Tree · Rosaceae
Apricot
Prunus armeniaca
Plant it in full sun, sharp drainage, and shelter from late frost, and the apricot ripens sweet golden fruit by early summer.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 5–8
15–20 ft · 4.6–6.1 m
Overview
Among the first trees to stir in spring, the apricot often unfurls its blossoms while the rest of the garden still stands bare. It sits in the rose family beside plums and cherries, with roots reaching back to the cold, dry highlands of central Asia. You can read that lineage in the wood and bark: the tree withstands hard winter cold down to -13°F (-25°C) yet still leans on long, warm, sunny summers to color and sweeten its fruit.
Blooming so early is both the tree's advantage and its risk. The flowers that open in late winter get first claim on the pollinators, but they also stand fully exposed to a late frost that can blacken every bloom in a single cold night. Where the tree stands, and which variety carries those blossoms, sets how often the gamble fails.
Set an apricot in deep, well-drained soil with room to stretch, and it builds into a broad, open-headed tree. The fruit arrives early, sweet and heavy on the branch, fit to eat fresh, to dry, or to can. The flesh is yours to slice and savor, yet the pits and leaves are not for pets or livestock, so settle in advance where the prunings and fallen stones will go.
Care
The short version: full sun, deep well-drained loam, and a frost-safe spot clear of the low pockets where cold air pools. Soak the roots while the tree establishes and the fruit swells, feed in early spring, and save your pruning for dry summer weather to hold disease back.
Light
Apricots want full sun, all day if you can give it, to sweeten the fruit and stay healthy. A spot wide open to the sky also dries the canopy fast once rain stops, which keeps the fungal diseases that hound this tree at arm's length.
Water
Soak the roots deeply and regularly while a young tree settles in and again as the fruit fills out, drenching the root zone every 7 to 14 days instead of sprinkling it often. A mature apricot copes with drought well enough, but a long drink through a dry summer still shows up in better fruit.
Soil
Set the tree in deep, well-drained loam, since waterlogged roots are the fastest way to lose it. A soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 suits it well, and sharp drainage counts for far more than rich ground.
Temperature
The wood is hardy across a broad range, standing firm from roughly -13°F to 95°F (-25°C to 35°C). Deep winter cold seldom does the damage; the true threat is early blossom running headlong into a late spring frost.
Humidity
Average humidity in the 40% to 70% range sits fine with an apricot. Still, muggy air is what to steer clear of, since crowded, damp foliage is exactly the cover brown rot and canker look for.
Feeding
Feed it just once in early spring with a balanced nitrogen fertilizer to drive the season's fresh growth. A single seasonal feeding does the job, and heaping on extra nitrogen only pushes soft, disease-prone wood.
Pruning
Make your cuts in late summer or dry weather, never in the cool and wet, to shut bacterial canker and Eutypa out of fresh wounds. Shape the tree to an open center so light and air reach right into the middle of the canopy.
Repotting
An apricot is a full-grown tree that lives in open ground, so it goes rarely potted if ever. Plant it once in a well-picked 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) in height and throws its branches out about 12 to 20 feet (3.7 to 6 m) across. Give it that much clear room so the canopy breathes and the roots have ground to travel.
When to plant
The apricot keeps an early calendar. Settle bare-root trees into the ground while they sleep, in late winter to early spring, expect blossoms that break almost before winter has loosened its grip, and gather the 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 of an apricot's troubles show up on the blossoms and the fruit, and the harshest of them ride in on cold or wet spring air. Match what you see below to its cause, then move early while it still counts.
Browned, collapsing blossoms and fruit furred with tan spores
Those tan, powdery cushions on softening fruit are brown rot, a Monilinia fungus that surges through wet spring weather and takes down flowers and fruit together. Twist off any shriveled, mummified fruit so it stops feeding fresh spores into the canopy, open the branches up so wet leaves dry quickly, and lay down a fungicide at bloom whenever the air stays damp.
