Twin pines. Disease or hard winter

[Johma]

Hello everyone. I need some advice on these jbp. I ordered them online in October, they arrived at the end of the month. They’re from the same grower and have been treated the same. You can see one isn’t doing very well and the other looks fine. Can anyone spot a disease or does it look like one is taking a winter beating? I simply took them out of the box sat them with my other stuff and watered when needed. Thanks for the help

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I think you might have watered them too much.
I've seen this happen to my red pines in fall when they were standing in water. They dropped branches that turned brown like this.

It could be fungal, but in my case the root cause was root death.
There's no cure for that. But to mediate the effects of a soggy soil you can always punch a couple dozen holes in the pots.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Possibly bad cold spell or soil dried out? Recently delivered from warmer climate and shocked by cold?

 

[Johma]

I think you might have watered them too much.
I've seen this happen to my red pines in fall when they were standing in water. They dropped branches that turned brown like this.

It could be fungal, but in my case the root cause was root death.
There's no cure for that. But to mediate the effects of a soggy soil you can always punch a couple dozen holes in the pots.

I was thinking over watering might be the issue. They arrived late fall and are in there original soil and nursery pot. Waiting for warmer weather to repot. We have another 45 days of hard winter. Thanks

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I wouldn't repot these just yet. They're weak and a repot might do them dirty.
Consider heating up a nail and puncturing the pot all around, then watch your watering for a year. They should perk up, reward you with good growth and be ready for a repot in early fall maybe.
It's the safer of the two options, but I'm a risk taker myself and I won't judge you for doing a repot in spring.

 

[Johma]

Possibly bad cold spell or soil dried out? Recently delivered from warmer climate and shocked by cold?

I’m hoping it’s the cold and not a disease. They came from S Oregon. They had been put through a freeze before I got them it’s warmer here. Maybe one lost its dormancy moving from colder to warmer. They weren’t that expensive but the browning one has a better crooked trunk. Thanks for the help

 

[Potawatomi13]

Can always wire another trunk. Possibly will survive.