk and roots; frass and sawdust at the base; progressive decline of the tree. Keep trunk clear of soil contact; remove infested wood; apply entomopathogenic nematodes around the root zone in late summer.

White cottony clusters in branch crotches and leaf axils; sticky honeydew drops; leaf yellowing and reduced fruit size. Dab small colonies with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab; spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil; encourage ladybird beetles as natural predators.

Bark rubbing and stripping in autumn and winter; browsing of low branches reduces the canopy and stresses young trees. Fit rigid plastic or wire tree guards on the trunk; apply commercial deer repellent to lower branches; fence the planting if deer pressure is persistent.