Normal fertilizing during flowering won't hurt fruit set. You'd have to apply massive amounts, enough to burn the roots or leaves. If fertilizer hurt fruit set many would use it to thin the fruit. Foliar application of fish oil and other stuff including some fertilizers has been tried to reduce fruit set on peach. But it doesn't work very well and that's foliar in an attempt to burn the flowers.

I am frustrated by fruit in the market, each having a sticker pasted on it, each label seeming contrived to contain NO information useful to the purchaser. Peaches labeled as "white' or 'yellow', not even 'cling' or 'freestone'. When I ask the clerk he does not know what I mean and when I explain, he does not know which they are. It is an impossible dream to ever consider they would be labeled by variety. Thanks for your evaluation, I would love to make my own without having to grow the tree. Al

start with a soil test.. and find out if there is anything lacking in YOUR soil ... much better system than rumor and innuendo ... fruit fall might also be related to lack of fertilization due to lack of bees ... or lack of a second tree for pollination or it might be related to frost or freeze at the wrong minute of time in spring ... PLEASE .. do not start amending or fertilizing.. on the basis of .. SOMEONE SAID SOMETHING ... that is basically just pollution ... there is a fruit forum.. and i have NEVER seen any of the fruit experts in the tree forum... if you feel that you do not get a good enough answer here ... you might want to try over there ... ken

Congratulations on your new additions. Now is a great time to plant peaches. I added a Floridaprince last year and it is in full bloom right now. This tree produces large yellow fruit with red sripes and ripens in late April and May. It is a vigorous tree that is tolerant of our desert heat has a low chilling requirement of only about 150 hours. You may not be quite as happy with the Early Elberta tree. They have a high chilling requirement (from 700 - 800) hours so may fail to produce many fruit here in the low desert. Typically the chill hours in the Phoenix area range from 200 - 350. These are the temperatures below 45 degrees that are required by the tree to set fruit.