You are comparing apple and peach. I ordered from Stark Bro. before. My tree grow just like a tree suppose to grow, peach fruited in second year. Your apple tree does sound odd, did you fertilize your apple tree? does the soil you planted it in a good soil? Hope the tree experts here can diagnosis your apple tree problem.

You could have black walnuts in the vicinity. That would explain it all.

Try another spot for the apple tree or a different tree altogether. W

hen a tree does not get going after 2 or 3 years I yank it. No time to screw around. It either produces edible fruit or it is axed.

2 or 3 years isn't enough time to judge if an apple will fruit. But if the tree itself isn't thriving now, it won't thrive later.

I have added fertilizer to both trees. I amended the soil when I planted. I imagine the soil around the trees are not that great - probably mostly fill from when the house was built. I've treated the trees the same. Here are a couple of photos to show the difference. Not the greatest photos, but they will show you what I am talking about (note the scale is not quite the same in both photos - the peach tree is taller than the apple tree)

HI J,

I have 3 peach trees. All have fruited in 2-3 years. I did not really amend the soil except for adding some top soil to fill the holes because I did not have enough native soil to put back. In my areas, rocks grow best. Rocks and boulders are everywhere when you dig a hole. I've fertilized the tree a bit in the spring each of the following years. I don't want to fertilize too much.

If I were you, I'd get rid of competing weed around each tree and mulch it.

Your apple tree looks stunted. A 3 yrs old apple tree should not look like that even in your type of soil. Not sure why, but you may want to consider relocating it. The soil in my yard is also land fill. The trees still grow decently.

As for apple fruiting, I have apple trees that have fruited in 2nd and 3rd year on semi-dwarf rootstocks. My Honey Crisp is on an unknown rootstock. It must be at least 6 years old now but still have not fruited. My guess is it's on a standard rootstock which will take much longer. Make sure you have another variety of apple that blooms about the same time to cross pollinate. If there are crab apple trees in your neighborhood, you'd be all set.

Yeah, I've been pretty lax about keeping under the trees clear. Was good for the first year, but then let it get away from me. However, I can't imagine that is why the apple tree is not growing...especially since the peach tree is doing great. I will look into relocating it, though my options are limited...which is why it is where it is in the first place. I'm not sure I can find another open, sunny spot for it.

As for the pollination...I purposely bought a golden delicious variety since it doesn't need any cross pollination. Still, I imagine there are some crab apple trees around...just not sure how close.

I really don't know, but I can certainly imagine that not mulching/weeding under the trees much could have made a big difference, i.e. that peaches seem to compete less directly with grass than apples. I wonder if anyone with more experience can weigh in on the subject?

Jlem, I would think the soil is the cause. Looking at the picture you posted, the apple tree on the right, grass even grow poorly around it;comparing to the peach tree on the left, lushes grass. Did you get soil ph tested?

Really could be anything, but there is certainly nothing obvious about how the apple tree looks. Of course, peach trees are much more vigorous and precocious than apple trees, but your apple is obviously a dud.

If I were you I would plant a new one in the spring with a nice healthy 5-gallon apple tree from a local nursery (or even a big box store if they have what you're looking for). You'll be able to see what you're getting, and not have to worry about shipping. Mail-order is really best for unusual species/varieties that are unavailable locally, or for large quantities, at least in my opinion.

Good luck...