Purchased at the end of May and planted June 1. This persimmon had a poorly developed root system, the soilless mix all fell away when I cut away the pot.

Planted in a hole amended only with some crabshell meal, kelp meal, and a bit of lime. Very conservative. Mulched with pine bark mulch and kept evenly moist but not too wet with a tree gator jr.

It's looking quite stressed there are some leaf hoppers and aphids or maybe persimmon psyllid. Some leaves are curled inward and secured with a webbing/silk type of material. Very small ants are frequenting these leaves.

There also seem to be small fissures in the bark. Only one or two.

I dusted with Bonide Garden Dust last Saturday, June 15. Just last night, June 20, I noticed more inward curling of the leaves and aphids and sprayed with insecticidal soap.

This evening the ants have returned. What are my options moving forward? I am thinking it may need some shade, as it gets 8+ hours of full sun. Your advice is appreciated.

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