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Apricot

Apricot

The apricot tree (Prunus armeniaca) is healthy and delicious. Apricots are stone fruit (drupes) that are smaller than peaches, softer than plums. It’s best to find good fruit shopping at the peak of their season. In the Northern Hemisphere, they are in season mid-May through mid-August. In the Southern Hemisphere, they are in season November through January.

Growing your own, you need two trees that are different varieties of the same fruit species to cross pollinate because two trees of the same variety will not.
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Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
You can start with either a sapling from a store or prepare your own seeds from a fruit. Scrub off any fruit matter with a brush and allow the surface to dry. Crack open the seed by exerting pressure on the seams with a flat tool like a board, nutcracker, or knife. Take out the almond-shaped seed, and stratify the seed (prepare it for germination) by soaking it overnight in a container of warm water. You may wish to prepare several seeds, in case some of them don’t germinate. Squeeze damp peat moss to remove excess water, place a handful of it in a jar or plastic baggie, add the seeds, and seal the jar or bag. Place the jar in a refrigerator that is between 32 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Monitor daily for sprouts; when you see those, it’s time to plant the seed. It can take 4 to 6 weeks for a seed to sprout. Keep the seedlings on a sunny windowsill or under grow-lights until you are ready to pot or plant them in a garden. If starting by a sapling, Buy dormant, bare-root, 1-year-old trees if possible. Take the tree out of the plastic container. If the sapling comes in a burlap bag, carefully remove the bag before planting the tree. Consider using a genetic dwarf species if you have limited space in your garden. Great dwarf species include “Stark Golden Glo” and “Garden Annie.” Dwarf species will produce 1-2 bushels of fruit per year, while full-size species will produce 3-4 bushels. You can choose the “Harglow” apricot species, which is resistant to brown rot.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
With lots of sun. The soil should drain well but hold on to moisture. Apricots prefer a slightly alkaline soil with pH of 6.5-8.0 and does not have light or sandy soil. Avoid anywhere that has had eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, raspberries, or strawberries growing in or near it. These crops can be a source of verticillium wilt.
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
Standard sized trees should be planted approximately 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) apart. Genetic dwarf varieties may be planted 1.75 meters (5.74 feet) apart. Dig a 6 in (15 cm) hole for a germinated seedling. For saplings, the depth will vary based on the sapling’s size, but make sure it’s deep enough to at least cover the roots up to where they were covered in the container. Fill the hole with well-rotted compost and mix it thoroughly with the soil. If you are using a germinated seed, cover the seed with soil and secure a layer of screen over the area to prevent animals from digging up the seeds. If you are using a sapling, carefully spread the roots in every direction in the hole, making sure that there is no potential for root breakage. Cover it with soil up to where it was while in its container and soak thoroughly. You don’t want your new tree to be stifled by its protective layer, so remove the screen when they’re just starting to break through the top layer of soil. You may want to build a wire or wooden fence around your tree to help protect it from hungry animals as it grows. With the sapling place a stake into the ground 1.5 feet (0.46 m) away on either side of the tree, and tie the center of the tree to the stakes with a soft material such as canvas straps. Metal and wire can damage the trunk. (Staking when you live in a climate that is not very windy can cause fewer roots to grow. Only stake the tree if your area is prone to strong winds or if you see the tree leaning.)
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
Tomatoes and vegetables such as peppers and potatoes should not be planted near apricots. Asparagus is a good plant to grow with Apricots as it will have finished cropping before the Apricot is in full growth. Strawberries are traditionally woodland plants and so will grow well under Apricot trees. It is also said that Grapes are good companions for Apricots. I can find no reasons for this but I am speculating that as Grapes and Apricots both need to be planted in South facing gardens they make good bed fellows.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

