Garden Q&A: Why didn't my fruit trees produce much this year?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions 

QUESTION

After the harsh heat, we received this year I have noticed my fruit trees did not produce as much as last year. Is there a way I can help them back to full health for next year? 

Also, a lot of my raised beds had the same direct sun which caused a lot of my perennials to die off can these be fed to encourage regrowth.

 

ANSWER

It’s not so much a question of feeding — though they will all benefit from a high-potassium seaweed feed in spring and early summer. It is more important to improve the soil with good organic matter and a mulch of organic matter around the root zone. 

Adding organic matter will improve the soil texture and help the soil to retain water during times of stress and a mulch will help to reduce water loss from the root zone.

This will help but it’s not magic, if we get more prolonged periods of very high temperatures it will become challenging but helping the soil to retain moisture is the best approach. Hope that helps a bit.

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