The soil around all fruit trees and bushes needs to be kept well-watered and moist, especially during the summer, and should be fed with an appropriate fertilizer if nutrient deficiencies are evident.

In early spring, apply a bulky organic mulch to newly-planted trees or to those that do not appear to be flourishing. Well-rotted manure or compost may be used for tree fruits such as apples, pears, peaches or plums, whilst rotted farmyard manure should be used for soft fruits such as raspberries, strawberries or blackberries. If the plants are mature enough to flower, you should also apply a balanced fertilizer. However, you should take care not to overfeed, as this may produce soft, disease-prone growth at the expense of fruiting.

Some fruits need higher levels of some nutrients than most plants, and so a specific fertilizer should be used. For example, peaches and gooseberries need high levels of potassium for high-quality fruit, whilst plums and pears require high levels of nitrogen. The following table shows specific fertilizers to boost the three major soil nutrients: