Rosaceae · Prunus armeniaca
Native to: Central Asia
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pH: if pH is below 6.5 apply lime or dolomite in winter. For apricot trees, dolomite is preferable over normal lime, as it contains potash.
The number one pest problem with apricots is not insects but fungi. Pruning to keep apricot trees open to air and sun is the number one strategy to minimise or ideally avoid fungal problems.
Always work towards making the tree a vase shape around an empty middle.
Apricot trees form spurs – short stocky branches that bear fruit (see photo 3 above). These spurs can have fruit on them for up to five years, so do not remove these spurs at the end of the first year of fruiting, thinking that they won't form fruit in the future.
Thinning fruit results in more even crops over the years. Not thinning will lead to a large crop that season, followed by a small crop the following season. It is called biennial bearing.
Imagine the approximate size of a mature apricot, and make space between the fruit, so, when fruit develop to full size they don’t touch. See photo below: remove the middle one
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