APRICOT TREE GROWING TIPS FOR SWEET SUCCESS
Metus dictum at tempor commodo
The apricot is small, topping out between 26 and 36 feet, with a trunk up to 16 inches in diameter. The branches form a spreading canopy and are covered with finely serrated, pointed leaves 1 to 3 inches long. After a couple of years of growth, apricot trees flower in early spring. The blooms are small (1 to 2 inches), self-pollinating, white to pink, and five-petaled.
After the flowers bloom, self-pollinate, and die away, the flower core remains and develops into a stone fruit, or drupe in early summer. The flesh of the apricot fruit surrounds a dimpled, striped pit that sprouts easily in well-draining soil. Apricots themselves range from orange to rosy pink in color. Their skin is either smooth or velvety. It takes about 3 to 4 months for mature fruit to form. The flesh is consumed in many forms.
Today, California produces about 95% of the apricots sold commercially in the United States. It’s no wonder they’re such a successful crop, as they’ve been around for 4000 years. Apricot trees, closely related to peach trees, produce for up to 25 years. So why not incorporate a generous apricot tree in your garden?
Types of Apricot
The Patterson apricot tree comes from Patterson, California, where a great deal of apricot production takes place. It was first cultivated in 1960 by Fred Anderson, who also cultivated the nectarine. The fruit of this apricot is large and is great for a garden without tons of space for an apricot orchard. The first fruits are best for fresh eating, whereas the late-harvest fruits are great when canned.
The Perfection apricot tree is great for gardeners in colder USDA hardiness zones. The large, firm fruit is freestone, meaning that the flesh separates from the seed easily. Another benefit to this apricot, aside from its cold-hardiness, is its ability to resist pests and disease. The fruits are best when harvested early, and these trees can be maintained at 6 feet tall.
The Blenheim or Royal Blenheim apricot tree is great for a garden with room for a large variety that sets large fruits that smell like honeysuckle. They’re named for the first place they were cultivated: Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. The lovely white to pink blossoms almost smother the tree in spring, making it a lovely species to plant for aesthetic appeal.
The Montrose apricot is a freestone, cold-hardy variety that originated in Montrose, California. This red-blushed fruit is sweet and tasty, but difficult to ship. Therefore, this is a great tree for a garden that needs a touch of rarity.
Planting
It’s possible to plant apricot trees from stones extracted from the fruit. We’ll cover that in the Propagation section. Here, we’ll discuss how to plant a seedling or young grafted tree. Start by choosing and locating the variety of tree you’d like to plant. Select an area in your garden that has loamy, well-draining soil and is sunny. Plant fruit trees in late winter, or early spring while they’re still dormant. If you’re planting more than one tree, give each enough room for the other to grow. At least 20 feet between trees is standard.
Dig a hole just large enough for the root ball to fit, and create a small cone of soil in the center of the hole to help the roots spread outward and downward. If you’re planting a young grafted tree, make sure the graft faces north, out of the searing sunlight. Return the soil to the hole and add water, pushing the soil down as you go, eliminating air pockets. Then fill in the empty spaces.
Create a small berm around the edge of the planting area so water can pool and funnel to the roots. Then, spread a thin layer of compost and mulch on top, leaving a few inches of space between the mulch pile and the tree trunk. You can use a tree trunk protector if desired. Affix the tree to two very sturdy stakes at each side of the tree, using loops of wire threaded through a piece of garden hose. The soft hose segments will protect the trunk from the wire, and the stakes keep the sapling tree upright in strong winds.
Unless you’re growing a dwarf variety, plant your tree in the ground. Dwarf apricot trees can be planted in large clay planters at least 20 inches wide and a couple of feet deep. Use the same methods indicated above.
