Columnar Apple Trees

[Gemma]

Does anyone grow Columnar Apple trees?
Out of curiosity I planted two a couple of years ago. One tree died so I had to replace it last Fall, The new tree made it through the winter and started to put out leaves this Spring, but it is taking forever to get going, it seems to be stuck as it was in early Spring... I'm crossing fingers that it will establish.

 

[Gemma]

I feel I should add that the layer of bark at the base is very, very thin, I have it around all my other trees, to prevent the soil to dry out too quickly, and they all seem to be fine

 

[Sluggy]

My gardening book for my fruit trees says you should always keep the base of a fruit tree clear by 4 inches. This allows the bark to breath. Prevents crown rot and pest infestations.

 

[tomkat]

My Golden Delicious has put on about a foot of new growth this year and will probably grow a few more inches before the season is over. So I would think your tree should have done about the same. Make sure the soil is not too wet or dry and give the tree plenty of high nitrogen fertilizer and it should respond. Unless there is a problem with the soil's PH.Even the cheap moisture meters off Amazon will help to check the soil's moisture.