I've got two more curling leaves (at the top of the plant, like yesterday) with more webbing and I'm guessing eggs inside of the curl. The lily beetle was likely just a suspicious visitor as there was no sign of one this morning.

Anyone know what is doing it and what can be done to remedy the situation?

~Chills

If the residue in the leaves is white powdery stuff you may have the persimmon psylla. They go after new leaves and they curl them like you mention. Google for more information on them.

Scott

they could be beneficial spiders and would leave them alone.

had it not damaged 4 leaves in the past 2 days (and its still a small tree, maybe only about 20 leaves total) I wouldn't be as concerned.

I did some research on the psylla and while the symptoms do seem there (the curl, the webbing and the white dust, eggs) I didn't see anything like the pics online yet. I will be treating the tree with neem tonight (once the danger of rain has passed)

One would think I'm well out of the native range of psylla here in Michigan. Other than this little problem, the tree is doing well, though.

~Chills

I guess I can easily identify spiders the way they roll the leaves for their nest. I used to catch a lot of spiders and play with them as a kid. usually it is the bigger mature leaves that are rolled by spiders, like a simple fold, not rolling them up like tobacco, just a simple fold held together by webbing. then you can see the small tunnel inside, sometimes just egg sac covered with webbing, and sometimes the spider herself is inside on guard.

haven't seen how psyllids do their thing.

Chills:

I planted 3 kaki persimmons this spring from Womack Nursery in Texas. Bareroots, they were late to leaf out, but then really exploded in June. I began to see some leaf curling by mid-June, and sprayed permethrin with a 1-qt. trigger sprayer. Problem solved.

I wouldn't use neem on a bet. Had my experience with neem several seasons ago. Useless stuff.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

I've got permethrin dust, I'll use that instead. Thanks for the recommendation.

So, how big/old do these trees have to get before they start producing fruit?

~Chills

Chills, I am getting my first fruit this year, their 5th year. This is probably the upper limit, the persimmon psylla severely stunted my trees for several years plus the cicadas got 'em bad another year.

Scott

It can fruit the very year you planted them, but then again, depends upon how old they were when you bought them from the nursery retail outlet and the handling they have suffered from unmotivated uninterested employees.

Take note that if you multi-graft persimmon trees, when you graft unto Coffee Cake persimmon stock, the scionwood would bloom and bear fruit also that very same year without affecting the vigor very much. But alas, Coffee Cake is not as cold hardy as the other oriental persimmons.

Scott,

Did you use something to control the psylla?