Hi Art,

I have never found the "tree spikes" to work that well for me, here in So
Cal. I have found that several "soil builders", "amendments" and "organic
fertilizers" work the best for fruit tree production. Steer clear of
chemical fertilizers. Here's what I use on my apples, plums, apricots,
grapefruit and avocados...

"Worm Gold" [www.WormGold.com]
"Fruit, Citrus, Avocado & Tree Food" [www.organa.cc]
"Soil Builder" [www.humatech.com]

All The Best!

Alain



Art Salmons wrote:

I planted a small Orchard on my property this spring with 5 Apple
trees,4 Peach trees, and 3 Cherry trees. I live in Arkansas and I
worked with the local nurseries to determine the correct trees for
this area plus a mix of each fruit tree types to insure pollination if
the bees help. my question is should I fertilize these trees more this
year seeing that I won't be getting fruit. My thought is to encourage
growth and to help the trees gain strength. Lowes has tree spikes for
fruit trees that are blended for them. I was thinking of putting out
these spikes once each month through September. I would appreciate
your help on this matter. My peach trees are in bloom now with a few
blooms on each tree. The Cherry and Apples tress haven't done anything
yet,

Thanks, Art