For the most part our Fruit trees have passed the excitement of blossom and the pleasure of fruit and are now on their way to rest, and so often they miss some needed attention.
Perhaps the most important thing to consider when our trees go to sleep is actually what happens they wake up:
The process is called re-acclimation, and basically all the energy the tree puts into flower and leaf production during this process comes from stores accumulated in late Summer/Autumn. More simply, at this moment your Fruit trees are in the process of readying themselves for flowering.
Now this fact inclines some authorities to suggest now is a good time for fertilizing. I’d suggest it’s more of a case of ‘maybe’
It’s best to judge these things based on the trees performance through the Season. This can be ascertained by the seasons growth, for which an adequate amount would be around 30-40cm. If it was less than this, fertilizing would be prudent. For domestic Fruit trees a general purpose Fertilizer with moderate Nitrogen will suffice.
If growth exceeded 40cm I would caution restraint with fertilizing. Perhaps the number one problem I come across with Fruit Trees is excessive vegetative growth caused by excessive fertilizer (or water).
Of course this is not the only factor in fruit production, and perhaps I’ll while away the Winter lull with a post on tree dormancy, but for now let’s make sure our trees at least have the nutritional means for next Spring.