If You Have Fruit Trees, Don’t Skip This April Job – Feeding Them Now Means Bigger Summer Harvests

Fruit trees burst into growth in early spring. It is a time they benefit most from a dose of essential nutrients, so gardeners should fertilize fruit trees in April to give them all they need to flower and set fruit for the season.

In most climates, fruit trees will be starting to unfurl leaves and break buds in April. If you think of when to fertilize fruit trees, when they are bursting into growth should always be one of the key times of the year. All types of fruit trees will benefit from a spring feed, except for newly-planted ones (we’ll explain later).

Over the years, I have grown many different fruit trees in orchards, walled gardens, borders, and greenhouses. This guide reveals which fruit trees to fertilize in April, and the best feeds to use to boost this year’s harvests.

1. Apple and Pear Trees

Established apple and pear trees benefit massively from fertilizing in early spring. It is a time of great activity for the trees, as the buds break and new growth kicks in for the season.

Feeding them in April provides the essential plant nutrients they need to support flowering and fruiting. It can make a tangible difference to your harvest.

To fertilize apple trees, use a product specially formulated for fruit trees that contains a fairly balanced make-up of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. A product like this natural fertilizer for fruit trees, available at Walmart, ticks all the right boxes to help get a pear tree to fruit (or an apple tree).

As well as apples and pears, other fruit trees to fertilize in April include figs, quinces, and mulberry trees. For these, the same types of fertilizers discussed above are perfect.

For extra support in spring, it is also advisable to mulch around the base of fruit trees with a two-inch layer of organic matter. The best types of mulch to use include compost, wood chips, or bark mulch (you can get bags of natural pine bark mulch at Lowe’s).

2. Stone Fruit Trees

Stone fruits include peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, and cherries. They can be among the easiest fruit trees to grow, but it's important not to prune them during dormancy like apples and pears, as doing so can increase the risk of disease

While you don’t prune stone fruits at this time of year, they are fruit trees to fertilize in April, and you should feed them at the same time as other fruits. Stone fruits are heavy feeders that require lots of nutrients as the new growth starts for the season.

A balanced, slow-release fertilizer (like this 10-10-10 granular fertilizer at Amazon) can be applied around the tree’s drip line, which is the circumference of the canopy where the roots are. Apply the feed at the recommended rates, and water it in well.

Only ever apply the recommended amounts. Overdoing it is a fertilizing mistake that encourages lots of leafy growth rather than forming fruits, and excessive nitrogen will reduce the quality of your fruit harvest.

If you grow fruit trees in pots, top dress them in April and feed with a slow-release product. Remove the top two inches of soil and replace it with fresh compost (you can get bags of organic compost at Walmart) to boost the soil nutrients for the season ahead.

3. Citrus Trees

Citrus trees, such as lemons, limes, oranges, and yuzu, require regular fertilizing. They are often grown in pots, spending the warmer months outside and the colder months indoors.

If you grow citrus trees in containers, spring is a prime time for fertilizing. They need lots of nutrients to develop leaves, flowers, and fruit over the coming weeks and months, so supplementing the food levels is essential.

Citrus trees need lots of macro and micronutrients to thrive. The best approach for fertilizing citrus trees in April is to use a specially formulated citrus tree feed, such as this bag of Citrus-tone at Garden Goods Direct.

For established plants, a regular liquid feeding regime is recommended, especially when they are in pots. I previously looked after a large citrus tree collection, and we fed the trees every two weeks during the active growing season.

If you worry about accidentally overfeeding plants, there is a simple fix. You can get pre-made fertilizer spikes that simply need to be put in the ground around outdoor citrus trees twice a year.

Such a product, like these citrus plant food spikes at Amazon, is easy to use and alleviates any such concerns.

4. Young Fruit Trees

Any young fruit trees will appreciate being fed in April. They don’t need fertilizer when you plant fruit trees, and you shouldn’t give them feed until they have been in their spot in the yard for at least a year. After that, they can be added to your list of fruit trees to fertilize in April.

You may ask, why don’t you fertilize the trees when planting? If you add lots of fertilizer to the planting hole, the tree roots will just sit there rather than growing and searching through the soil for nutrients. A healthy tree needs a strong, far-reaching root network to anchor it into the ground.

After a year, you can fertilize the ground around the tree to contribute to a healthy root system and strong structure.

It is also recommended to keep a circle around the trunk free of grass or weeds to help the fruit tree get all the water and nutrients it needs. Mulch this circle with compost or organic matter in spring after applying the fertilizer.

Alternatively, you can use biodegradable mulching mats around the tree, such as these coco coir natural tree mulch rings at Amazon.

What to Shop for Feeding Fruit Trees in April

When you fertilize fruit trees in April, also put aside some time for your fruit bushes on your spring gardening checklist.

As berries and currants start to grow in spring, they too benefit from lots of nutrients to flower and fruit. This guide to fertilizing fruit bushes in early spring reveals why you should act, and the best products to use for thriving plants.

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