Tree · Rosaceae
Apricot
Prunus armeniaca
Hand it full sun, sharp drainage, and shelter from late frost, and an apricot tree pays you back with sweet golden fruit by early summer.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 5–8
15–20 ft · 4.6–6.1 m
Overview
Ever notice how the apricot is one of the first trees to stir in spring? It often flowers while everything else in the garden still looks bare. It's a member of the rose family, sitting right beside plums and cherries, with roots tracing back to the cold, dry highlands of central Asia. You can see that history in the tree itself: it laughs off hard winter cold down to -13°F (-25°C) while still asking for long, warm, sunny summers to bring its fruit along.
That head start on spring is both a blessing and a bit of a bet. Blooming in late winter means the flowers grab the pollinators before anyone else, but it also leaves them sitting right where a late frost can erase an entire year's crop overnight. How often that stings really comes down to where you plant the tree and which variety you go with.
Hand an apricot deep, well-drained soil and plenty of elbow room, and it fills out into a generous, open-headed tree. The fruit shows up early, sweet and plentiful enough to eat fresh, dry, or can. The flesh is all yours, but the pits and leaves are not for pets or livestock, so think ahead about where the prunings and fallen stones land.
Care
The short version: give it full sun, deep well-drained loam, and a frost-safe spot away from the low pockets where cold air pools. Water deeply while the tree settles in and the fruit fills out, feed it in early spring, and save pruning for dry summer weather to keep disease in check.
Light
Apricots want full sun, and honestly the more the better, both to sweeten the fruit and to keep the tree healthy. An all-day open spot also lets the canopy dry off fast after rain, which helps hold back the fungal diseases that love to bother this tree.
Water
Give a young tree a deep, regular soak as it settles in, and again while the fruit is filling, drenching the root zone every 7 to 14 days instead of little splashes here and there. A grown apricot takes drought pretty well, but a good drink through a dry summer still shows up in better fruit.
Soil
Go with deep, well-drained loam, because soggy roots are the fastest way to lose this tree. It's happy with a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0, and good drainage counts for a lot more than rich ground ever will.
Temperature
This is a tough tree across a big range, handling roughly -13°F to 95°F (-25°C to 35°C). Winter cold is hardly ever the issue; the real danger is an early bloom running into a late spring frost.
Humidity
Average humidity in the 40% to 70% range suits an apricot just fine. What you want to steer clear of is damp, still air, since crowded wet foliage is exactly the setup brown rot and canker are hoping for.
Feeding
Feed it just once in early spring with a balanced nitrogen fertilizer to power the new season's growth. One feeding a season does the trick, and loading on extra nitrogen only grows soft, disease-prone wood.
Pruning
Prune in late summer or dry weather, never when it's cool and wet, so bacterial canker and Eutypa can't get into the fresh cuts. Shape the tree to an open center so light and air can reach right into the middle of the canopy.
Repotting
An apricot is a full-size tree that belongs in the ground, so it's rarely potted at all. Plant it once in a good spot and let it settle in for the long run.
Size & spacing
A standard apricot reaches 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6 m) tall and spreads roughly 12 to 20 feet (3.7 to 6 m) across. Give it that kind of open room so the canopy stays breezy and the roots have space to stretch out.
When to plant
Apricots keep an early schedule, so plan around it. Put bare-root trees in the ground while they're dormant in late winter to early spring, get ready for blossom that opens almost before winter's done, and start picking fruit from early to midsummer.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant bare-root trees during dormancy in late winter to early spring.
- Harvest: Blooms very early, late winter to early spring; fruit ripens early to midsummer.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–8
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Most apricot headaches show up on the blossoms and fruit, and the nastiest ones ride in with cold or wet spring weather. Find what matches your tree below, then jump on it early while you can still turn things around.
Browning blossoms and fruit coated in tan spores
What you're looking at is brown rot, a Monilinia fungus that sneaks in on wet spring weather and rots the blossoms and the fruit. Want to slow it down? Pick off every mummified fruit so it can't pass spores along, open the tree up with pruning so the canopy dries quickly, and reach for a fungicide at bloom whenever it stays damp.
