Whatever you do now, if you have high winds, the pears will self destruct in 10-15 years. They're dreadful trees.

Super. Not terribly helpful though. Can't dig them up and return them.

atleast you can graft real pears to them haha

If they are listed as invasive by your state DNR MAYBE you can hassle the seller. Maybe

A three point anchoring system with something soft in contact with the trunk is probably best. With my small transplants I can make a loop out of several inches of a lady's panty hose around the tree then tie it to 3 small metal stakes. At my best the loop barely touches the trunk when straight but catches it when it is windy.

Before you go any longer, make sure that the "flare" on the trunk at the roots is above ground level. If it is buried, that is the quickest way to kill a tree. I would try to level the one that is leaning. I would also keep them staked for a while, no more than a year at max. The pears are very pretty and there are ways to thin them as they get older. It is when they make the big ball shape and are very thick that they split in high winds, you also could have the new ones that aren't as prone to splitting.

Thanks. Yeah I made sure the flare isn't buried. The balls are slightly above ground. What you see is a ring of dirt and mulch around the outside of them. Thanks Sherry.

@Toronado, would you even guy the small maple and oak, or is staking east and west enough for those? I bought special broad material loops that I have loosely around the trunk. I'm not sure if I should try and guy the oak to straighten the top, or if that will fix itself as it gets stronger. Should I have left it attached to the bamboo rod? Advice seems to be against that generally.

with those slim bean pole trunks.. i would drive a good stake .. like one inch bamboo or a rebar ... as close to the trunk as possible.. and splint it directly to the trunk ... basically immobilizing the entire trunk ... you might start with a screw driver or something.. to probe around.. to insure you arent hitting a major root ...

i have seen such skinny trunks.. with two holders.. like yours.. snap just above the holders... in a big wind .. trees are supposed to move.. and your holders have created two points that will not move ... [which means.. loosely.. it did it.. and mine snapped.. lol ..

in the future ... go smaller.. and invest in a wider trunk .. smaller transplants.. get established faster.. and will outgrow larger transplants. .. not to mention less stresses all around ... etc ...

its hindsight in this case ... but i am sure.. you will be buying other trees.. in the future ...

you lawn looks extremely dry.. make sure the trees are getting proper watering ...

ken

second pic down

http://knechts.net/staking-a-newly-planted-tree/

Well crap. That's how they came (paper tape stuff to bamboo sticks). I can re-add them back and remove the other stakes. I was just under the impression you didn't want to have that much support otherwise the tree wouldn't grow very strong.

Sherry, would you put the bamboo stake back and attach the trunk (the way they came) for the skinny ones (maple, oak), or do you think the two stake system I did here for those looks good? The maple seems a little sturdier than the oak.

I'm watering deeply twice a week. Bought those tree watering bags, which are pretty cool.

they probably came with SHIPPING stakes .. which are usually not quite up to par with what i was talking about ... ken

I will defer to Ken for bracing the trunks. My transplants are 3 foot tall, I hate digging big holes and have a MarkVIII to bring them home in.

I would definitely NOT do that splinting thing. It is an abomination in the tree care world-leading to weak trunks unable to hold themselves up. Please don't fall for that terrible advice.

Two steel T-posts pounded into solid ground, not the backfill area of the tree planting-will suffice for one year. Attach to tree with ArborTie or some similar soft, flat, flexible material, and then after the one year is done, get the stuff off. Do not tie so tightly that the tree can't move a bit in the wind. It is this movement that helps the trunk to develop strength.

After a lot of reading, I'm seeing how they perform without staking for now, as I'm not worried about them actually pulling out of the ground. Let them build up their trunk strength. At best it seems like staking those skinny trees will just snap them in a different spot if there are winds strong enough to snap them.

I think that bamboo tied to the trunk is the reason they are so skinny and tall in the first place.

No, Don't put those little stakes that came with the tree back on. Also, don't leave the big ones on too long. A lot of tree experts are even saying not to stake at all.