That tree looks mostly okay. The top of the rootstock has died and decayed leaving a good sized defect, and that may be an issue down the road, but I don't think that is the cause of your current observations. American persimmon trees can look a bit droopy this time of year but improve as the season goes on. This year in particular a lot of folks are getting more rain than they would want, and this can take a toll on young persimmon trees. Short of taking a look for signs of borer damage and small mammal damage, I would do nothing and hope for the best.

Last August I moved from the Eugene valley into the Southwest hills ~800-900 ft. above sea-level last year the herds of deer, who quickly decimated nearly all of the plants with which I had brought. Deer danced right up the concrete steps and ate all the tomato plants, leaves and green tomatoes and all. They crunched on them like they were apples. Pretty much anything tropical they ignore (banana, palm, indoor tropical - actually they even nibbled on my bananas last year but this year there are many more other interesting plants) as well as yucca, prickly pear. This year after the plants had gotten a spring start, the deer pruned my fig, persimmon, pomegranate, daisies (flower), marigold, fuchsia (yummy), currant, grape, strawberry, aronia, blueberry, sea berries, mulberry, thorn less blackberry, flame azalea, sea berries, Canna lily, apple tree (they knocked my columnar in a pot over to get to it), goji berry, honey berry, cherry, pear, and another vaccinium. I let them freely prune the ivy the previous owners had left in a protected pot. They haven't touched the creeping cranberry, creeping raspberry, any fern, hardy orange, gardenia, any of the 4 varieties of palm or bananas or (the large windmill palms survived the hard freeze last winter, and the hardy bananas came back, although I do ensure much mulch is added pre-freeze). I do a lot of moving pots to and fro the porch when I leave for work and go to bed, and I plant and set plants in between the large set of juniper and creeping piney something in the front yard. I have been growing beans in hanging pots (if I hang them too low they become convenient snacks for brave, hungry bucks). I plant all flower and edibles with herbs. In a bowl of flowers, curry is quite attractive. Oh yes... they leave my delphinium, spikes, foxglove, snapdragon, alone. Last year the deer chomped and threw my hens and chicks around but have abandoned them for yummier stuff this summer. Oh they even ate the new growth off of a new Rhodie, they killed my camellia, and they have nearly killed a laurel I put up for a screen. I got a larger wax leaf laurel (?) and it seems to be okay right now. They love the fuchsias and petunias and daisies and will leave everything else alone just to eat the blooms. They haven't yet touched my elephant ear that just came up, but they did eat the cyclamen flowers. If we have a hot and/or dry spell, I'm afraid I'll have to put up more barriers, although fences aren't allowed.

Tony, thank you for the advice! I've read many of your posts on this forum, and your experience and talent are amazing! I have been browsing catalogs. Starks has Yates and Prok, and Burnt Ridge has some too. I might have room for one. They start very small. i sent Burnt Ridge an email about their scion. I have a feeling that will bear, before the small freestanding trees will bear. I grafted pollenizing varieties of plums onto self sterile ones, for better fruit production. I've thought about growing those seeds. So I could see that working like you describe for the Ukranian varieties. Seems like a clever method! Thank you again for the reply! Daniel

Thank for the advice. I have planted about a dozen fruit trees, besides many flower trees and roses. Other than some roses and cedar tree, most of them survived the winter without problem. I paid attention to the root flare, and put several inches thick of mulch around the trees for wintering. All the other fruit trees like peach and pear survived the last two really harsh winters. So I do not think my planting, even if less than maximum perfect, is responsible for the death of the persimmon tree. What I am upset about this persimmon tree is that I was hesitant to spend $70 from the beginning, simply because I have heard a lot of horror stories about Asian Persimmon trees frozen to death in winter, as far south as New Jersey. Needless to say, I have not yet see a successful case in New England for Asian Persimmon. I was persuade by the label of zone 6, and Mahoney's "expert's" claim of withstanding -10 degree Fahrenheit in winter. I am a gardening enthusiast, and carefully monitor my local temperature. Last two winters are already among the harshest in New England, and the lowest temperature I observed is -1 degree Fahrenheit. I was too naive to put two and two together and expect four. I was laughably naive to assume that Mahoney's warranty of 1 year actually means anything. Now I am thinking of it, it is not very reasonable to expect a low-profit local nursery to honor its warranty. I had good experience with Spring Hill Nursery, who honored its warranty and send me replacement of other kind of flowers when their lavender failed to establish in my garden. It is a pity that Spring Hill Nursery does not carry many fruit trees. That is why I want to leave my experience as a record for everyone in Garden Web or in general public. Try Asian Persimmon in New England only if you are fully prepared to lose the tree and the warranty protection from the store.