Fix:
- Remove mummified fruit, prune for airflow, and apply fungicide at bloom
Sunken bark cankers leaking amber gum while limbs die back
Those oozing wounds are bacterial canker, the work of Pseudomonas syringae slipping in through injuries when it's cool and wet. The fix is mostly about timing and care: prune only on dry summer days so cuts seal up cleanly, don't bang up the bark, and cut away any infected wood well past the canker.
Fix:
- Prune only in dry summer weather, avoid injuries, and remove infected wood
Blackened blossoms with no fruit forming
Because apricots flower so early, a late frost can easily catch the open blooms and turn them black, and a frozen flower simply won't set fruit. To dodge it, plant on a north-facing slope so the tree stirs a bit later, keep out of low frost pockets where chilly air pools, and lean toward later-blooming cultivars if your springs are unpredictable.
Fix:
- Site on a north-facing slope, avoid frost pockets, and choose later-blooming cultivars
Crescent scars on fruit with early drop
See little crescent-shaped scars and fruit falling before its time? That's the plum curculio, a weevil whose grubs tunnel inside the growing fruit. Sweep up any dropped fruit to break the cycle, keep an eye on the tree, and aim your controls for petal fall, which is right when the adults are laying.
Fix:
- Practice sanitation and monitor, applying controls at petal fall
Toxicity
Be careful with this tree around animals. The stems, leaves, and seeds hold cyanogenic glycosides that release cyanide, and on top of that a swallowed pit can block an animal's gut. The ripe flesh is fine for people, but keep prunings, fallen leaves, and tossed-out stones well clear of pets and livestock.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
If a cat nibbles the leaves, stems, or a cracked seed, you might see drooling, vomiting, or dilated pupils. Most cats won't eat enough for a serious dose, but it's still smart to keep the trimmings out of paw's reach.
Dogs Mild
Keep an eye out for drooling, vomiting, or labored breathing if a dog chews the foliage or a seed. The real worry, though, is a swallowed pit, which can get stuck in the gut and block it.
Horses Moderate
Wilted leaves and stems are what to worry about, since they give off the most cyanide. A poisoned horse breathes hard, goes weak, and shows bright red gums, so prunings should never be left in or near the paddock.
Rabbits Toxic
The cyanogenic compounds in the leaves and stems are more than a little rabbit can handle. Keep the whole tree off the menu and stick to safe greens instead.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, sheep, and goats react badly to the cyanide in wilted apricot leaves, and a hungry animal can swallow a deadly amount in no time. Fence them well away from the tree, and clear off any fallen branches after a storm or a pruning session.
Birds Toxic
Both the seeds and the foliage are risky for birds, and even a little cyanide does a lot of damage in such a small body. Stick to the ripe flesh only, and skip the pit and the leaves entirely.
People Caution
The ripe flesh is a tasty, safe fruit, but the kernel inside the pit holds cyanide, so it should never be cracked open and eaten. Spit the stones out and keep them away from kids.
Keep pruned twigs, leaves, and discarded pits away from pets and livestock.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
There are loads of apricot varieties out there, each chosen for flavor, hardiness, or how nicely it dries. Here are a few that are good to know by name.
Moorpark
An old English type that ripens late, then pays you back with big, deeply flavored fruit.
Blenheim (Royal)
The classic California apricot, just as good fresh off the tree as it is dried.
Tilton
A reliable choice for canning and drying that shrugs off a bit of frost better than most.
Goldcot
Bred to take colder country, this hardy one holds firm golden fruit.
How to propagate
You'll almost always buy apricots as grafted trees rather than starting them from seed, since seedlings won't turn out like their parent. So how does each method actually work, and what do you get? Here's the rundown.
GraftingModerate
Nearly all apricots start out grafted, typically by T-budding onto a rootstock that suits them. It's the surest way to get fruit that matches the variety while keeping the tree's size and vigor under control.
SeedModerate
You can grow from seed after a stretch of cold stratification, but the seedlings won't match the parent. That's why apricot seed is mostly used to raise rootstock instead of fruiting trees.
Myths
Every part of an apricot is poisonous.
Not so. The ripe flesh is tasty and totally safe. It's the seeds, pits, leaves, and stems that carry cyanide, not the fruit you slice up and eat.