Apricot tree: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How to plant an apricot tree?
Choose a warm, sunny, sheltered position for your apricot, with fertile soil that holds some moisture without becoming waterlogged. Avoid hollows where late frosts collect, as the tree flowers early. Allow space for the cultivar, rootstock and chosen form, and install support for a trained tree.
Plant a bare-root tree during dormancy, from autumn to early spring, avoiding frozen or saturated soil. A container-grown tree can be planted at other times with careful watering. Moisten the rootball before removing the pot and keep bare roots from drying out.
Dig a hole wide enough for the roots, but only deep enough to maintain the original planting level. Gently spread the roots without routinely cutting them. Keep the root collar at soil level and the graft above it. Backfill with the excavated soil, firm gently and water to settle the soil around the roots.
Add a stake if needed and mulch without piling material against the trunk. For pot growing, use a large container with drainage holes and compost suited to fruit trees. Check moisture afterwards, especially during dry weather while the tree establishes.
When does the apricot blossom?
How do you prune an apricot tree?
How to care for this plant
-
Maintain the mulch
Check the ground cover around the base. If the mulch has thinned, top it up on moist, well-drained soil after removing competing weeds. Keep the trunk, crown and graft union clear; add nothing if the existing layer is sufficient.
When and how do you harvest apricots?
