Reduced fruit set = heavy growth!

I’m not sure of recommendations for other fruit trees, but for peaches the recs are generally not low N. Of course it depends on crop load. Peach trees which have lost their crop due to frost wouldn’t generally require any N.

To this point I’ve not seen any evidence too much N reduces peach crops, but maybe it’s different with other fruit trees. For peaches, more N = more growth, which equals more fruit because fruit is produced on one year wood. For trees which fruit on spurs, I think too much N can put trees in a vegetative state and reduce spur development. Perhaps that’s what you were referring too?

Anyway, I would be suspect of any “standard blend” of fertilizer for fruit trees. The variables are too numerous and different to trust for a standard blend.

I have quit adding any N to my few apple trees or pear trees to get them to size up. I battle fireblight so much that it’s not worth it to add any vigor. I definitely see more shoot blight with more vigorous apple/pear trees. This year I’ve started spraying Apogee on apples to control shoot growth. It seems to have helped. Despite a very wet year I’ve seen very little shoot blight. Apogee is also supposed to encourage spur development on apples, but I’m not sure I’ve seen that yet.

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This is simply not correct in terms of fertilizers provided for commercial fruit growers here in NYS. Most orchards need an annual application of N to maintain high yields of quality fruit- but some orchards obtain a lot of that, in some cases, even all, from their native soil, depending on the % of organic matter and soil texture. Compared to corn or leafy crops you may be correct but I haven’t seen fruit tree fertilizers for commercial growers or even home growers to be “low” in N, unless you mean compared to lawn fertilizers. Lawns don’t require a lot of K or P in most soils. Even when grass is carted away with each mow.

Come to think of it, formulas you mention (that I happen to have not seen) with low N may be formulated for fertilizing fruit trees growing in fertilized turf.

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We have some trees that are borderline on chill requirements. Some years they set, some years they dont. The years they dont, oh boy the growth is ridiculous. Babcock is one that comes to mind. Im actually going to topwork babcock out of my orchard for precisely that issue. I dont mind that they dont set every year, but I do mind that they grow almost uncontrollably when they dont.

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