Apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer around the tree's drip line monthly from March to June. Dwarf apples can take three years to bear, so this may be your year. Semi-dwarf apples can take up to five years. Pears, too, vary in the number of years it takes for the trees to bear. A standard pear can take between five and nine years, while a dwarf may take three to five.
Pears are pretty tolerant about soil types, but a sandy loam that drains well is ideal.
It is best to avoid an overly fertile soil, as this promotes too much growth, which in turn encourages fire blight. Unless your tree is in really poor soil and showing no growth, hold off on fertilization. Another reader wanted to add that when her son was young, he pulled berries from their tree, causing the juice to drip in his eye, which then swelled shut. Mail garden questions to Kathy Huber, Garden Editor, Houston Chronicle, P.O. Box 4260, Houston, Texas 77210. The bulk of mail prevents individual replies to all unpublished letters.