How to Grow Apricots UK | Regional Planting Calendar

Regional Planting Calendar

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Sunlight	8-8 hours direct sun
Drainage	Well-drained (RHS); USU Extension warns it has little tolerance of wet or heavy soils
Lifecycle	Deciduous tree, self-fertile -- only one tree needed for a crop (RHS), though USU Extension notes yield improves with a second, concurrently-blooming cultivar nearby.
Edible parts	fruit

At a Glance

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: Water regularly during dry spells for the first two years, with consistent moisture especially important as fruit swells in early-mid summer, applied morning or evening to reduce loss (RHS)

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Planting and establishment	0	Best planted in autumn when soil is warm and damp, though any time November-March works (RHS). USU Extension gives US orchard spacing of 18-22ft between trees; choose a site free of perennial weeds and avoid planting in lawns due to conflicting irrigation and feeding needs.
Flowering and pollination	6	Blooms very early, when few pollinating insects are active, so hand-pollinate with a small paintbrush over several dry sunny days (RHS); protect blossom from frost with fleece overnight, removed by day. USU Extension states this early bloom makes apricot highly frost-susceptible -- in Utah, fruiting occurs in only about 3 of 5 years as a direct result, and later-blooming cultivars are the main mitigation.
Fruit development and thinning	7	Thin fruitlets once cherry-sized, cutting unwanted ones in half with secateurs so they drop off, leaving those remaining 5-8cm (2-3in) apart (RHS); USU Extension gives closely matching advice at grape-size, thinning to one fruit every 4-6in. Prune only in spring or summer, never winter, to reduce silver leaf and bacterial canker risk (RHS).
Ripening and harvest	8	Ripens late July to August; ripe fruit is soft, richly coloured and comes away easily, but bruises easily too (RHS). Protect ripening fruit from birds and squirrels with secure netting or fruit sleeves before it starts to colour up.

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Ripe fruit is soft, rich in colour and comes away easily from the tree when lifted (RHS); USU Extension similarly describes fruit turning yellow/red and softening, harvested July through August.

Storage

Best eaten straight away and bruises easily; can only be stored for a few days fresh, though it dries and preserves well (RHS).

Diseases

Blossom wilt

low

Monilinia laxa

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page.

Cytospora canker

moderate

Cytospora spp.

USU Extension names cytospora/pseudomonas canker as a major apricot disease; recorded here against Cytospora spp. specifically since that is the fungal component USU names first.

Silver leaf

low

Chondrostereum purpureum

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page; RHS's spring/summer-only pruning rule is specifically to reduce this risk.

Coryneum (shot hole) blight

low

Wilsonomyces carpophilus

USU Extension names coryneum (shot hole) blight as a major apricot disease; the same species already linked to Peach.

Bacterial canker (Prunus)

moderate

Pseudomonas syringae pv. morsprunorum

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page.

Honey fungus

low

Armillaria spp.

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page.

Pests

Aphids

low

Aphididae (various spp.)

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page as "fruit aphids"; USU Extension separately confirms aphids as a pest.

Glasshouse red spider mite (two-spotted spider mite)

low

Tetranychus urticae

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page; USU Extension separately names spider mites generically.

Squirrels

moderate

Sciurus spp.

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page as damaging ripening fruit.

Tortrix moth caterpillars

low

Tortricidae

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page (no severity grading given).

Winter moth

low

Operophtera brumata

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page as damaging fruits and leaves.

Greater peachtree borer

moderate

Synanthedon exitiosa

USU Extension names greater peachtree borer as a major apricot pest; the same species already linked to Peach.

San Jose scale

moderate

Diaspidiotus perniciosus

USU Extension names San Jose scale as a major apricot pest.

Spotted wing drosophila

moderate

Drosophila suzukii

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page as damaging ripening fruit.

Apricot Photo Gallery

Ripe fruit on the tree

Ripe apricots on the tree among green leaves.

Bee pollinating a flower

A bee pollinating a white apricot flower -- pollinators are scarce this early in spring, which is why hand-pollination is often recommended.

Early blossom

Early apricot blossom on a bare branch, a stage vulnerable to frost.

Fruit cluster

A cluster of ripening apricots on the branch.

Bark detail

Close-up of apricot tree bark.

Mature tree

A mature apricot tree.

Orchard landscape

An apricot orchard landscape.

Shot hole disease damage

Apricot leaf damage caused by Clastosporium (shot hole) disease.

Freshly harvested

A bowl of freshly harvested ripe apricots.

References

1. Royal Horticultural Society - How to grow apricots

   Self-fertile. Site: warm south/south-west/west wall, not frost-prone. Soil: deep, fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained, slightly alkaline ideal. Rootstocks Torinel/Krymsk 86/St Julian A giving 3-5m free-standing, fan 1.8m x 3.5-5m. Plant Nov-March (best autumn). Water regularly first 2yrs, more during fruit swell. Mulch spring; container trees fed fortnightly liquid or spring granular. Hand-pollinate with paintbrush over several sunny days; greenhouse trees always hand-pollinated. Frost protection: fleece over blossom, removed by day. Thin fruitlets at cherry-size to 5-8cm apart. Bird/pest netting before fruit colours. Pruning: spring/summer only (silver leaf/bacterial canker risk), fan-trained, established pruned after fruiting, new trees pruned spring. Harvest late July-August, soft/coloured/comes away easily, bruises easily, eat fresh or dry/preserve within days. Pests: fruit aphids, glasshouse red spider mite, grey squirrels, tortrix moth caterpillars, winter moth caterpillars. Diseases: bacterial canker, blossom wilt, honey fungus, silver leaf, spotted wing drosophila. Do not grow from seed/supermarket stones.

2. Utah State University Extension - How to Grow Apricots in Your Home Garden

   USDA zones 5-8, hardy selections to zone 4. Blooms very early, highly frost-susceptible -- fruiting only 3 of 5 years in Utah; later-blooming cultivars (Goldrich, Harglow) mitigate. Site: free of perennial weeds, avoid lawns (conflicting irrigation/fertiliser needs). Soil: needs good drainage, little tolerance of wet/heavy soil, very prone to iron chlorosis in Utah's alkaline soils. Spacing 18-22ft. Pruning: open-vase (3-4 scaffold branches at 18-24in) or modified-central-leader (more mid-canopy foliage, reduces sunburn in hot climates). Fertiliser: none year 1, then 1/2-1 cup 20-0-0 annually if growth inadequate. Thin to one fruit per 4-6in at grape-size. Pollination: self-fruitful, better yield with a concurrent-blooming second cultivar nearby. Harvest July-August, fruit yellow/red and softening. Pests: greater peachtree borer, aphids, spider mites, San Jose scale. Diseases: coryneum (shot hole) blight, cytospora/pseudomonas canker, root diseases from overwatering.

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.