Too much fertilizer will put on growth instead of fruit on older trees. I don't fertilize any tree I'm expecting apples on. However, I have pretty good soil. I only fertilize young trees in the spring.
I haven't hit any roots but, what I also do is make 4 4-5" in deep holes spread on 4 sides of the tree and fill those instead of one or two deeper holes. That way the fertilizer hits all sides and is not washed away from heavy rains which can happen if you spread on top of the soil.
Question: I know that fertilizing at planting is not recommended. Would I be making a mistake if I fertilized a couple pears that I relocated this spring? I originally planted them a year or two ago but they weren't getting enough sun so I transplanted them a couple weeks ago.
