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Apricot

Prunus armeniaca

Fruit treeDeciduousFrost HardyToxic

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) is a small, round-headed deciduous fruit tree that flowers white to pale pink very early in spring, before the leaves, and bears yellow-orange, velvety stone fruit in summer. In Central Europe it succeeds only on warm, sheltered sites because the early blossom is easily damaged by late frost.

Overview

Height4–8 m
Crown diameter4–8 m
Root systemNot reliably documented
ShadeDense shade
SunFull Sun
WaterMedium
HardinessUSDA zones 5–7
Chilling requirement300–1000 hours between 0 and 7 °C

Seasons

Flowering (Central Europe)Mar, Apr
Harvest (Central Europe)Jul, Aug

Planting time for bare-root trees. Container trees can be planted whenever the soil is workable.

Companion Planting

Good Companions

None

Bad Companions

  • Tomato

    Tomato is a host of Verticillium wilt; UC IPM advises against interplanting young apricot orchards with susceptible crops such as tomatoes.

Shared disease: sharka (plum pox)

Other hosts in the database: Plum, Peach. An infected tree can pass the disease on to them.

Only relations with a documented cause are listed.

Toxicity

SeverityModerately toxic
Toxic toHumans, Dogs, Cats

Seed kernels, leaves and stems contain the cyanogenic glycoside amygdalin, which releases cyanide; kernels are more poisonous when crushed or chewed, while swallowing a couple of whole pits does not cause poisoning. The fruit flesh is edible.

Planting Tips

LocationOnly warm, sheltered sites in full sun, ideally in front of a south-, south-west- or west-facing wall; avoid frost pockets. A fan on a wall or a spindle with summer pruning is recommended (LWG); half and standard trees are not recommended (Inforama).
SoilDeep, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil, neutral to alkaline; struggles in poor, shallow soils.
WateringWater young trees regularly in dry spells for the first couple of years; moisture matters most in early to mid-summer while fruit swells.
FertilizingMulched trees usually need no extra feeding; apply a general granular fertiliser in early spring if growth or crops are poor.

Care Tip: Apricots fruit mainly on one- to three-year-old wood, so renew fruiting wood regularly and prefer removing a few larger branches over many small cuts. Whitewash the trunk in winter against frost cracks and cover blossom with fleece on frosty nights.

Sources