Pear tree in bad health?

[corydd7]

Checked in on the pear trees I planted last year and almost all of them have the same thing going on. Some worse then others but I have no clue what's going on.  I'm not expecting good news, does anyone have a guess on whats wrong? Trees are caged.

[NonTypical]

Maybe planted too deep? It’s hard to tell from the pics. Clear around the base of the trunk and take another pic. Even having mulch or straw built up around the base can cause issues. 

[G-Man]

Hard to tell from photos, either trunk rot or sun scald.  Trunk rot is from fungus letting grass and moisture get to high not.much you can do about it just prevention, grafting if small and not.advanced enough

Sun scald is usually on south facing side as tree warm in spring / late winter sun the bark warms in sun and swells with water then it gets cold and freezes the trunk cells pop  causing damage to bark.

[mowin]

Wow, no answer, but hopefully It's not as bad as it looks. 

[landtracdeerhunter]

Are they still alive?

[corydd7]

Yup there alive. Sun scald is what I'm thinking. I go up again next week I'll take some better pictures. Thanks for all the help everyone.

[Timeless]

I really cannot tell from the photos, but I may put some tree wound dressing on it and wrapping them with tree wrap?  It does not look to be rodent damage, but again, hard to tell.

[NonTypical]

7 hours ago, Timeless said:

I really cannot tell from the photos, but I may put some tree wound dressing on it and wrapping them with tree wrap?  It does not look to be rodent damage, but again, hard to tell.

I wouldn’t do that. Wrapping the bark will cause more issues. 

Upon looking at the pics more closely, I would definitely say that they are planted to deep. In the second pic, you can see how the grade is higher in the back by at least a few inches. In the first pic, it appears the hay is at grade but I would bet that if the hay is pulled away the base of the trunk is well below grade. It is very important for the bell at the base of the trunk to be at least at grade, but preferred 2-3” above. 

Even if they are planted at the right height, too much mulch or hay around the base of the tree will cause the same issue. The bark of the tree needs to breath. 

Edited May 1, 2019 by NonTypical