Growing your own apricot tree (Prunus armeniaca) is a real pleasure. After a few years of planting in a sunny spot, you can start picking delicious fruit that is as good as the ones you find in stores, if not more! You can plant a store-bought sapling or prepare the seeds from the fruit yourself, but either way it takes a lot of sun, careful pruning, and the clever use of pesticides to make healthy and delicious apricots.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare Seeds or a Sapling
Step 1. Extract the stones from fully ripe fruit
Scrub them with a brush to remove all the pulp and let them dry. Open them by pressing on the joints with a nutcracker or knife. Take the almond-shaped seeds and lay them (the technical term for germination preparation) by soaking them overnight in warm water.
- Get seeds from mid to late season apricots. Make sure there are no trees of the same genus as the seed around your home to avoid crossbreeding during pollination.
- You can prepare multiple seeds, in case some do not sprout.
Step 2. Sprout the seeds in the refrigerator
Squeeze some moist peat to remove excess water, place a handful in a jar or plastic bag, add the seeds and seal the container. Put it in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0-7 ° C. Check every day if sprouts have appeared; when you see them, it's time to plant the seed!
- It can take 4-6 weeks for a seed to sprout.
- Keep the seedlings on a windowsill that gets lots of sunlight or under indoor grow lights until you are ready to put them in the garden.
Step 3. Purchase the seedlings at a nursery (if you have decided not to use the seeds)
If possible, purchase dormant one-year-old trees with exposed roots. Remove the plant from the plastic container. If the roots are protected by a sack, remove it carefully before planting the tree.
Consider using dwarf species if you have limited space in the garden. The best ones include "Stark Golden Glo" and "Garden Annie". Dwarf species produce 25-50 kg of fruit per year, while normal trees up to 75-100 kg
Part 2 of 3: Planting the Seeds or Saplings
Step 1. Choose a sunny spot with quality soil
The soil must drain well but retain moisture. Apricots prefer slightly alkaline conditions, with pH between 6, 5 and 8. Make sure you plant your tree in a weed-free area where the soil is not sandy.
Avoid areas near eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, raspberries, or strawberries. These plants can be a source of wilt
Step 2. Dig a deep hole
Dig for six inches if you are using a seed that has sprouted. For saplings, however, the depth of the hole varies according to the size of the plant, but make sure it is large enough to cover the roots at least as much as in the previous pot. Fill the hole with very ripe compost and mix it well with the soil.
Step 3. Place the seed or sapling in the hole and water it well
If you are using a sprouted seed, cover it with earth and protect it with a net so that animals cannot dig it up. If you are planting a sapling, however, gently spread the roots in all directions within the hole, making sure they cannot break. Cover it with soil to the point where it was covered in the previous container.
Step 4. Water the tree often
Do this once a week if you live in a cool climate area, three times a week if you live in a warm region.
Part 3 of 3: Taking Care of Your Tree
Step 1. Remove the net when you see a tree sprouting
Don't risk plant growth being limited by the protective layer, so remove the netting when you see the first branches sprouting from the ground. You can build a wooden or wire fence around the tree to protect it from hungry animals as it grows.
Step 2. Support the tree in the first year of its life
Plant two metal poles on the ground 45 cm apart from either side of the tree and tie the center of the stem to the poles with a soft material, such as a cloth ribbon. Metal cables can damage the plant.
Supporting the tree if the weather is not very windy can limit root expansion. Use this method only if there are strong winds in your area or if you notice the plant leaning to one side
Step 3. Apply pesticides if you notice any bugs
Control jewelryosis (a fungal disease) by spraying a chlorothalonil fungicide on the branches before flowering and after any rain during flowering, or choose the "Harglow" variety of apricots, which is resistant to this infestation. Use a multi-purpose spray on the trunk to keep sesia, golden cetonia, and eastern peach moth away.
- The insects responsible for pollination are necessary for the fruit to appear. If you don't want pesticides to keep these natural helpers away, use them only when the damage to the tree is severe.
- If the tree already has fruit, don't spray any kind of pesticide on it.
- Do not use sulfur-based pesticides on apricots. Check with your local nursery for advice on which pesticides are best suited to your area.
Step 4. Fertilize the tree in the winter
You can apply a fertilizer (low in nitrogen and complete) in the last weeks of winter and again during the fruit season, so that the plant has the nutrients it needs to produce fruit. There is no need to fertilize the tree when you plant it, as compost is sufficient at that stage of its growth.
Step 5. You will see the first fruits after 3-4 years
Apricot sprouts are very vulnerable to frosts and may need to be protected in a garage or greenhouse during the winter.
Step 6. Reap the rewards
If you notice clusters of 3 or more apricots close together, remove any that are misshapen, brown, or damaged while they are still unripe. It is important to ensure that the fruits receive enough air and light to prevent the spread of fungi.
Step 7. Prune any branches or leaves that look diseased
"Sick" trees have shriveled shoots, brown, drooping leaves, shriveled, dark ("mummified") fruits. A fungicide spray may need to be applied to the tree to prevent the spread of an infection.
- Prune the tree even when the top is full and green, while the bottom is wilted and sparse. This means that the lower part of the tree does not get enough light because the rays are blocked by the higher branches.
- Prune branches that are no longer bearing fruit or that are over 6 years old.
Step 8. Collect the apricots
These fruits usually mature in mid-summer through early autumn. You will know when they are ready if they are soft, hairy and completely orange.
Advice
- In some cases, manual pollination is required if not enough insects are present.
- A new tree should not be too fruitful; pluck them before they ripen to avoid the problem.
- Another tree you can try planting is apricum, a cross between apricot and plum.
- The fan shape, which you can achieve by planting the tree next to a wall so that the branches fan out around it, is ideal for places with little space. However, it limits the amount of fruit the tree can produce.