Let them grow 6′ tall before pruning. Early pruning will harm the tree. You can prune whenever the top of the tree looks full and green, but the bottom looks wilted and thin. This means that the tree is not getting enough sun on the bottom because the top layers are blocking it. Prune any branches that are no longer producing fruits or ones that are over 6 years old.
Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
Water once a week if you live in a cool climate, and 3 times per week if you live in a hot one.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
Ensure that the area has no weeds.
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
Fertilizer (low-nitrogen, complete fertilizer) can be applied in later winter and once again during the fruiting period to help it cope with the added requirements of producing fruit. You don’t need fertilizer when you plant the tree, as compost does the trick during that stage of the tree’s life.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
“Sick” trees will have wilted blossoms, brown, hanging leaves, and fruit that is shriveled and dark (“mummified”). It may be necessary to use anti-fungal spray on the tree to prevent the spread of an infection. To keep borer insects away from Apricot trees which will bore into the tree causing disease and eventually the death of the tree, grow members of the Allium family (onions, garlic, leeks, chives) underneath the tree protecting the trees and also suppressing weeds. The Natural Spray Bonide All Seasons Horticultural & Dormant Spray Oil Bonide Neem Oil may help in control as well. Pollinating insects are necessary for fruit to form so don’t drive away your little helpers, only use when insects are causing major damage to the tree (careful to not spray any pesticide on the fruits). Do not use sulfur-based pesticides on apricot trees. Consult your local nursery. Fruit flies sting and release eggs into the fruits if you notice white worms inside the apricot. A suggestion is to wrap fruits with transparent protective bags. Throw infected fruit away, do not compost it.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
Expect fruit in 3-4 years. Apricot blossoms are very susceptible to frost damage and may need to be protected in a garage or greenhouse during the winter. Apricots are usually ready for harvesting from midsummer through early autumn. You’ll know when they’re ready if they’re soft, fuzzy, and fully orange.
How to Harvest:
A new tree should not bear a heavy crop of fruit; severely thin the fruit to prevent this. Avoid picking your apricots too early. If they are pale, they will most likely not ripen and will rot if picked. It is a common occurrence for a tree to drop lots of apricots before they ripen (caused by the production of too many flowers). Some of the fruit will drop as there is not enough space on the branches for all of it. Small, premature apricots will drop, while the remaining buds are likely to bloom into ripened fruits. Unripe apricots that still feel hard, can be placed in a paper bag. Carefully fold down the top of the bag to close it so the ethylene gas that the apricots produce will be trapped and help it ripen. Don’t store the apricots in a plastic bag. Unlike paper, which is slightly porous so some air can pass in and out of the bag, plastic is airtight. As a result, the ethylene gas may be too effective and you may wind up with mushy, overripe apricots.
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
While the apricots are ripening, don’t refrigerate them. Instead, leave the bag with the fruit out at room temperature on your counter or table. Allow the apricots to ripen for two to three days. (Make sure to place the bag in a location that’s not near direct sunlight or heat.) After two days, open the paper bag to check on the apricots. Smell the fruit to see if it they have a sweet scent, which usually indicates that they’re ripe. Touch the apricots too, it should give slightly when you press your finger against it lightly. Apricots make great sauce, chutney, sweet and sour sauce, jam and stewed fruit desserts. Apricots are an excellent source of beta-carotene, and one apricot provides the daily requirement for vitamin A. Apricots are suitable for freezing, but be aware that they lose their structure and become soft during freezing. Nevertheless, this still makes them great for using as sauce, purée, and sorbet. Pureed apricots make a great substitute for butter in cooking. The methods of drying apricots vary from simple sun drying through solar drying to artificial dryers. The traditional sun drying of apricots involves de-stoning the fruit and placing it on flat rocks for approximately six to nine days. This produces a dried fruit with an uneven dark brown color and a tough, texture.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Seed Saving:
Harvest seeds from mid- to late-season apricots. Make sure the seed comes from a fruit that is far from trees of the same genus to prevent in-breeding during pollination. A fridge or cellar would be an ideal storage location, provided the seeds are adequately protected from moisture. Airtight resealable bags are a good option, particularly if you purchase more seeds than you expect to use within a year or so.

Harvest and Storage

Notes

If you see clusters of 3 or more fruits growing close together, remove the ones that are misshapen, brown, or damaged while they are still green. Allowing the fruits enough air and light will also prevent fungal disease from spreading. Sometimes hand pollination is needed if few insects are about. There are two options after the years if the tree looks good but the fruit decreased to a dozen and eventually down to two, you can hire an arborist or take it out and re-plant. When you plant the tree next to a wall to let the branches “fan out”, is great for small spaces however, it limits the amount of fruit produced. Another tree you might like to try is an aprium; this is a cross between an apricot and a plum.

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