What is causing my JBP's to wilt?

Hello All,
These are all new 1 gal. Japanese Black Pines bought from the same nursery in Garland Texas.
I live in Dallas Texas, Zone 8. We have been having 90-95 F temps which are 5 degrees below normal.
The trees’ roots are protected by shade, but there may be other root issues going on…
Suspecting some kind of bug or fungus? I was hoping someone might recognize it and tell me the miracle treatment that will cure them before they die.  

Are they too wet or dry? Pines generally like a moist soil that is not too wet. A good balance of water and oxygen is optimal. The typical nursery mix will retain water for quite some time, but it can also be hard to rewet once it dries. Have you pulled any of them out of the pot to check the soil? If dry in the interior, I would soak them and then watch them for drying before rewatering.

Marty Weiser,

Once they started to wilt, I was reticent to lift them out to look. I think it was either bad soil (basic nursery miix) or fungus. These trees died within a week of the post, but all of my other JBP's, which are in a Boon-type mix of akadama, lava and pumice, are healthy. I went back to the nursery and noticed that he still had several of the same lot of trees, and they were all a nice toasty cinnamon brown.

How often do/did you water them?

timahlen wrote:Hello All,
These are all new 1 gal. Japanese Black Pines bought from the same nursery in Garland Texas.
I live in Dallas Texas, Zone 8. We have been having 90-95 F temps which are 5 degrees below normal.
The trees’ roots are protected by shade, but there may be other root issues going on…
Suspecting some kind of bug or fungus? I was hoping someone might recognize it and tell me the miracle treatment that will cure them before they die.  

Japanese pines can be susceptible to pine wilt disease. This disease was first identified in Japan around 1905, according to the U.S. Forest Service. However, the cause, the pinewood nematode, wasn't identified until 1971. Pine wilt is fatal within 30 to 90 days of infestation. Japanese black pines can also be susceptible to tip blight disease. However, insects like sawflies and the Nantucket tip moth can cause symptoms virtually identical to tip blight disease.

Treatments
How the disease or problem is treated will depend on the cause. Pine wood nematodes are always fatal. There is no treatment. In fact, in order to prevent spread to nearby trees, you will need to remove and destroy the affected trees. Needle blight and insect problems similar to needle blight aren't generally fatal to the tree. Treatment with fungicides and insecticides can sometimes be effective.

Japanese pines can be susceptible to pine wilt disease.
Needle blight and insect problems similar to needle blight aren't generally fatal to the tree.
Identification
Pinewood nematodes cause a general wilting of needles. After the wilting, the needles will turn yellow and then brown. Eventually, the tree will die. Nematodes spread from tree to tree via an insect called a pine sawyer. Needle blight starts with two- or three-year-old needles dying back from the tip. If the needles have narrow black bodies on the back, it is likely blight. If not, the needles could be dying because of insects.

Pinewood nematodes cause a general wilting of needles.
Prevention
The best way to avoid problems with your Japanese black pine trees is to ensure proper growing conditions. Trees that are stressed, either by lack of sun or water, can be more susceptible to disease than healthy trees. Japanese black pines do best in full sun. Although generally considered a drought-resistant tree, giving your tree an inch or two of water per week will help to reduce the risk of stresses from lack of water.

Everyone talks about watering, BUT other issues may be occurring. I would take one of the more affected pines out of its pot and check the roots.
Something that people forget about is the surface temperature effect on the bottom roots. Are your trees on concrete or dirt? If concrete, there may
be heat coming from the concrete into the root base.