rose crazy:

I hope you managed to pick up and discard the apricots that fell from your tree, since fallen fruit around the tree is one of the major sources of insects and fungal activity that can affect your trees in subsequent years.

Diagnosing a fruit problem such as yours by long-distance is largely dependent on your close observation of the problems so they can be accurately described, including the timeframe when they occur. Apricots are subect to damage from plum curculio (an insect), that is often followed by localized rot, and subequent falling of the fruit. Have you seen any insect activity on the developing fruits? "Brown rot" is a general description for fungal infections that enter the fruit, but they usually have to have a break in the skin to serve as an entry point. Apricots can also suffer from mildews, that grow on the skin in cool, damp conditions, then harden up which causes the fruit to fall.

You may have insect problems, disease (fungal) problems, or a combination of both, which you may be able to overcome with a spray program of insecticides and fungicides. Have you ever sprayed your apricot trees with anything? Right now, you should be dormant spraying your apricot trees with a combination of dormant oil and copper to kill overwintering insects cases and fungal infections.

It is difficult enough to grow apricots because of their early bloom and sensitivity to late freezes. Worse still is to get through this period successfully and lose a nice apricot crop because of a lack of timely spray treatments. If your apricots set a "ton" of fruit again this spring, make sure you thin them to about 3 inches apart on the twigs, then spray them on your first warm, calm day, and about every 10 days thereafter until harvest.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA