Orchidcrazy:

You certainly are protecting us from an overload of information about your pear tree, such as where you purchased it, how it was packed and shipped, how large and how old it is. But never mind all that, if your tree is still alive you had better get it in the ground right now.

I say "if" it is alive, because unless the tree was packed and shipped in such a manner that the roots were kept in a moist condition, the tree may be beyond help. Of course, you may have dug the tree locally, and are keeping it in a bucket of water. That would drown the roots and the tree.

I also pray that this tree was not an E-bay purchase, and I say this because E-bay sellers are often not careful about the basic requirements for shipping living trees.

The dead branches on the tree may only be innocent dead branches, and certainly can be pruned off before planting. But here's hoping that the tree has not suffered from a disease such as fireblight, which is known to kill branches, and does not go away readily once established.

The best place to buy healthy nursery stock is from a healthy nursery, that knows how to dig, pack, and ship a living, though dormant, fruit tree.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

orchidcrazy One would assume the tree is either already planted in a pot or that it would be planted in a pot or in the ground as soon as you got the tree home if it were bare root.

The mere fact that you are asking this question makes me think there are other things you should be asking or should have asked before you purchased the tree.

Most Asian Pears are not self-fruitful so my obvious question is.....

What kind of Asian Pear tree is it and do you want it to produce fruit?

Those questions are just for starters as what is your soil like and where do you plan on planting it, how much sun will it receive there and how well does the soil drain are all valid questions that you should have the answers to even before you purchased the tree.

The short answer is yes. In the south, the time to plant is right now if the plant is dormant and bareroot, no matter what the other problems. If in a pot and dormant, it is also time to plant (true of most dormant deciduous plants, though a pawpaw, unlike a pear, would best be planted in about two months).

Thank you everyone for responding. I'm sorry for not being more specific. It looks like its a grafted tree about 5 feet tall. Its planted in a 2-3 gallon black nursery pot. It was purchased locally at a veg/fruit store. The tag just says Asian Pear. It will be planted 15 feet from an Orient Pear tree that has been in the ground about 1 1/2 years and did produce one pear that the birds got. : ( My soil is hard clay. The dead branches are dark brown with the outer skin peeling off. I hope this is not fireblight. : ( It will get full sun till early afternoon. I just got so excited that I bought it on the spot and did not think ahead. : ) I hope to get some fruit next year on it.

orchardcrazy If you don't know what variety Asian pears they are how do you know if they will be able to cross pollinate?

I have always wanted a Pecan tree but there is no way I'm just going to buy one without knowing what variety it is.

I hope you got lucky.

http://www.davewilson.com/br40/br40_trees/asian_pears.html

i bet your tree will be fine, but it may be 2-4 years before you get fruit

Thank you for the encouragement. I will do more research and not be so impulsive next time.