Its been raining plenty in other parts of the country but in West Tennessee its dry as a powder keg. We had ample rainfall the first half of the summer but since the first of August its been dry. There is even a fire warning out now. No rain in the forecast.
I’ve got apple, pear and plum trees that have fruited. Pecan trees with a few pecans. Also, grapevines.
How much is the drought hurting my fruiting buds for next spring?
If trees haven’t defoliated quite early they likely have vital flower buds that will make it through winter. In a way it may help the trees harden off early.
That’s how I see it, but I have heard horticulturists expressing concern about excessive drought going into dormancy- I’ve just not seen any consequences. In CA I used to have unwatered almond trees on a sandy hill that survived years when they received only 2 inches of rain while dormant for the whole season.
They often got no rain from April on and nevertheless bore almonds consistently (much to the pleasure of ground squirrels).
We are dry as a bone here in S. NY as well.
Pecans need water to fill the nuts. August and September being critical months.
On the others unless the tree has defoliated I’d not expect an issue with flower buds for next yr. Even if they are dropping some leaves they’ll very likely still flower.