How to Grow Apricot Trees

About Growing Apricot Trees in Your Yard

This good-looking, sweet, yet somewhat tart fruit, is delicious, nutritious, and healthy for you. You love gardening and you love apricots. And, growing apricot trees is easy. So, why not grow an apricot tree right in your backyard!? Even if your yard is small, there are dwarf varieties of this tree that only grow up to 10 feet tall.

Apricot trees are native to the border region of China and Russia. Ancient Chinese discovered them around 4,000 B.C. By around 2,000 B.C., they domesticated them in their gardens. The trees spread westward toward Europe and the Mediterranean region. Merchants traveling home from China carried them along the Silk Road and other trade routes.

The small fruit ripens much earlier than most other fruit trees. They prefer cooler temperatures. They grow better, and are more productive, in the northern part of the U.S.

Caution: While apricot fruit is edible, the pits are not. The “kernal” or seed inside is toxic.

Apricot Tree Specifications

Fruit Ripens: Late spring to early summer

Tree Height: Standard varieties grow up to 25 feet. Dwarf varieties grow up to 10 feet.

Light Requirement: Full sunlight

Ideal Soil pH: 6.0 – 7.0.

Plant Hardiness Zones: 4 – 8.

Medicinal Uses? Yes

Botanical Name: Prunus armeniaca

Where Can I Grow Apricot Trees

Before heading to your local garden store to purchase an apricot tree sapling, it is important to know where these trees can grow. The trees are suitable for growing in colder, more northerly areas of the country. To produce fruit, they need an extended period of cold weather below 45° F. In warmer, more southerly regions, the tree will grow just fine. But, it will not produce fruit.

If you are uncertain if it will grow successfully in your area, talk to experienced staff at your local garden store.

Medicinal Applications

As previously mentioned, the Kernel inside of the pit is toxic. it contained the chemical “amygdalin”. If consumed, your stomach converts this chemical to cyanide. However, when properly prepared by professionals, it has medicinal uses.

Among them are:

They protect the liver.
It can relieve chest pain from angina.
It has antiaging potential.
They boost gut health.
There are anticancer properties.
They contain antioxidants.
Apricots can help to protect the kidneys.
It helps to lower cholesterol.

Important: Do not attempt to make a home herbal remedy with apricot pits unless you are properly trained in how to do so.

Light Requirement

For the best production, grow apricot trees in full, bright sunlight.

Shade or filtered sunlight from a building or taller trees. can affect the production and quality of the apricot crop. With too little sunlight, the fruit grows smaller and fewer quanities are produced.

Apricot Tree Propagation

Apricot trees are grown from seed. This is the “stone” or “kernel” inside of the fruit. It takes three or four years to go from the seedling stage to a fruit-producing tree. Like other fruit trees, most people don’t want to wait that long. Rather, home growers turn to garden nurseries to purchase young trees that can be transplanted in your backyard. The trees at your local nursery are a couple of years old. A small, nursery-bought Apricot tree will still need to grow another two years, before producing the first crop of fruit.

Important: Apricot fruit grows on second-year wood. So, keep this in mind, when pruning your tree, especially in its early life.

If you decide to grow your own Apricot tree from the stone, here’s how: First, soak the stone (or pit) in water for 24 hours. Then, place the stone in damp paper towels, moist sand, or peat moss. Put it into a sealable plastic bag. Place it in your refrigerator for at least a month. Then, it will be ready to plant and grow.

Planting an Apricot Tree

Select a location in your yard that receives full sun. Dig a deep hole. Add plenty of decomposed compost, if available. Mix thoroughly with regular garden soil. If the tree you have bought is inside of a peat pot, leave it in the container. It is helpful (but not required) to slit the container to allow roots to more easily exit the container. While making the slits, be careful not to cut the roots, as you can do more harm than good. If your tree is in a burlap bag, remove the bag. Gently spread the roots in the hole you have dug.

Bury the plant up to where it was in the container. Soak the soil thoroughly. Add more rich garden soil around the tree, if needed.

How to Grow Apricot Trees

Once your new Apricot tree is planted, it grows quickly. We recommend staking the tree in its first year of life. Strong winds can bend the young sapling, causing the trunk to grow at an angle. Really strong winds might even cause the tree to sway and damage roots.

Fertilize plants in late winter-early spring, and again during the fruiting stage.

Tip: Fruit tree fertilizer spikes are a great way to boost the growth of your new Apricot tree. The spike slowly releases a fertilizer specifically formulated for fruit trees.

Each spring, before buds open, apply a dormant oil fruit tree spray. This will kill a variety of insects.

We highly recommend a regular program of spraying for both insects and plant diseases. If you use insect and/or disease sprays, follow the directions on the label carefully. Make sure to wear protective clothing and a mask when spraying.

Harvesting Apricots

Harvest fruit just before it turns completely ripe. Pick the fruit when it is still hard. Then, it is easier to handle and store. Apricots are ready to pick when they have lost their green color and just begun to soften. Also, they separate easily from the branch.

Once it is picked, it will soften and ripen quickly. Store fruit in a cool, dry place, out of sunlight.

Pruning Apricot Trees

Like other plants, pruning established trees is healthy for them. It results in a bigger crop. Prune apricot trees annually in the early late winter or early spring, before the new year’s growth begins.

First, remove dead or unhealthy branches and limbs. Prune in areas where growth is very thick. This will increase sunlight and air penetration, to help the overall health and growth of the tree. You can also prune branches to maintain a shapely-looking tree.

IMPORTANT: As you prune, it is very important to keep in mind, that fruit grows from second-year wood. Prune lightly in the early years, to maximize fruit harvest.