Let's start out with the good news, and that is that the fire blight in your area will not affect your Asian persimmon. Due to the cool, wet spring, fire blight has been rampant and many home orchard growers have been experiencing it.

Now to address your problem, persimmons, whether native or Asian, can be attacked by persimmon psyllids. They will attack new growth on the trees and leave a whitish residue inside the leaves, like you are describing. It is not recommended to prune the insect damage off since this will encourage new growth on the tree which will encourage the psyllids all over again. Dormant oil spray during the winter or early spring before the leaves come out will help with infestation. Here is a link for more information: Persimmon Psyllid | NC State Extension Publications (ncsu.edu) If you want to manage the existing infestation, try using insecticidal soap which will have the least amount of environmental impact.

From my research, I have found that the psyllid don't like the summer heat and therefore the populations will decline naturally in the summer heat. A natural enemy of the persimmon psyllid is a parasitic wasp so a healthy landscape is always a good idea.

If you choose to apply dormant oil spray in the late winter, make sure to cover all sides of the branches and all of the trunk including the area around the base of the tree. Many pests like to overwinter at the base of the tree or bark so a good dormant oil application can help to smother them. Please make sure to follow the label instructions carefully.

I hope this helps with your persimmon issues. If not, reach out again and we will try to answer any further questions.

Thank you,

Kat,

Master Gardener, Durham County