This spring marks the second year in ground for the majority of my fruit trees. They were initially planted last spring and relocated last september/october. This is the first spring dealing with in-ground trees. I have a variety of Apple, pear, plum/pluot, cherry, and apricot trees. They are all planted in native soil on mounds. They were then top dressed with 2-4 inches of hardwood bark mulch. I've collected scionwood and pruned them and will be grafting in the next month. The trees had different levels of vigor last year. My cherrys and nectaplum were the most vigorous while the pear trees were least vigorous. My initial plan was to pull back the hardwood bark mulch and add some bagged compost to each of the trees to true-up any issues with settling and I wondered if I should be adding fert like 10-10-10 or something like tree-tone. What about manure or even manure tea? Or maybe soluble fertilizer like miracle grow?
Should I add fert or compost/manure to last years worst performers (Pears) while holding off on fertilizing the vigorous nectaplum and cherries? I know too much fast growth can lead to disease.
I've also read that hardwood bark mulch breaks down quickly and creates good soil environments. Should I rake the old hardwood bark mulch back onto the trees and add enough new mulch to get my 2-4 inches or should I replace it all together with fresh mulch?
Looking at my early bud development I'll like get a small amount of fruit on the apples, cherries, and pears. Probably not on plums but we'll see. If I do get any fruit set I'll likely thin down to a couple pieces of fruit per tree. Just enough to get a taste but not enough to stunt the trees or cause problems.
Any advise?