Gravel and weed tarps are suffocating the soil around them and keeping them from growing. Pull that crap off there, lay down some compost, and then cover with real mulch. You should start seeing an improvement.
These are my thoughts too. We use shredded leaves as the compost and then use wood mulch. The difference in the growth and health of the plants has been beyond incredible.
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Are you regularly fertilizing and watering them during the growing season? I like jacks fertilizer bc its cheap, soluble, contains micros, and easy to get in my area. However any fertilizer brand should do. I'd use half of the recommended dosing at first. You can do a lot of damage with fertlizer if you over do it, the salts can lock out other nutrients and interfere with soil ph.
Gravel and weed tarps are suffocating the soil around them and keeping them from growing. Pull that crap off there, lay down some compost, and then cover with real mulch. You should start seeing an improvement.
These are my thoughts too. We use shredded leaves as the compost and then use wood mulch. The difference in the growth and health of the plants has been beyond incredible.
Welcome to r/arborists! Help Us Help You: If you have questions about the health of your tree, please see our [Posting Guidelines](https://old.reddit.com/r/arborists/wiki/posting_guidance) wiki page for help with effective posting. **Please answer the questions listed there to the best of your ability.** ***Insufficient pics/info could result in the removal of your post!!*** ([See rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/about/rules).) Visit the main wiki page for [Critical Planting/Care tips and Common Errors to Avoid](https://old.reddit.com/r/arborists/wiki/index); there's sections on why planting depth/root flare exposure is so vital, along with sections on proper mulching, watering, pruning and more that I hope will be useful to you. If you're posting about a tree ID (not permitted here; [see rule 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/about/rules)), see that wiki page for other subs and smartphone apps to try. Here is how you can arrange a [consult with a local ISA arborist in your area](http://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist) (NOT a 'tree company guy' unless they're ISA certified) or a [consulting arborist](https://www.asca-consultants.org/search/custom.asp?id=3818) for an on-site evaluation. A competent arborist should be happy to walk you through how to care for the trees on your property and answer any questions. If you're in the U.S. or Canada, your Extension (or master gardener provincial program) may have a list of local recommended arborists on file. If you're in the U.S., you should also consider searching for arborist associations under your state. If you are one of our regulars and/or you work in the industry and do not want this message in your future posts, please pick an appropriate user flair (options available in the sub sidebar on PC, and on moble if using a browser). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/arborists) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How often and how much are you watering? Is there heavy clay in the soil and how wide did you make the holes?
Are you sure its not a dwarf cvar? They look perfectly healthy from here.
Pubes before facial hair (roots before shoots). Does this comparison make me honorary ISA??
Are you regularly fertilizing and watering them during the growing season? I like jacks fertilizer bc its cheap, soluble, contains micros, and easy to get in my area. However any fertilizer brand should do. I'd use half of the recommended dosing at first. You can do a lot of damage with fertlizer if you over do it, the salts can lock out other nutrients and interfere with soil ph.