Brown leaf edges indicates shortage of water in the top of the plant.

How are you watering? (Please sbe specific.)

We had one of the wetter and cooler springs that I remember. I watered them in initially with the Stark's fruit tree prep product. Unfortunately, as you can see in the pictures, they are either in the middle of a lawn or on a border that used to be lawn. The lawn sprinklers with irrigation water were programmed 2x a week for 10 minutes in each station. The sprinkler heads are a single jet rotating spray. In about late June, we started getting the 90 plus degree heat that usually comes earlier and the grass stopped looking so lush green and went totally yellow in some sloped areas. We recently increased the water to 3x a week for 20 minutes. I also left a slow running hose on the trees, probably at least once a month.

I have one pear doing this. Just kind of sitting there not doing a thing. I'm just going to wait until next spring and see what happens.

My apricot last year took off pretty slowly and didn't put on a whole lot of growth. This year its growing like a weed... Same with a lot of my other trees.

If you are in Zone 5a and you planted in about March/April, then it being a bit early for Zone 5a, there might have been a frost at the time when the plants were just breaking out of dormancy. This causes significant delay in re-sprouting and progress.
I potted a bare-root (grafted) tree in the first week of May in Zone 5a and it just sprouted in the 3rd week of July! True, better late than never but it is not normal and I could have discarded it if I was impatient.

I called both Starks and Van Well to ask about how soon to put them into the ground, since I was a little surprised that they arrived so early. Both said it was fine to plant at the time, since they arrived dormant. They told me to make sure that I didn't plant them during freezing temperatures while the roots were exposed, and not to leave the roots exposed for too long. I usually soak the trees in water for a few hours right before planting, but I didn't want to miss my no freeze window so I probably soaked for only an hour or so. I also made sure to keep the wood shavings/newspaper moist that they were packed in from the day that they arrived until the weekend planting time.

The roots are not the problem since they are in the ground but it is the new opening buds that are the most sensitive to frost.
The fully dormant plant is tolernant of low temperatures. As it passes toward breaking domancy, its sensitivity to low temperatures increases during the bud opening stages so that at one stage of bud status the bud can be damaged just at the freezing point or even a degree or two above the freezing temperature. This damage can happen even to the established plants when hit by frost at the critical stage of bud opening. Small plants can be covered for protection.

I've had several trees do a similar thing--they start out looking good, then just seem to stop and sit there. I've been wondering if it is some type of delayed transplanting shock, or maybe the roots are trying to catch up in size/growth to support the top after being heavily pruned for shipping. I also haven't been real good at keeping them watered while small, so I think water stress has played a part as this has been less of a problem on trees getting better water from the start.

The trees I've had perform this way have usually perked up and started growing later in the summer, so I've just hoped that either the new growth would harden off in time for winter, or that the tree was able to build enough root reserves to survive the winter and then start pushing new growth in the spring on buds that remained dormant the year before. They have generally made it and taken off the next year.

I have seen this many times and along with beeone view it as a form of transplant shock. Basically the plant has been abused in being dug up stored mailed etc and it has lost a great deal of energy. Sometimes the plant can just be hanging on the edge in the sense that it lacks the energy to put out more leaves but the leaves/roots it has are not feeding it enough etc. I had a peach tree that I had removed almost all the roots from when I moved it last winter (was too hard to get out) and it just sat there with these teeny leaves until about two weeks ago; it is finally taking off. I had another peach tree with the same problem and it is still sitting there and the leaves are starting to look less healthy and I expect it will die. Your pear should be OK but that apricot is on the edge. I would monitor the level of moisture by digging down an inch or two; keep moist but not wet. Also you could consider some compost tea. My sick peach got a topdressing of mulch and organic fertilizer yesterday in the hope that may help it.

Scott

This is quite possibly a problem due to the roots drying out excessively before planting.

Good chance that they'll do better next year.

Regarding planting of bare-rooted stock in general the bare-rooting kills most of the fine roots. The top is stunted the first growing season after planting because of this. It should not be unhealthy, just not grow nearly as far that year than it usually would. You can often see how long ago comparatively recently planted stock was transplanted by looking to see where there was a year of much shorter growth than before or since. (This includes balled in burlap stock, which usually also loses most of its fine feeder roots when dug).

Growth of new roots after planting in spring is initiated in response to hormones sent down to the cut root ends from the opening, no longer dormant foliage buds formed the previous fall at the branch tips. If the branches are all cut back at planting these buds aren't there to get the new roots going. This also results in a an undesirable hedge-like re-growth of branches from the cut branch tips.

Growth of new roots in spring is fueled by energy stored in stems over the winter. The more top is present when new roots appear in spring, the more energy is available for root growth.

Existing roots elongate markedly in fall, after the overwintering buds at the stem ends have formed and matured. Again, this root growth is sparked by hormones sent down from these buds. This fall root explosion is the greatest amount of root growth at one time of the whole year, 60% of the annual total. The rest of the time other parts of the plant receive priority - or the plant is dormant.

Healthy stock recovers enough of the roots the first fall after planting to resume a normal rate of top growth the second spring after planting. Growth of the top in spring is based on energy stored in the stems and roots.

Trees and shrubs are integrated systems like us. Reduction or removal of one part impacts the rest of the plant. Removing additional tissue, as in cutting the top back to compensate for root loss at transplanting and supposedly restore balance instead merely decreases the plants ability to respond. It is no more beneficial than cutting off a leg to make up for a lost arm.

Very interesting comments and perspectives. Thank you all!

So, I need to be patient and see how they do this fall and spring next year. I also need to make sure they get enough water, but not too much, maybe add more mulch or compost tea.

As for the leaf damage, some of the damage to the apricot leaves may be from a lack of water in the summer heat. Also, the damage on the pear leaves may be a result of late frosts from the spring, although I don't recall that the frosts took place after the leaves developed from the buds, but it could have just been less than ideal. But since it isn't getting much worse, and they aren't falling off, it isn't a disease, but early damage and the tree's weakened condition prevents it from sending out new leaves right now.

Sometimes you want to overpamper them, but I just need to keep on keeping on. Thanks again for all the replies!