I agree with fruitnut that the source of this problem probably originates in the roots or is otherwise systemic rather than a process that is affecting the leaves individually. In addition to water damage from poor drainage previously mentioned, you should consider a few other possibilities: I would expect a tree the size of yours to need a fairly large root ball. Some nurseries will severely root prune field grown trees and stick them in containers for sale. Under nursery conditions they may hold their own, but once planted in the garden, the remaining root mass may not be adequate to meet the requirements of the tree, and it will go into decline. If you find this is the case, you'll need to pay particularly close attention to the water needs of the tree through the summer and then just hope for the best. Check for signs of borer damage both above and below the soil line as these can cause a similar picture. Also, consider the effects of any lawn chemicals/herbicides that you are using in the vicinity of the tree.

As a child growing up in a small rural town located on sandy loam soils about 30 miles west of the Mississippi river and just north of Missouri's southeastren boothill country, my mother and I used to pick a few persimmons from a single scrubby looking speciman tree growing wild along the edge of a farmer's field. After the first freeze of the fall, the tree had some persimmons that appeared orange and well formed. The feel of those were hard, and they were not sweet enough to eat. The ones we picked off the tree had taken on a puckered and more dark-skinned appearance. The darker and more puckered the fruit the better the persimmon tasted. From a child's point of view, I could not understand why the fruit we ate could taste so good, when it almost appeared spoiled on the outside, and the tree's pretty fruit that had not puckered enough yet remained too sour to eat. There must have been a male persimmon tree fairly close by, but I never noticed it, due to my experience with encountering such a scrubby formed female tree. Instead, it was only the female tree's amazing fruit which caught all my attention.

Forgot you wanted the bread recipe too. Persimmon Bread 1 cup persimmon pulp 2 teaspoons baking soda 3 cups white sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 4 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2/3 cup water 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup chopped walnuts DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F Grease three 6x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together the persimmon pulp and baking soda. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken the pulp. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend until smooth. Mix in persimmon pulp and water alternately with flour. Fold in nuts. Divide batter into the prepared pans, filling each pan 2/3 full. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

I've never tried to propagate that particular species, so I don't know such things as how long it usually takes to root. Hopefully someone with knowledge specific to that plant sees your post. However, I think most cuttings are killed by one of four things: 1. Medium is too wet and your cuttings rot. I think this is by far the most common problem when using the method you describe. Air humidity is too low and your cuttings wilt. 3. You didn't provide the right conditions for your cutting to root and a cutting can only live so long without roots. 4. The species either can't propagate from cuttings or is so difficult to propagate from cuttings that the method used is extremely unlikely to yield results. As I said, I don't have the information to address 3 or 4, and they are the least likely culprits anyway. Although I said 1 is the most common problem, it doesn't sound like it is the cause in your case. However, you should take a close look at the stems. If they appear to be black or brown at the base where they meet the medium, and especially if the black or brown is creeping upwards over time, they are rotting. My best guess though, based on what you said, is that we're dealing with 2 here. It sounds like you might have overcompensated for the mold and reduced the humidity too much. This too much/too little battle about humidity is something I struggle with too. One thing I did recently is that I bought a very inexpensive humidity monitor (about $7). It won't necessarily stop me from screwing it up, but it gives me some peace of mind that indeed the humidity is high enough. I'd say that if the medium is not wet but only damp and you see no blackening or browning of the stems, then you should reestablish your original humidity level.