Burr knots are just root primordia waiting to be exposed to soil to sprout full roots. I'm surprised you guys are seeing them on Gala as I've not observed it on them. Northern Spy is the one I frequently see them on but also some other varieties. I'm told that Northern Spy roots easily from cuttings and I assume this to be the reason. Burr knots have never been a problem for me but I guess you need to be on the lookout for opportunistic insects and disease. Doesn't seem to be an issue in southeastern NY where I am, however, as I see these a lot on very old apple trees that have often survived a century of neglect. They are always on 111 rootstock which has also not been a problem in my region.

See link on pear scab (aka blackspot). As I mentioned earlier, immunox should take care of it, although as the article says, it's not as severe or devastating as apple scab. Regarding your apples, I posit leafhopper b/c the upper leaves of your apples are curled, a result of the leafhoppers sucking the sap out of them. If you can kill the leafhopper nymphs (often seen on underside of leaves) it will be easier to control damage in future. Insecticidal soap, pyrethrins, and imidacloprid are all apparently effective, esp. the last as it's systemic in leaves -ie suck the sap, and bang your dead:).Honestly, you could probably ignore all of it and be OK, as they're not devastating issues. Here is a link that might be useful: blackspot

A common mistake is to try to fill a hole for a tree with non-native soil. As pointed out above, this can create a "bowl" where water will collect and drown the roots. It can also cause a problem with the tree not wanting to send roots out into the native soil. Dig the hole wider than deep, mix in a bit of amendments, but primarily use the native soil to fill back in. Re blueberries in pots, I would highly suggest reading another long thread on pot mixes. Container Soils - Water Movement and Retention XIX As I've played around this spring with various mixes in setting up blueberries in pots, the principles in that thread have been very useful in creating a mix that keeps the roots moist, but doesn't drown the roots. As Bradybb suggested, I've settled on a mix that is primarily composted pine bark fines of an appropriate size mix to provide an appropriate balance between moisture retention and adequate drainage. Adjust the amount of peat moss to adjust moisture retention. The bark and peat mix will start you off with the right pH for a healthy plant.

--"Leaf shows water stress, as in not enough getting to the top. "-- Curious if the soil is reading so soggy why it's having that issue. I wonder what else would stop it from being able to pull the water from the ground. I have a total of 5 trees planted pretty much the same way and all the others dry out in a few days to a week, and this one does not. --"If still hot, temporary shade might help." -- Over the weekend I removed the red wood mulch entirely to see if that helps with the soil drainage, and did a mulching of pure compost in the basin and 1 foot around the bricks for now. Last week I also added a 30% shade sunblock cloth over the tree to hope to reduce the direct heat. So far no change. --"Using your handy ever-present moisture meter -- a finger -- inserted into the soil and rootball is much more reliable than a meter device. "-- I did so and basically found, yet it's damp to moist. Pretty much a less accurate version of what I found by metering. not sure why that is more reliable. --"Also check for borer damage around the graft union"-- Could you be a bit more specific on what I'm looking for an where; I'm a bit new to fruit trees and still figuring it out. Appreciate any additional info. --"When you say you dug a big hole did you dig it deep or wide?'-- Mostly wide, the depth was about the same, maybe a little less than the root ball with about 2-3 feet out in every direction. Since the topsoil in the yard is basically exactly the same as a kid's sandbox - seems like it would need something a bit healthier to get started in. I can take a look to see if it seems like it sunk: but you're saying it should be ok to pull and replant a bit higher if so? --"Is it in a spot where other water may be filtering down to it (at the bottom of a hill, or in a bowl). Other considerations are the type of soil : If it is mostly clay, you may have created a large pot which the water can't get out of." It's on the same level as the rest of the yard and honestly we've had like 0 inches of rain this year so the only water in the yard is what is being applied directly (no runoff to speak of). The soil is sand, very very loose sand. I have a total of 5 trees planted pretty much the same way and all the others dry out in a few days to a week, and this one does not. --"Putting compost in the planting hole was a mistake because it's causing the water to not drain."-- I'm interested in this as the compost had the exact same consistency of the bagged garden soil - so just curious why it would hold water- or are we saying it all will?