J...you want to prune during dormancy. Don't kill yourself in the snow/cold. I would prune before spraying.

Mature apple trees are probably best pruned in Z6 from Jan into early April, but most any time works well enough. Peach trees and most other common fruits are pruned when the threat of extreme weather is past- sometimes from mid-Feb on, depending on long term forecast.

If you are concerned about canker, which often becomes a problem with peach trees once they've reached full size, it is best to wait until they begin to grow. To help control canker, cherries often aren't pruned until summer.

Thanks, I usually prune apple, peach an cherry the same time around Febuary but that is probably my problem, My 2 peach trees look healthy but doesn't seem to be growing, They are about 3-4 years old, Tried to follow harvestman's spraying schedule last year.

Young peach trees should grow very vigorously, regardless of pruning date, if there are no symptoms of canker. Peach trees need well drained soil and don't compete with weeds or nearby forest trees well while they are establishing. They also suffer from N deficiency more easily than anything else I grow. Same thing goes for periods of drought.

Mulched the trees last year with 1-2 year old wood chips, I do have some heavy soil and no signs of canker to my knowledge, I live out in the open so no other trees near by just the apple trees which are about 20 feet away, So maybe I should put some urea on them?

I would try that- a half cup per tree or so as they begin growth and another 1/4 CUP A MONTH LATER.

Make sure it is watered in because the wood chips contain the enzyme that will volatize the urea and send it into the atmosphere.

I usually use about 1-1/2 cups of 10-10-10 per tree, So should I skip that and just try the urea?

In many soils the P in 10-10-10 is not needed and the K only by bearing trees because the fruit contains a lot of potassium. With some soils that already have a lot of P you can create an overdose that ends up making other nutrients unavailable although this is unlikely.

Even though that comes to somewhat less N than I suggested, I'm surprised if it isn't adequate to get good growth from the peach trees. It suggests to me another problem may be in play. When are you making these applications?

I followed another person's suggestion about drilling a hole about 4 inches deep with a 2 inch bit and putting about 1/2 cup of 10-10-10 in the hole and 3 holes per tree in the spring.

So I shouldn't be doing what I have been doing?