JBP soft needles suddenly

[BonsaiDTLA]

hi all,

I’ve never come across this so I’m not sure what it is.

One of my jbp’s has suddenly developed something causing the needles to become abnormally soft and limp.

It seems to be spreading to other parts of the tree.

whole clusters of needles has also turned brown.

It’s been having full sun, haven’t missed any watering, and it’s been treated the same as my other jbps.

I’ve separated it from the others in case it is some disease that could spread.

Any ideas on what this is? I don’t see any pests and I’ve never come across this before. this is the only JBP showing these signs out of many in my garden.

 

[Paradox]

You say you haven't missed a watering.
How often do you water it?
What has the weather been like where you are?
When was it last repotted?
Where are you? Your profile says "Pacific southwest" so San Diego/southern California?

 

[bwaynef]

Was this tree repotted this spring?

 

[n8]

I have also experienced this "limp pine syndrome," particularly in younger JBPs. I've been meaning to post about it because I haven't seen the topic in another thread.

I have cut back on watering and it seems to help. So many of my 2-5 year pines just take off in our long growing season and then droop in the summer months.

I have a more advanced JBP that went limp and moving it into a pond basket helped dramatically. Again, I was probably overwatering.

The lesson: Even when we're at 100°+, I should not compensate with water, but use more shade.

Where are you? Your profile says "Pacific southwest" so San Diego/southern California?

BonsaiDTLA - DTLA is Downtown Los Angeles, but third image looks like they're a little outside downtown.

 

[BonsaiDTLA]

You say you haven't missed a watering.
How often do you water it?
What has the weather been like where you are?
When was it last repotted?
Where are you? Your profile says "Pacific southwest" so San Diego/southern California?

I’m doing once a day unless it’s extremely hot, I’ll do twice a day.
Its been high 80s - mid 90s
Last repot was by the first owner, was told a year ago. Tree is originally from San Diego, I’m in Los Angeles.

 

[BonsaiDTLA]

Was this tree repotted this spring?

According to the original owner, yes it was repotted. But I didn’t do the repotting as this is a newer tree in my garden.

 

[Paradox]

It looks like pretty fresh soil so I'd guess it was repotted this year. It also looks like the standard lava, pumice and akadama mix. That mix is impossible to overwater, it just doesnt happen. I use it here where it's much cooler and water every day and I have never seen this. I highly doubt it's overwatering.

If anything I would think it's heat although 80s and 90s isnt that hot for a jbp. Unless it just didn't have enough time to recover from the repot

 

[bwaynef]

I believe this tree is feeling the effects of the repot. The heat of summer was finally too much for it and its begun to shed branches. Hopefully things will stabilize. May want to get it into a little shade in the hottest part of the day.

 

[Paradox]

I believe this tree is feeling the effects of the repot. The heat of summer was finally too much for it and its begun to shed branches. Hopefully things will stabilize. May want to get it into a little shade in the hottest part of the day.

Yea that's what I am thinking too

 

[MaciekA]

My guess would be that the shoot in question was bonked by an elbow or had some other thing (borer , whatever) interrupt sap flow to the shoot in a very short period of time.

You don’t get a basal shoot on a pine going suddenly flaccid from too much sun. The post repot effects described above would affect apical shoots first, as they demand water much more strongly than basal ones. A “still suffering from repot” effect would either be apical or global. Something affected this one shoot.