Fruit Trees

[Obsession]

When is the best time to fertilize? What kind of fertilize is recommended?

 

[DaveB]

I fertilize fruit trees by mixing in 13-13-13, a goodly amount, with the replacement dirt before I ever stuck the bareroot in the ground. The hole I dug was about 4 foot square and I had to stake them. I would water and water for a period of at least a month ahead of planting. Afterwardss, I used generic citrus fertilizer in the fall and miracle grow in the spring. In both instances I would work the soil to a depth of about 3 inches out to the drip lines and if they said 1 cup per inch of trunk diameter I always used 4.

I had a peach tree break in half it was so heavy laden. I had to prop up my plum tree limbs with 2x4's. My pears always died. Apples went berserk, I had doubles all the time. Nectarines would outgrow the leaf shade and get sunburned then split.

 

[Football Hunter]

When is the best time to fertilize? What kind of fertilize is recommended?

When?Before green up,best?Many opinions.

 

[greenblazer]

I had a pear tree supposedly die only to sprout back up. I was told it will never produce fruit. Is this true?

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I had a pear tree supposedly die only to sprout back up. I was told it will never produce fruit. Is this true?

If it was a grafted pear, which it most likely was, and the shoots are below the graft union, then whatever kind of pear the rootstock produces will be produced eventually on the shoots. Rootstock is not usually selected for its fruiting characteristics so you will likely not obtain a desirable fruit from rootstock. If you knew exactly what type of rootstock the pear had, then you could make some fairly accurate assumptions as to what the fruit would look like.

 

[greenblazer]

is it possible a non fruit bearing root stock was used. just trying to figure out if i need to dig it up and start over. thanks.