The first week of November last year I ordered and received some bare root trees (October Glory) from tnnursery.net. I planted them 2 days after receiving them (and kept the roots damp in the meantime) and watered deeply occasionally in the fall/winter/spring.

This spring all the trees didn't really do much, though in late spring they all started growing shoots from near the base of the trunk (see pictures). The main trunk and higher branches on all the trees seem dead (brittle). I did perform scratch tests near the roots and ~3 feet up and they were greenish in early spring.

Questions:
1. Anything I can do to save the trees? Is it worth it?

2. What would have caused the main trunk to die and shoots to grow from around the base?

3. Should I attempt bare-root again? This seems most cost-effective, though I need to figure out what happened the first time. I could also get some 7 gallon trees from a local nursery, though more expensive ($45/tree).

Thanks!
MrOctoberGlory

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:457855}}