Fix:
- Remove mummified fruit, prune for airflow, and apply fungicide at bloom
Sunken bark lesions beading amber gum, with limbs fading out
Sunken patches of bark beading sticky amber gum mark bacterial canker, where Pseudomonas syringae slips in through wounds during cool, damp spells. Save all your cuts for dry summer days so the wood seals over cleanly, keep the bark free of nicks and tears, and saw out diseased limbs well below the sunken margin.
Fix:
- Prune only in dry summer weather, avoid injuries, and remove infected wood
Blossoms gone black and nothing setting into fruit
Because the flowers open so far ahead of the season, a late frost can catch them wide open and turn the petals black, and a frozen blossom will never swell into fruit. Set the tree on a north-facing slope where it breaks dormancy a bit later, keep it clear of low pockets where cold air pools overnight, and lean on later-blooming cultivars where spring runs unpredictable.
Fix:
- Site on a north-facing slope, avoid frost pockets, and choose later-blooming cultivars
Crescent-shaped scars on the skin and fruit dropping early
Small crescent scars cut into the young skin, paired with fruit hitting the ground too soon, give away the plum curculio, a weevil that tucks its larvae inside the swelling fruit to feed. Rake up and clear every dropped fruit to break the weevil's cycle, keep an eye on the tree, and time your controls to petal fall while the adults are still laying.
Fix:
- Practice sanitation and monitor, applying controls at petal fall
Toxicity
Handle this tree carefully around animals. The stems, leaves, and seeds carry cyanogenic glycosides that turn to cyanide, and a swallowed pit can jam an animal's gut on top of that. The ripe flesh is safe for people, but keep prunings, fallen leaves, and cast-off stones well clear of pets and livestock.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
A cat that nibbles a leaf, a twig, or a split seed may drool, throw up, or show widened pupils. Most cats never swallow enough for a real dose, but keep the trimmings out of paw's reach regardless.
Dogs Mild
Look for drooling, vomiting, or strained breathing if a dog chews on leaves or a seed. The greater danger is a swallowed pit, which can wedge in the gut and stop it up.
Horses Moderate
Wilted leaves and stems carry the sharpest risk, releasing the most cyanide as they fade. A stricken horse pants for air, goes weak, and shows bright red gums, so never let prunings linger in or beside the paddock.
Rabbits Toxic
Leaves and stems hold cyanogenic compounds that a small rabbit simply can't handle. Keep every scrap of the tree off its plate and serve only safe greens in its place.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, sheep, and goats react badly to the cyanide in wilting apricot leaves, and a hungry animal can swallow a fatal dose in minutes. Fence the herd well back from the tree and clear any fallen limbs after a storm or a pruning session.
Birds Toxic
Seeds and foliage threaten birds, and even a trace of cyanide travels far in such a small body. Offer ripe flesh only, never a pit or a leaf.
People Caution
The ripe flesh is fine fruit and safe to eat, but the kernel inside the pit holds cyanide and must never be cracked open and eaten. Spit the stones out and keep them clear of children.
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
Apricot varieties run long, chosen for flavor, for cold-hardiness, or for how cleanly they dry. A few stand out enough to know by name.
Moorpark
An old English variety that hangs on the tree late and pays off the patience with large, deeply flavored fruit.
Blenheim (Royal)
The classic California apricot, just as good sliced fresh as it is laid out to dry.
Tilton
A reliable choice for canning and drying that shrugs off a light frost better than most.
Goldcot
A cold-hardy variety raised for colder ground, hanging firm golden fruit on the branch.
How to propagate
Apricots almost always come home as grafted trees rather than seed-grown ones, since a seedling won't copy its parent. Here is how each route works and what you get from it.
GraftingModerate
Nearly every apricot is grafted, most often by slipping a bud under the bark of a matching rootstock with a T-cut. It is how growers lock in fruit true to the variety while holding the tree's size and vigor in line.
SeedModerate
A seed will sprout once it has had a stretch of cold stratification, but the seedling won't echo its parent. Because of that, apricot seed is sown mostly to raise rootstock rather than to grow trees that fruit.
Myths
Every part of an apricot will poison you.
The ripe flesh is good eating and entirely safe. The cyanide sits in the seeds, pits, leaves, and stems, not in the soft fruit you cut away and eat.