Tree advice please

[seedling]

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Hello everybody.
I was wondering if you can help, i purchased a Malus cox apple tree last year and all seemed to be well.
However im concerned this year as the leaves seem to be soooo small - they are only about 4mm across and probably 20mm long.
Surely they should be bigger for this time of year?
I've given the tree a feed but wondering if this is down to something like posistioning or soil. (we are clay here- lots of composted stuff added in though)
This is my first attempt at growing fruit so any advice would be gratefully received
Thank you for your time.

[tkuntz]

Two possibilities to consider.
If you sprayed Glyphosate (Roundup) on the trunk of the tree during the late summer or fall last season when the tree was storing up reserves for the winter, you could see this type of injury.
The second possibility, and this is a long shot, is nickel deficiency. I've only ever seen this in container grown trees, but I guess if the soil is very poor it could be a problem outdoors.
Kind of wild guesses, but that's all I can think of.

[seedling]

The only thing that i sprayed it with was a fruit and vegetable bug spray which was meant to be organic.
I did use our own compost that we had made...maybe there was something in there!!
Do you think it will survive? - come back next year?
Thinking about taking some leaves down to the garden centre that i brought it from and see what they think.
Thank you for your thoughts - most appriecated...will let you know how i get on.

[Burl]

Hi , Is it possibly damage from a late frost ??? I don't see the part of the world where you are posting from , but we here in Northern British Columbia had frost this morning (June 15). Those new buds are tender and a nip from Jack Frost can set them back . Keep watering . Cover them with a bed sheet if the forecast calls for frost .
---Burl --- From the land that global warming forgot .