Fruit trees not setting buds

[Gemma]

My 3yr old trees didn't put out buds this year, any idea why?
.. they put out blooms the first year, I was advised to remove them to redirect the energy down for root development. Last year they put out buds, but dropped them all due the late freeze, and this year only one apple tree produced just a few flowers

 

[Sluggy]

Some apple trees can take up to 6 years to bloom depending on the root stock.

 

[Gemma]

Some apple trees can take up to 6 years to bloom depending on the root stock.

I bought mine bare root dormant and very small but grafted.
I planted them at the end of March (this is their third year), they started growing right away and got covered in blooms.
As instructed by the nursery, I removed all the blooms and buds to help root development, and the one I must have missed actually produced a nice juicy apple, so I'm thinking the trees are mature enough to produce at least a few fruits.
They set a lot of buds last year too, but the late freeze made them all fall off.
Could there be another explanation?

 

[Sluggy]

It also might be due to lack of water if that is bark you have covered the area in it will be absorbing a lot of water like a sponge meant for the tree. Usually fruit trees sit in a circle of bare earth eg if planted on a lawn etc.