Timing of Fertilisers and Manures.

Plants during their growing cycle have times of stress bought on by either environmental influences or simply the stage of development the plant is experiencing at that time.
Environmental stress come from cold spells, wind, excessive rain, excessive heat the list goes on, Physiological stresses are the likes of flowering, fruit development, fruit ripening etc.
During these times the plant can struggle with the extra load, the growth of the plant can become stunted to the point that it may not recover to its full potential.
Fertiliser-Compost-Manure applications during these stressful times will help the plant recover and if you are proactive enough will not get a check at all.
When you see a good fruit set on the plant start feeding a bit extra regularly so the plant is always on the front foot, fruit trees in particular can suffer from biannual bearing if they are not feed extra goodies while they have a good crop on them.
A good rule of thumb is to apply a little and often as I stated earlier to keep the plant healthy and strong and better able to persist through tough times.

Be Happy

Barry