Need advice.

[MrSatsuki]

All of the needles are turning brown on one of the branches on my white pine. It’s getting good light and watered 3 times per week.

 

[Dav4]

That branch is dead…

 

[Paradox]

Agree with Dave. The branch is a goner. Trees will sometimes lose a branch for one reason or another

 

[Shibui]

The rest of the tree looks healthy so probably not a systemic issue.
Small branches can die for many reasons:
Injury - the branch may have been bumped or bent by someone passing, sometimes something has dropped from above and knocked that branch. The damage often doesn't show for several weeks and by them we may have forgotten what happened. Rough wiring can also cause trauma and death. Often the damage is internal and not visible from the outside. Smaller branches are not as strong so more susceptible to damage.
Lack of light - small, interior branches that don't get enough sun will slowly die.
The tree may decide that small branch is not doing enough so shuts off supply of nutrient/water.
Occasionally root damage can impact a branch that's strongly connected to that/those root(s)
Sometimes it just happens.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Tree will survive. You have options for removal and possible jin.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Revealing location on profile gets better advice. Maybe died of embarrassment from terrible graft.

.

 

[Shogun610]

That graft … yyyuuuueeessshhhhhh

 

[Dav4]

Revealing location on profile gets better advice. Maybe died of embarrassment from terrible graft.

.

You're an ass...

 

[Tieball]

I'll admit, if that lower curvy part of trunk is the the original tree trunk and the next trunk section is a graft, that’s a strange looking graft union. Maybe the photo angle produced the odd shaping though.

 

[Dav4]

The tree is an imported JWP grafted on JBP root stock. There are thousands of these that have been imported into the USA over the last few decades. I had one early on in my bonsai journey. If the tree lives another decade or two, the JWP will start barking up and the graft will begin to blend with the root stock. Not my cup of tea anymore but who are we to judge what one puts on their own bench... for all we know, it could be the OP's favorite tree. If I had posted a picture of my little grafted JWP back in the day and some ass crapped all over it because it was grafted, that could have crushed me because it WAS one of my favorite trees back then. Pottie talks a good game here, ever willing to dump on members and their trees when the opportunity arises, but he has NEVER... EVER... posted a tree of his own here. It's an old, old act that's not aging well imo. @Potawatomi13, you reprimanded me once for calling you "Pottie", a truncation of your user name and apparently lacking respect in your eyes... sooooo ironic when I see how callous and disrespectful you are here.

 

[MaciekA]

I agree with the advice that was well-stated by @Shibui , this is a familiar sight in white pines or "slower" pines. A weak shoot in a white pine which is shaded out by much stronger nearby branches can sometimes be abandoned by the tree as other branches or shoots relatively "race away with vigor" and out-demand the weak shoot for stored sugars. A cycle of weakness-begets-weakness happens in shaded conditions. The way I try to avoid this in my slower or white pines is by wiring the whole tree to minimize self-shading within the tree as much as possible, and then I also make sure to habitually rotate and relocate trees to ensure all parts of the canopies are well-exposed to light. @MrSatsuki , you may not be able to save this one particular shoot, but having now seen what happens to shaded out growth, you may be able to (mostly) prevent this in the future, or prevent a larger-scale example of it (i.e. loss of a wholly-shaded out branch).

@Potawatomi13 I think you should apologize to OP because this isn't helpful advice and I think it hurts the forum. The tree may not impress you, but as @Dav4 said, grafts can blend, and this is a common way to produce white pine material -- if a newcomer was proud to have this tree, I would agree there is lots of potential. This is the OP's first post to the forum. As a long time member of this forum, and as an Oregonian bonsai enthusiast, you should strive to do better. You have liked my comments in the past, which suggests that you might respect me. So from someone you respect: Be a better representative of the Willamette Valley bonsai community than you currently are. Raise people and their material up, don't tear them down. As a tree-shy person myself, I respect your decision not to share your trees, but if you shit on people pathologically or habitually, you're gonna have to put up or shut up eventually. Either be nice and keep your trees hidden, or prove that you're a hot shot with the best material around and prepare to take it the way you dish it.

 

[Japonicus]

I'm not concerned with the graft

JWP to JBP root stock 2005 on eBay at time of purchase

My DSLR is down ATM but will post a more current picture I have on hand

March 28th 2023 prior to repotting.
It will blend. This one has been blended for some years now.

As for the branch dying, it's a non issue. I figure it got bent and broke the cambium layer at some point.
If there is inverse taper in the top 1/3 of the tree as it appears to be on the pc screen (not in person)
then I understand the cause for concern with this branch loss due to position.
However, just to its left is a good contender for a new direction of the trunk, jinning the rest some day.

My concern is with the watering schedule, lack of O2 in the roots, and light.
Then there's where the location in your profile could help as I do not see actively growing candles.
So maybe, perhaps, the watering schedule is ok for today, but I have strong doubts.
I've just pinched most all my candles back 75% on this JWP variety.
Full Sun mate, no heavy feeding till needle sheaths drop.

 

[Potawatomi13]

The tree is an imported JWP grafted on JBP root stock. There are thousands of these that have been imported into the USA over the last few decades. I had one early on in my bonsai journey. If the tree lives another decade or two, the JWP will start barking up and the graft will begin to blend with the root stock. Not my cup of tea anymore but who are we to judge what one puts on their own bench... for all we know, it could be the OP's favorite tree. If I had posted a picture of my little grafted JWP back in the day and some ass crapped all over it because it was grafted, that could have crushed me because it WAS one of my favorite trees back then. Pottie talks a good game here, ever willing to dump on members and their trees when the opportunity arises, but he has NEVER... EVER... posted a tree of his own here. It's an old, old act that's not aging well imo. @Potawatomi13, you reprimanded me once for calling you "Pottie", a truncation of your user name and apparently lacking respect in your eyes... sooooo ironic when I see how callous and disrespectful you are here.

Being blind and a liar are not good qualities. Several trees personally posted here over time. IF had been looking. Few "rules" of Bonsai absolutes personally. However ugly grafts are absolute! Whatever happened to honesty and truth and sense of humor?

 

[Dav4]

Being blind and a liar are not good qualities. Several trees personally posted here over time. IF had been looking. Few "rules" of Bonsai absolutes personally. However ugly grafts are absolute! Whatever happened to honesty and truth and sense of humor?

Your sense of humor sucks…. And please link the threads with your “personally posted” trees. I’d love to check them out.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Your sense of humor sucks…. And please link the threads with your “personally posted” trees. I’d love to check them out.

Not a chance! Do own research under Bristlecone Pine, Douglas Fir. Maybe will find. Will not waste personal time for likes of you.

 

[Dav4]

Not a chance! Do own research under Bristlecone Pine, Douglas Fir. Maybe will find. Will not waste personal time for likes of you.

So predictable, and I personally don't really want to see your trees as I don't need or care for your advice... but maybe the OP might like to see them???. Anyway, most of the more experienced members here know your MO and give it the weight it’s due, which isn’t much. The newer members don’t know what they don’t know and your comments can be hurtful and mean. You need to grow up instead of trying to act like an Internet tough guy.

 

[Japonicus]

All of the needles are turning brown on one of the branches on my white pine. It’s getting good light and watered 3 times per week.

I'm not very good at this kind of thing with what free software came with my 2012 PC but
this is the idea I had when I suggested a good contender for replacing the top .
It would induce better taper I think. I like your tree and would be happy to have it on my bench.
Wiring done in the Fall of course.

How is the water passing through when you water it 3x/wk? Does it pond on top at all or pass through quickly
or average? If it's ponding at all, this would probably be a good time to repot.
Where are you located?