How Do You Prune An Apricot Tree To Keep It Small?

How to Prune an Apricot Tree

1. Remove all damaged or broken shoots and limbs.
2. Remove all branches with a narrow crotch—those that grow up more than out.
3. Remove all branches that are within 18 inches (46 cm.)
4. Shorten the main trunk to a height of 36 inches (91 cm.).

When should apricot trees be pruned?

The optimum time of year to prune fruit trees is the dormant season, December, January (best) and until the middle of February, but note summer schedule for Apricots.

How do you prune an established apricot tree?

Pruning mature apricot trees
Take out the weaker of any crossing branches. Remove branches which are growing straight up, are at odd angles, or which are taller than the trunk. Remove old shoots that are no longer bearing fruit to encourage new growth. Thin the canopy if necessary to encourage air circulation.

How tall should an apricot tree be?

20 to 25 feet tall
Standard trees grow 20 to 25 feet tall and wide. Semi-dwarfs reach 12 to 18 feet in height and spread, and dwarf varieties are much smaller, topping out at five to eight feet tall and wide. Apricots are self-pollinating, but planting two different varieties that bloom at the same time can result in a bigger harvest.

How long does a apricot tree last?

A: With proper care, apricots can live for many years, up to 150. More generally speaking; however, the average lifespan of an apricot tree is 20 to 30 years.

Do apricots grow on old or new wood?

Cut out any long vertical branches and any old non-productive spurs. Apricots bear fruit on spurs, the ripened wood that bears for up to four years. Without regular pruning, new wood is not forced into growth and production suffers in later years.

How do I get my apricot tree to produce fruit?

Since apricots bloom on two year old wood, you have to be really careful how you prune them and realize that any year with heavy pruning may lead to a couple of years without fruit. Leave plenty of old growth to balance the new when you’re pruning apricot trees in the future, but do prune to stimulate fruit production.

Do apricot trees produce fruit every year?

Some apricots are also alternate-bearing – meaning, like avocados, they don’t produce fruit every single year. Sometimes they put out every other year, and sometimes every third year. And then, there is the rain equation. Apricots bloom early in February and March – the height of our rainy season in normal years.

What grows well under apricot trees?

Assist Me – Companion Planting
Alliums, especially chives and leeks, are useful for deterring borer insects and basil and tansy repel fruit flies. Tansy also repels ants which can often be seen climbing up apricots searching for sugars.

How long do apricot trees take to fruit?

You should be harvesting fruit two years after planting, although it may take up to six years for your apricot to produce abundant fruit. It’s not uncommon for an apricot to bear heavily only every second year. Fruit is best left on the tree until it’s completely ripe.

Do you need 2 apricot trees to produce fruit?

Although apricot trees are considered self-fruiting, sometimes it’s best to have more than one tree for pollination purposes. You can even have two different varieties of apricot trees, as having more than one can help if apricot fruiting does not occur.

Do apricot trees grow fast?

Growth Rate
This tree grows at a fast rate, with height increases of more than 24″ per year.

Do apricots like full sun?

They thrive in climates where winters are cold enough to induce a dormancy period and summers are warm but not sweltering hot. 4. Choose a sunny location with enough room for the tree to grow. Apricot trees grow best in a full-sun environment.

Can you prune apricot trees in winter?

Winter pruning when trees are dormant promotes vigorous growth, so prune then to encourage a good basic structure for a young tree or when trying to adjust the shape of a mature tree.

Can you prune apricot trees in summer?

The simple solution is to prune during the summer! Summer pruning should be done any time after harvest in July and August. This will provide at least 6 weeks for the wounds to heal and a long period of rain-free weather which reduces susceptibility to the disease.

Do apricot trees need lots of water?

Once every 10 days or two weeks is plenty. Worse than dry, thirsty roots is waterlogged, drowning roots. Although a little depression in the soil aids summer watering, it’s important to bring the soil around the tree up to the level of the surrounding soil for the winter.

Why are my apricots falling off the tree?

Apricots can drop off the tree before they are ready for harvest. This is often a built in safety mechanism if the tree produces a larger than normal number of blossoms. If too many of the flowers are pollinated, the tree will produce a large amount of fruit and drop some of it to lighten the load.

Where do apricots grow best?

Apricots are best suited to climates with consistently cold winters and short dry springs. A short period in winter with daytime temperatures in the high 40’s or low 50’s (which happens most winters) can cause Apricots to break dormancy and come into bloom.

Are coffee grounds good for apricot trees?

Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, and copper, all of which are essential to fruit trees. They also raise the pH level in the soil, which is good for the health of the plant.

What kind of fertilizer do apricot trees like?

Nitrogen is the nutrient most used by growing apricot trees; it moves throughout the soil, is leached off by normal growth and must be replaced by synthetic or organic compounds. The main source of nitrogen is decaying organic matter.

How deep do apricot tree roots go?

Almost all of the apricot root system was located in the first 0.75 m of soil depth, with 91% in the first 0.50 m. More than 75% of the roots corresponded to thin roots, with a diameter less than 0.2 mm.