New BnB Chanticleer Pear not leafing out?

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Hi everyone! We just planted a bunch of trees in our new construction (read: barren) backyard this spring in Zone 5a (chicago 'burbs, Naperville IL). In particular, my landscaper planted a BnB Chanticleer Pear tree that was about 2.5 caliper sized, so pretty big in my opinion.

This was the first tree to go in the ground, 4 weeks ago. It had flower buds on it when it came. Since then, all the flowers arrested and are now brown. There are no, zero, nada leaf buds on the tree. Obviously all the other pear trees in the area are leafed out now, and all the other trees (container grown and much smaller) that we planted at the same time are happy and leafed out. the pear though is clearly freaking out.

Scratch test revealed green under the trunk.

Now, I already regret this tree because I just learned that it is getting invasive in my area. I didn't know. So maybe I'm biased, but I'm ready to call uncle on the tree and pull it out. 4 weeks, not a single leaf bud.

What do you think? How long do I give it before I call in the warranty and have the landscapers pull it?

Thank you!

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Comments (4)

grizzlysean_z9b
8 years ago
Probably planted incorrectly by the developer. You should just rip it out and, space permitting, replace it with an appropriate oak, beech, or other tree that will actually grow to become a quality shade tree. Callery pears have weak branches and malodorous flowers -- developers love them because they grow quickly, but developers only have short-term objectives and don't care about long-term quality. You should consider this loss to be an opportunity.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
8 years ago
youa re probably going to hear a lot about why you shouldnt have planted a pear ... i will le3ave it to the others ...

sounds to me like it got zapped by a frost.. or a freeze ... any info aobut such from you ..

is so ... it may have killed the buds ..

an otherwise healthy tree.. and and usually will releaf ...

how that all works on a ginormous transplant .. who knows...

do stop scatching it ... once is enough ... give it 4 to 6 weeks ...

what is your watering protocol ...

how big was the BB ...

bottom line.. only time will tell .. and you cant compare a transplant to other non transplants... nor even between such ...

trees this big are field grown .. and when dug.. lose 95% of their roots .. and some are simply massacred .. since you cant really see what you are digging out ...

but all you can do.. is give it time... unless your landscaper is willing to replace it .. and if he is.. plant anything other than a pear ...

BTW.. what does he say about it ..

ken
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My bet is 90% as bad sucker growth if planted perfectly. It just seems to be the nature of the beast. What you should do? I dunno. Packing dirt around them would be a temptation. Many trees live like this a long time in nature near streams and lakes. Replant? Probably not. I have a Bradford type from the previous owners. If several of my larger trees had not required removal it would be gone now. Guess I am shell/chainsaw shocked lol. I just can't kill another! Now that said, my "right" to complain when my neighbor plants bamboo or zoysia near my fescue has been limited by my own decision to keep this invasive stinky mess until the snow or wind removes its blight from my zip code. damn Post Tree Removal Disorder lol.
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That's hard to do..it's big and the roof is open to the elements...can't really protect it unless I cut it back and make it smaller. I might give up on it if it doesn't recover. As long as what it has is not contagious to other trees, I will give it this season to recover...of course now there's a huge rainstorm, so this will probably make it worse. BTW the unknown tree...that was id'd as a poplar..has poplar blight...looks just like the pictures...and goes along with the timing...I think I'll get rid of it because this will happen every year until it's over a certain height-once they have it they always get it. I looked at it this morning at every leaf is turning black. too much trouble.
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hamburglar1
8 years ago
Rip it out IMO. Aside from the transplant shock and long-term watering requirements for a new tree of that size, your buds already got zapped. Might be a lot of work to revive it and keep it going for the next couple years. Your landscaper may argue with you that you need to give it a chance, but you can win that argument. The planting area is probably still pretty workable, so it should not be a lot of work to yank out and plant something else. If you target a replacement tree that is closer to 1", you should only need to water it the first summer. At 2.5", you could be looking at three years of supplemental watering. Pears are certainly lame. Some people may defend them as a street tree, but they are definitely not backyard trees.
Catherine Di Stasio Morgenstern
Original Author
8 years ago
OK, thanks. I agree that it's a bad choice and for sure, it is going to need some serious TLC if it did live.

I might rethink the tree in that location all together and just go with a large shrub. I already have a Black Hills Spruce and a Norwegian Sunset Maple planted along my property line...

New BnB Chanticleer Pear not leafing out?

Comments (4)

grizzlysean_z9b

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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New BnB Chanticleer Pear not leafing out?

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grizzlysean_z9b

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Catherine Di Stasio MorgensternOriginal Author

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