Lots of times folks have trouble getting grafts to take when they place them on recently grafted rootstocks unless they do it in a greenhouse where conditions are more forgiving. Commercial nurseries let the rootstock grow for a year or most of a season and graft onto that without disturbing the roots. Ky, that is a good point, but they generally avoid soils between sands and a rather heavy clay. The capacity of soil to feed a tree is based on weight more than volume if they can get adequate oxygen. I dream of owning a bare root bearing age fruit tree nursery with ample supplementary water and an almost pure sand soil. Mine is a relatively coarse silt that sheds water like teflon. It works pretty well as far as easy digging once you get around the rocks. I've shifted from in soil bags to bare root for the most part except with pears which suffer terribly when all soil is removed from the roots and they are bearing age.

Naftali: I would take the tree, but don't try to transplant it until the winter when it is fully dormant. An actively growing tree will die if transplanted in summer conditions. Don't try to grow an apple tree in a pot. In ground is much better. I don't know what your soil is like there in Jerusalem, but I think you should mulch the tree heavily after you plant it, both to gradually feed the tree and hold in some moisture. Even so, in your location, you will have to water in summer. I disagree with heavily fertilizing an apple tree, especially with a chemical fertilizer, which can produce bushy, succulent growth, but not much fruiting. Annual renewal of a wide circle of mulch is much better. Once you get the tree installed and growing, you can consider techniques such as spreading the branches with limb spreaders or weights, and judicious summer pruning to promote the development of fruiting wood. The tree probably has the potential to produce. It just needs some of the right kind of care and attention. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

My guess would be transplant shock. Give them some more time to establish some new roots. Did they fruit while in the containers? I would have just got a couple of new young trees then mess with giant rootballs :)

"Are they not setting blossoms and fruit because of transplant stress, or insufficient light?" As Dan said, it's unlikely to be transplant stress. They should have had time to become somewhat established by now. Apple trees are best suited to full or mostly full sun. "Are they too big to be transplanted?" No, much larger fruit trees are transplanted frequently. "Should they be pruned before transplanting?" Only prune dead, diseased, or damaged limbs when transplanting trees! Removal of healthy foliage will only impede the tree's ability to grow new roots and quickly become established. "Is there anything to do to prepare them for a transplant?" See link below. "How big of a root ball should be moved?" Here is a rough/generic rootball size guide for transplanting trees and shrubs. Soil type, tree species, and other factors are not taken into account, but it will give you an idea: For trunk diameter below 1/2", multiply the diameter by 20 to get approximate rootball diameter. For trunk diameter between 1/2" and 1", multiply the diameter by 18 to get approximate rootball diameter. For trunk diameter between 1" and 1-1/2", multiply the diameter by 16 to get approximate rootball diameter. For trunk diameter between 1-1/2" and 2-1/2", multiply the diameter by 14 to get approximate rootball diameter. For trunk diameter between 2-1/2" and 4", multiply the diameter by 12 to get approximate rootball diameter. Here are guidelines for rootball depth: For a rootball with a diameter of 1', depth should be approximately 8". For a rootball with a diameter of 2', depth should be approximately 1'. For a rootball with a diameter of 3', depth should be approximately 15". For a rootball with a diameter of 4', depth should be approximately 18". Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub