While the sweet treat of this summer’s fruits
still lingers, it’s time to
focus on next year’s harvest.

"Next year’s fruit crop depends greatly on
the plants’ health this
year," said Gerard Krewer, a horticulturist with the
University of Georgia Extension
Service.

Making sure your fruit plants are properly
fertilized now is important for
two reasons, said Krewer, who specializes in small fruit
crops.

First, flower buds are forming now that will
produce next year’s crop.

"The number of flowers you have next spring
will be determined this
year," Krewer said. That’s important. The more flowers you
start with, the better
your chances of having a crop after a spring frost.

Second, fruit plants are charging up their
batteries now. They will crank
up next spring on the strength of energy reserves they build up
between now and their fall
shutdown.

"For the first 30 days or so next spring, a
fruit plant will depend
on its stored reserves," he said. "Those are the
reserves it’s producing this
fall and storing in its roots and stems."

Don’t rush out and start pouring on the
fertilizer, though. "Too much
fertilizer could do more damage than good," Krewer said.
"The plant could wind
up making less fruit instead of more."

Too much fertilizer now, he said, could cause
the plant to grow too much
in late summer and increase shading in the plant’s interior,
resulting in fewer flower
buds. Excessive growth is also more susceptible to cold injury
this fall and winter.

What you really should do, Krewer said, is take
a soil sample to the
county extension office. Get an analysis of your plants’ precise
fertility needs.

"Summer is a great time to pull a soil
test," he said. "The
readings will be closer to the actual soil conditions the plants
experience during the
growth season. The pH goes down this time of year. So you get a
better picture of your
liming needs."

One benefit of soil testing is that you can
often save on fertilizer
costs. "Often plants require only nitrogen in the summer
application," he said.

If you really don’t want to run a soil test —
the right thing — the next
best thing is to use a balanced, premium-grade fertilizer.

That would not only supply the main nutrients
plants need — nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium — in balanced amounts, but would also
provide the micronutrients
needed for good growth.

For many fruit trees, a seat-of-the-pants rule
is to apply one pound of
premium-grade 10-10-10 per inch of trunk diameter. But don’t
apply more than three pounds
per tree in late summer.

"For pears, apply a little less than
that," Krewer said.
"Pears are prone to put on too much vegetative growth if
you fertilize them too
much."

For blueberries, he said, apply one ounce of the
same fertilizer per foot
of bush height. But don’t apply more than six ounces per
bush.

In rich soils or where fruit plants often grow
too much, he said, cut any
of these rates by one-half to two-thirds.

Be prepared to fertilize again next spring, just
before or during bloom.
"Fruit plants usually need fertilizer every spring and
every summer after
harvest," Krewer said.