Use this guide to grow apricot trees and harvest your own fruit.
Apricots are usually self-fruitful but produce a greater harvest if a second variety is planted nearby.
Where to Plant an Apricot Tree
Ample sunlight andwell-drained soilare vital to growing apricot trees.
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The best planting location receives at least eight hours of direct sunlight daily.
Be mindful of nearby trees or buildings that can shade a nearby apricot tree.
Choose a planting site that has loose, fast-draining soil.
The right soil for apricot trees crumbles easily and feels somewhat sandy but clumps together when moist.
Avoid planting apricot trees in an irrigated lawn inarid regions, such as the desert Southwest.
Apricot trees areavailable as bare-root plantsand container-grown plants.
If you have a choice, opt for a container-grown plant for easy planting and establishment.
Most apricot varieties are self-fruitfulonly one tree is needed to produce fruit.
When shopping, see the apricot variety description to learn what variety might boost fruit production.
Dig a planting hole as large as the young trees root ball.
Backfill the planting hole with native soil and deeply water the newly planted tree.
Continue watering twice weekly for about two months or until the plant is firmly rooted.
Aim to deliver five to 10 gallons of water a week.
Apricots thrive with regular watering when they are young.
Beyond the first growing season after planting, apricot trees rarely require supplemental water.
Temperature and Humidity
Apricot trees bloom in early spring.
Choose an apricot variety that ishardy in your areato reduce the chance that a freeze kills the flowers.
Fertilizer
When planted in the home landscape, apricots don’t require fertilization.
The native soil generally provides all the nutrients the trees need to grow and produce fruit well.
If growth is slow or stunted, test your soil to check its nutrient content.
Pruning
Prune apricot treesannually in late winter.
Begin by removing all broken, rubbing, and diseased branches.
Also, prune away vigorous stems, called suckers, rising from the roots or base of the trunk.
Next, prune the tree to create a V-shape.
Choose three to five main branches.
This is called thinning.
Fruit thinning allows the remaining fruit to fully mature and maintain good tree health.
Pests and Problems
Several pests and problems plague apricot trees.
Root diseases are common and show themselves by yellowing leaves, branch dieback, and general lack of vigor.
Wet soil is often the cause of root diseases.Cankersdiscolored bark and woundsthat ooze sapare another apricot tree challenge.
Prevent cankers by avoiding tree injury; protect the trunk and lower limbs from lawnmowers and weed trimmers.
When possible, prune out infected wood 12 inches below where the last symptoms appear.
How to Propagate an Apricot Tree
Apricot trees are propagated vegetatively to preserve the cultivar characteristics.
In the home garden,stem cuttingsare the best way to propagate an established tree.
Select a branch with three or four leaf buds and cut it at a 45-degree angle.
Strip any leaves from the bottom half of the cutting, but leave a few on the top half.
It is self-fruitful and has good disease tolerance.
It ripens in July.
It is self-fruitful and ripens in mid-July.
It is self-fruitful and ripens in August.
Apricot trees can be grown indoors in a pot, but they rarely flower and fruit inside.
If you want to harvest fruit from an apricot tree, it is best planted outdoors.
Yes, dwarf apricot trees will produce plenty of fruit and take up less space than full-sized trees.
They grow to be 8 to 10 feet tall and wide.
