Dead Apple Tree

Question

I planted 2 new bare root trees last spring. They did very well except for deer braking off a couple branches. This spring are dead or so I thought. I was going to pull them out yesterday and one has about 6 short branches with small leaves up about 6″ from ground. I want to give him a second chance so should I cut it off above these small branches or leave the top on, about 5′ tall.

Answer 1

It souunds like you are getting growth from the rootstalk if these were grafted trees as most purchased fruit trees are. If you can see a bulge on the trunk above the new stems, that would be the graft union. If so, there is no point in keeping them as the rootstalk would produce an inferior product, if anything.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/can-grafted-trees-revert-to-their-root-stock.htm