It's Been Windy and Leaves on My Young Bradford Pear Tree Are Wilted. How come?

Question: It's Been Windy and Leaves on My Young Bradford Pear Tree Are Wilted. How come?

A reader wrote in about newly planted Bradford pear trees. "The last two days we have had 30 MPH winds with gusts up to 40." The leaves of the Bradford pear trees on the property were "wilted and look dead," despite the homeowner's keeping the ground damp. So what, if anything, can be done for Bradford pear trees with leaves wilted by such a wind...?

Answer:

It's common for newly transplanted trees, including Bradford pear trees, to experience transplant shock. Their disturbed roots find it difficult to nourish the leaves with sufficient water, as an established tree would be able to do. High winds simply exacerbate the problem; the result is leaf-wilt.

The positive actions you can take to help the Bradford pear trees, at this point, after the fact, are limited (before the wilt damage took place, windbreaks would have been effective). But here's what not to do: Don't fertilize. Fertilizing would foster extra leaf growth -- which you do not want, since the tree's disturbed roots are already struggling to function properly.

But do water your Bradford pear trees regularly -- and play "the waiting game" to see how they pull through.