Hard to say. It may just be stressed and going dormant early, in which case it might recover in the spring.

It sounds like it is suffering from stress either from to much or too little water or some critter has eaten some of its roots. Regardless of whats going on it will likely die once it loses all of its leaves unless you cover it with a shade cloth to protect it from the sun.

I would cover it with a 50% shade cloth and check the soil with a moisture meter to see if it needs watering.

Thank you both. I think I'll cover it and hope it comes back in spring.
Should I keep the cloth on until just before spring?

I would keep it on until you see some new growth. However if it gets a little cold there in your winters there is no reason you could not leave it on if you want to.

Your late spring planted trees didn't have a root system yet to support the tree in intense summer heat. So it dropped its leaves. Roots are sent out in the fall. If your Bartlett trees are planted in full sun they will most likely thrive next year.

I'm sure you are right theaceofspades. However once the leaves are lost its best to cover it with shade cloth or after the leaves are gone the tree may follow.

thisisme, uncovered trees in Arizona will still get sunscald. The temperatures are still 111 degrees. The dog days of summer are over in the northeast. The leafless Bartletts may leaf out a bit till it detects declining amounts of sunshine. Good amounts of mulch will keep the growing roots warm in the fall.

theaceofspdes I would have to disagree. I have been here 9+ years and lived in the Imperial Vally in SoCal too. Shade cloth and row covers are used by fruit and vegetable gardeners here because it does make a difference.

Trees without leaves in the blazing sun die because they are no longer able to help cool themselves through Transpiration which can lead to the death of the tree.
Of course I don't live in zone 6 or 7 so my so my thinking may be a little out of time for the zone but if temps are even in the upper 80's in full sun all day with no leaves and little root system I would still cover it with a shade cloth to protect it.

thisisme, Let me explain, you live in Arizona zone 9b and the 5 day forecast for Glendale is 112,110,108,110,110. What you have said about shadecloth is correct in your climate and I would also white paint the pear tree trunks. elbear lives in Ohio zone 6. The 5 day forecast for Cleveland Ohio 72,65,67,72,72. So elbear will not need shadecloth. You see the temperatures in Ohio are 40 degrees cooler and overcast.

All I can say Wow!!! I have only ever lived in California and Arizona. I had no idea temps were that low there already. You are correct theaceofspades with temps like that there is no need for shade cloth.

I should have checked before I gave that advice. We don't get those kind of temps until January and I just assumed that temps would be at least 10Deg higher than what they actually are.

I really appreciate everyone's comments. Our hottest weather is almost over and we have many overcast days.

So after reading these comments I will not do a shade cloth. I will make sure it stays well mulched.

Thank you all!

elbear:

Lesson No. 1: Do not buy very large or "full size" fruit trees. They usually adapt poorly. Buy young, 2-year or at most 3-year trees, and plant very early in spring. Where you live that would be April. The later you plant, the higher the risk. Always try to plant fruit trees when they are dead dormant, never when they are leafed out. Smaller trees will catch up and pass larger ones in a 2-3 year period. And plant bare root; don't buy containerized nursery trees, once again because they adapt poorly.

I mildly disagree with those who think your tree will recover, since I think it is on its way out. My guess is that the root system did not develop properly, either because it was a rootbound container tree, or because the roots could not support the large superstructure. Late planting couldn't have helped either. Branches may still have some green cambium, but that will be gone by next spring if the buds have died back. The problem is certainly not lack of water this year in NE Ohio. Folks in the West often tend to think in terms of lack of water or excess heat and sunlight because it's hot and dry where they live. That's not the case in the East, certainly not this year. You shouldn't have to water trees at all in a season like this one, although mulch is fine water or no water. It is possible to drown fruit trees by watering when there is already plenty of natural rainfall.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

NEVER brake a limb, just scrach the bark to tell if it is alive.

Don-
By full size I meant that they will grow to be about 30 feet. I assumed they were young trees when I bought them, but I guess at 8 feet they probably were not.
Can you tell me where you have purchased your trees? I thought nursery's were the best place to buy. Do you buy online?

It's strange. The tree I thought was on it's way out has grown 4 new leaves at the end of just one branch and has one blossom. The rest of the tree looks dead. I also didn't think pear trees blossomed right now.
The other tree has filled in with tons of new leaves.

Thanks for the advice. I'm trying to learn all I can about fruit trees. I'm hoping to plant apples next year- as long as I can get these pears going.

Dont follow this advice until someone with more experience chimes in, im new and learning. If this happened to one of my trees I would be tempted to do some major pruning right now so there is less tree for any stored energy the tree may have. Any thoughts?

Again from the hot dry west. A newly planted Bartlett here was deprived of water at this time of year. When discovered there was not a leaf left on the tree. After a deep watering the tree burst into bloom, even though it had bloomed already in the spring. After the bloom it leafed out again. Today 15 years later it bears a good crop every year. Al

As far as the rain for Ohio goes, northern ohio has had a normal to dry spring/summer, while southern ohio has had a wetter than normal spring/summer.

Bucky, pruning the tree (especially after leaf drop) would not be good at all. It would only further stress the tree and make the likelihood of recovery that much slimmer.

I wouldn't be surprised either way about the eventual fate of this tree, but, if I had to bet, I'd bet on Don being correct.

Keep a close check on soil moisture. Use your finger to regularly check the moisture, at the depth of a couple of inches, both in and around the rootball (if planted with a rootball) or near the edge of the planting hole (if bare root).