@ lucky - Okay okay, I'll order our "Promoting excellence in slacking since..... whenever" t-shirts, complete with Wallyism ("People think I don't have a plan"). Probably get around to it next week :-) . Per your idea - I'd actually wanted to tie the branch up and push it against the trunk when it first broke, but wasn't sure what I could use that would hold the weight (the branch is about 1.5+" diameter at the base? and very long). For now, the propping-up may work, and I might employ some combo of tying/propping to get it through the early fall. Your link for Dr. Reid's blogspot on the stalked buds was VERY helpful. His photos were definitely applicable to my tree. I'll keep a look-out for the narrow angles and bark inclusions from now on, had no idea the tree might be growing itself a ticking time-bomb for a branch junction. @ cckw - Appreciate the extra reassurance that the patient will survive this break and the upcoming surgery! Do narrow angles trap water enough to erode the bark and underlying tissue? Guess that's another thing to watch for. I agree on pruning thoughtfully, but not always timidly, which I'm prone to do. My son and I did some aggressive cutting back on a few plum trees this spring, hoping it'll make them productive.The peaches need re-shaping desperately and will get that as soon as harvest is over in the next two weeks. I'll need guidance on whether or not to prune the pawpaws and pears. But that's another thread or two. I only wish there was a super-glue for trees or a way to instantly weld them back together. :)

Since pear tree wood is fast growing, it does not have the strength of slow growing hardwoods. To have given the overloaded branch some much-needed assistance, a 1" X 10 ft. long joint of galvanized steel electrical conduit ( cheap and strong) sold at Lowe's could have been placed upright beside the thick branch and held it up. Using 1/4" cord that is wet and then wrapped very tightly 3 times around the upper pipe before tying a tight knot will "knot' let the weight of the fastened branch pull the rope downward. A small pc. of board, or whatever placed beneath the bottom of the pipe will prevent the weight from pulling the pipe down into soft, soggy soil. After the last pear has been harvested, the rope and pipe are removed until next time comes up. As for the partially split branch. I would quickly remove the fruit and some of the smaller branches and attach the conduit NOW, pulling the downward hanging branch back to it's normal height. I would wrap the torn up area with very snug plastic sheeting and tape up the multiple layers of semi-clear plastic with tight wraps of strong tape. This would hopefully keep out rain, air, pathogens, and bugs. In a year you could take a peek under the plastic to see if the would area is being rebuilt with new plant tissue. Instead of using the pole, a rope could be attached to thicker branches above the tree's damaged branch. Years ago I did this to a forked branch of a pear tree that I managed to accidently split, and after a couple years it grew well enough to resume it's fast growth. Glad I did not whack it off with the pruner.

Lind, I'm pretty sensitive to drainage because I've lost so many trees to it. A few years ago I got tired of pulling out dead trees, so I installed a field tile in most of the orchard area. It drains a lot of sub-surface water into a neighbor's pond. The tile stopped trees from dying but many trees still weren't thriving, so I've been slowly converting more trees to mounds. It's just what I have to do here. When I pull one out, I build a mound if I plan to go back w/ a peach. In my area, which may be different from MD, the soil stays wet from about Nov. thru June of the following year. It's the months of April, May, and June that the soggy soil does the trees in. In the past I've made my mounds out of regular native soil because it's free. This has worked very well for me. Below is an old photo I took this Spring. The tree directly to the left of my son was just starting it's second leaf/year. The tree in the mound on the right was also starting it's second leaf. However, the one on the right was not in a mound the first year and suffered stunting. So last fall, I dug it out, built a mound, and replanted. This picture was taken before either tree had put on any appreciable second leaf shoot growth. Both trees were the same size at purchase (bout 3/4"). My other trees in mounds perform similarly. Lately, I'm running out of places to dig, so I've been experimenting using wood chips as a base and putting soil on top as the growing medium. By the textbooks, this is a no no. But like I say, this is an experiment. This week I just got through building 10 more mounds for more trees. Rented a Dingo to build the mounds. Have 18 peach trees coming for next season, and have a mound for every one.

If mites and the mite issue is now controlled, I would think they would eventually re-leaf. Did you scratch the bark and see if the cambium layer is still green? Since the trees are in pots and you are in NY, I have to ask how/where you overwintered them? I just want to rule out winter root injury. Your photos remind me of fruit trees I see around here if left from last year and did not sell. If left out all winter and the roots not properly protected, the trees will flower and then shrivel up the following spring. Problem is winter cold damaging the roots. I presume you overwintered in an insulated garage or buried the pots in the ground for the winter?