Help; JBP bonsai brown needles

[Haidr]

Hi fellow bonsai enthusiasts. I have yet another issue I need help with. I recently purchased a JBP bonsai and the older needles have brown tips. The bonsai nursery guy told me just fertilise it and water it regularly and that would resolve the problem. Can someone please let me know if I should cut the brown needles or let them be? Also, if it can be something else like fungus etc? New needles seem to be fine without any brown tips or spots.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

I see banding that is indicative of needlecast fungus

The brown tips could also be a different type of fungus, I believe this is also a needlecast

I will leave naming the fungus to more experienced members who will be along later.

Needlecast never really goes away and you need to stay on top of treatment, I don't know what fungicide is available in AUS but there are members on here from AUS who may be able to point you in the right direction

Treatment advice can be found here: https://www.bonsainut.com/resources/dormant-season-spraying-part-3-pine-trees.38/

100% certain that fertiliser and water will NOT resolve the problem, this raises issues for me with the place you bought it, needlecast is really common in pines, they either knew what it was and mislead you, or they didn't know what it was which would make me wary before buying more trees from them (particularly pines)

You should also remove the effected needles and dispose of them properly, don't drop them in your garden.

 

[Haidr]

Thanks for your reply. I think the nursery mislead me. I asked them if it was a disease, he ensured me it wasn’t and just because of tree not getting enough fertilisation etc and hot weather and the problem would go away. I’ll definitely be paying them a visit tomorrow

 

[Haidr]

@Shibui can you please help me determine if this is a needlecast fungus? Can it be treated? If not then I’ll go to the nursery tomorrow I bought it from. They mislead me and I payed $500 for this bonsai

 

[Shibui]

I can only see one needle with horizontal stripes so I doubt this is Dothostroma.
Brown tips are not Dothostroma. Much more likely from dehydration at some stage - obviously before the new needles started to grow in Spring. Some of the needles have been trimmed at some stage. That also results in brown tips.
Looks like this one was decandled recently but it's hard to see how many new buds are forming from these pictures. The tree appears reasonably healthy but not overly strong. I would probably take the risk and fertilise this summer to try to build up strength and energy rather than hoping it will be strong enough as is. We can always suppress overly strong growth but can't make much with no growth if the tree is too weak.

Looks like a nice JBP and probably worth the $500. Which nursery?

 

[Haidr]

I can only see one needle with horizontal stripes so I doubt this is Dothostroma.
Brown tips are not Dothostroma. Much more likely from dehydration at some stage - obviously before the new needles started to grow in Spring. Some of the needles have been trimmed at some stage. That also results in brown tips.
Looks like this one was decandled recently but it's hard to see how many new buds are forming from these pictures. The tree appears reasonably healthy but not overly strong. I would probably take the risk and fertilise this summer to try to build up strength and energy rather than hoping it will be strong enough as is. We can always suppress overly strong growth but can't make much with no growth if the tree is too weak.

Looks like a nice JBP and probably worth the $500. Which nursery?

I can only see one needle with horizontal stripes so I doubt this is Dothostroma.
Brown tips are not Dothostroma. Much more likely from dehydration at some stage - obviously before the new needles started to grow in Spring. Some of the needles have been trimmed at some stage. That also results in brown tips.
Looks like this one was decandled recently but it's hard to see how many new buds are forming from these pictures. The tree appears reasonably healthy but not overly strong. I would probably take the risk and fertilise this summer to try to build up strength and energy rather than hoping it will be strong enough as is. We can always suppress overly strong growth but can't make much with no growth if the tree is too weak.

Looks like a nice JBP and probably worth the $500. Which nursery?

Shibui! Thanks mate! I love the bonsai and was worried. I got it from Bonsai Sensation in NarreWarren. They got a lot of JBP. And Yes, mostly all the tips are burned. The nursery guy did mention it was sitting in the sun all summer and that could have caused it. They have already done the decandeling and new buds are there. I’ll post pictures in the morning. Would you recommend any fungicide just as an precaution?