Growing Apricots

Growing your own fruit can be a rewarding experience. Not only can you control the levels of chemicals used or take and organic approach, but you can enjoy sweet tree ripened fruit. Apricots are a good candidate for the home gardener. This is a guide about growing apricots.

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Growing: Apricots

Planning Tips:

New trees should be planted in the early spring. They can be planted in the fall in mild areas if the trees are dormant. When selecting trees, look for trees that are least 1 year in age. Trees are self-fertile (they do not need other trees nearby to cross pollinate with in order to produce fruit), but tend to produce more successfully if planted near other varieties. Trees begin producing fruit when they are 3 to 4 years old- 3 to 4 bushels from standard varieties and 1 to 2 bushels from dwarf varieties.

Site Preparation:

Apricot trees need a site with full sun, and can tolerate a wide range of soils as long as the soil is well-drained. Trees grown in northern regions benefit from being planted on the north side of buildings so trees stay cool as late as possible into the spring.

Planting:

Standard-sized apricot trees should be planted at least 25 feet from other trees. Dwarf varieties can be spaced between 8 and 12 feet apart. Keep an area about 4 feet in diameter free from weeds and grass during the early stages of growth. Mulch newly planted trees with several inches of organic material, leaving 3 to 4 inches around the base of the trunk free of mulch.

Care & Maintenance:

Trees will benefit from an application of nitrogen fertilizer in the spring. Young trees should be trained to have an open center (leader trunk removed), with many well-spaced branches that are capable of bearing their heavy fruit without breaking. Shoots and suckers should be pruned annually to encourage the growth of fruiting spurs. If the tree sets a crop of fruit and no thinning is done, the overall size of the fruit will be reduced when it comes time to harvest. When fruits reach 1 inch in diameter they should be thinned to 3 to 4 fruits per cluster to increase the overall size of the remaining apricots. Watch for common fruit pests and diseases in the spring and fall.

Harvesting & Storage:

Apricots are harvested before fruit has fully ripened on the tree. The fruit is ready when it has attained a uniform color and the skin gives slightly when pressed. Harvest season peaks in July or August depending on zone. For best taste, apricots should be allowed to ripen fully before use.

By Ellen Brown

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Questions

Here are questions related to Growing Apricots.

Growing Apricots And Peaches From Pits

I read your note on growing cherries from the pit. I am trying to start other fruit.
Do the seeds of apricots and peaches requiring the same method, I have done everything except refrigerate the seeds and so far nothing. Thanks

Hardiness Zone: 10a

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Most Recent Answer

By Catherine in Canada (Guest Post) 01/08/2009

Remember: Since apricots are self fertile you probably stand a 50-50 chance of the pip reproducing a fruit very similar in size color and flavor to the one it came from. It probably will not be exactly like the parent plant as seedlings normally vary to begin with (that's how cultivars get selected-by having varied traits which the grower perceives as superior to the original parent plant). There is a possibility however of getting a cultivar which varies from the original fruits characteristics since the fruit probably came from an orchard grown tree where there may have been more then 1 cultivar of apricot being grown.

I myself plant to try growing an apricot from a pip as I cannot find the cultivar I want for sale as a grafted tree. I know I probably wont get the cultivar this way but am hoping to at least get fruit similar to what I ate in taste and color.

The cultivar I wanted is often grown commercially so it is possible I will get what I want from the pip anyhow, but I read it can take between 7 & 15 years for trees to mature and produce fruit if grown from seed. Is that true? I hope not because it will be really hard to wait 7 let alone 15 years for fruit.

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