Pear and Peach Tree Care

BJ says...
Hello Ralph,
This is an Australian web-site so most people are not going to be very familiar with your climate or any unique conditions you might have ... but I’ll try to give you as much information as possible. (Some of my advice may be wrong as I’ve never been anywhere near New York and know nothing of what you may be facing over there).
Alternate Cropping – fruit trees can sometimes alternate between a heavy crop and light crop on alternate years. This is called biennial bearing. Spring flower buds of most fruit trees actually form during the previous summer so pruning (a heavy pruning, or lack there-of) or a especially heavy crop may prevent adequate bud formation and result in a lower yield the next year. If you want to try and correct it you can try thinning fruit (just as they set) in the years that the trees produce their largest yield. But it isn’t something that *needs* to be corrected. My vote is to plant more fruit trees and simply share excesses with neighbours!
Spraying – I should probably highlight here that I am biased. I don’t believe in spraying trees as a prophylactic measure. I’d rather try to use permiculture methods to promote a healthy tree and good-predators. So unless you’ve a serious bug problem in your area I’d not spray anything – and when I find a bug I try to either remove them by hand or use products from my pantry to dispatch them (that way I know I’d be comfortable putting in my mouth what I put on the plants so I’m not using ‘nasties’ that may stay in my soil or get into the food I’ll later consume). Most of the time somethign in the pantry will work - you just need to know your bug (this forum is great for that). It might be a bit more manual work, but I personally think it is healthier. Chickens are also great at eating bugs if you’ve room for poultry.
Fertiliser – I fertilise my deciduous fruit trees twice a year. The first dose is at the end of winter/start of spring and the end of summer/start of autumn. Personally I’m a big fan of poo because it is fairly easy to obtain free or cheap - pig is supposed to be best, then cow, sheep and horse. Chook poo can be a bit rich if it is not composted first (or delivered direct from a chook scratching around the tree). I also use compost (home made) and mulch (which, alas, I have to buy in). Some people use blood-and-bone, which is also very good. Remember commercial products and fresh poo can ‘burn’ the tree so water them in well or compost first. Put the fertiliser and mulch under where the leaves are ... but not right up to the trunk. If a tree is looking a bit down a light dose of sea-sol can be great too. Keep the area under them clear – that way their roots will have less competition.
The peach – I’m really not sure what is happening with your peach. Could you be starting autumn early over there? (I know some of my plants already have blossoms so they think it is spring even if the calendar disagrees – but I guess it is unlikely if your climate is more mild near the sea). I’d probably recommend putting it in the ground soon (as autumn is the best time to put them in). Prepare the soil now, include some composted poo, and plant in a few weeks when nothing is rich enough to burn the roots. If you photograph the leaves and up-load them then there are many people on this forum much more knowledgeable than I am that may identify a specific issue (such as nutrient deficiency, disease etc).
Good luck