Keep it watered. and forget about it for a year. A tree is not like mosquitoes, add water and they instantly appear

First thing a transplanted tree will do is make or elongate roots depending on the season.

It will initially put out enough leaves to produce food for that necessary process.

Once the root mass is sufficiently large enough, top growth will begin to expand.

Next year, you'll most likely see branches form.

Tree science 101. ;-)

Yep, little grafted whips do nothing (visible) for the first year. Very different from a seed grown tree not grown in close nursery conditions. Next year, it will start to form lateral growth And if it honestly looks like it is going to be a bit tardy, then you can always deploy the nuclear option of a bit of trunk girdling...but I would be astonished if you didn't start to see lateral initiation.

put the pruners down.. and step away .... for 3 to 5 years...

the only pruning in that time is damage repair ... if any ...

first it has to grow roots... for 2 years..

then a couple years to grow a trunk ... structural support .... to support branching..

and then some significant branching....

tree time is counted in decades.. and you are pruning 3 months after planting.. whats that all about???

ken

glad to see you asking after me... thank you ....be well .. ken

Since this is a fruit tree, and not just any old ornamental tree, it will need specific pruning if you want to maximize the crop. There is a mass of information on pruning whips on the web. If you are not bothered about optimising production you can indeed leave it alone. But it won't form as productive a tree. A pear is not an oak. Fruit tree time is not counted in decades.

It is always a bit of a 'heart in mouth' moment, when you do the first cut, to start off pruning for a fan, trellis or espalier. I used to love a bit of pruning, grafting and general meddling: my horticulture tutor had a (ridiculous) 'family tree' with an uncountable number of grafts while I had a really enjoyable few years as a demented control freak.

Has been a bit of a PITA, maintaining my optimistic cordons (redcurrant, apple)...they have definitely morphed into somewhat unruly specimens...and as for the roses!! Once you start on the secateurs (growth follows the knife)...

These days, my byword is 'procrastinate'

Agree that fruit trees are not treated in the same manner as ornamental trees. Pruning/training typically takes place the moment it is planted in the ground and annually (or more often) thereafter.

" Whips are unbranched trees. Unbranched apple trees are ideal if you want more control over which branches are allowed to develop – as you might in certain artful pruning styles like espalier. Prune whips back to 28- to 36-inches above the ground at planting time. After the new branches have grown 3- to 5-inches in length, select a shoot to become the leader and the rest become the tree’s scaffold limbs. "