guidance for pruning excess apricots

13 years ago

I think I need to pick off some of the fruit on my tree (because my Mom said so)... there seem to be far too many in some areas. I don't know how to go about it.

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Comments (6)

franktank232
13 years ago
Apricots frequently set excessively heavy crops with
the result that the fruit is small. Excessive cropping
also predisposes the tree and blossom buds for next
year's crop to winter injury. Therefore, thinning to
leave only one fruit every 1-2 inches along the
branches is recommended. Thinning should be per-
formed at the time of pit hardening, or just after the
June drop. Eliminating clusters of fruit helps in the
control of disease by allowing better coverage of the
fruit with fungicide sprays. Thinning can be done by
hand, or with a pole tipped with a short length of hose.
fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
13 years ago
Frank: I've never heard anyone recommend 1-2 inches after thinning. Is that really what you leave? I thin mine to an average spacing of more like 4-6 inches. In places that might mean 1-2 inches, but not anywhere near that as an average.
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I'm no expert on this, but I think I would leave it. It's gone pretty far, and as said above, would probable do the same thing all over again. There is a larger Autumn Blaze in front of where I work that is about a 12" trunk, that does not have the standard central leader, and is branched repeatedly where several leaders originate from one location in kind of a disc shaped arrangement. Then in late Jan we had the worse ice storm at the location I have seen, and about the worst on record. Guess what, the Autumn Blaze lost 2-4 relatively minor branches not more than a couple inches thick, and that was all. This with some formerly large probable 30 inch diameter sugar maples reduced to mostly trunks. Now I'm sure, the tree not being nearly as large as the sugar maples made a difference, but still it's a mature tree that came through the WORST ice storm essentially unscathed. On a side note, I am currently working on one in my yard, that was just plain screwed up. Partly my fault, partly not. In fact it was a tree that I gave up for dead, as I couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. Finally I remembered when we bought it that the nursery worked had sprayed "wilt proof" on it, for the ride home. Leaves got thick, and slowly disintegrated, and then died. Grew a few more back, but same think leaves, and very short internodes. Finally figured out it was probable 2,4 D herbicide damage, and that it had not been sprayed with wilt-proof at all. Last spring I noticed that buds set before I bought the tree were growing (all be it slowly), while the buds set afterward were not behaving normally. Little more research, and 2,4 D concentrates in the apical meristem (the growing points), and so could have concentrated in the buds set AFTER I bought the tree. So out come the pruners, cutting all the buds and branch ends set after I bought the tree. Low and behold the tree springs to life, and grows well till mid-summer. Added up to about 2.5' on some branches. Even got some decent russet orange-red fall color from it. So now the tree is still lopsided, still has a kind of crooked central leader that leans to one side, but it is on the road to recover, and I will be able to turn it into a very nice tree. This all is to say, that these trees are VERY TOUGH, and that it may very well turn out better than you expect. Also these trees seem to be more resistant to ice damage than many would give them credit for. Arktrees
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franktank232
13 years ago
Fruit:

I was being very lazy... I just copy and pasted. Didn't have much time to add anything else and it sucks linking on this site ;)

Its from this .pdf:

APRICOTS FOR NEW YORK STATE
Robert C. Lamb and W. C. Stiles

The article is from 1983...

I don't have enough apricots to have this problem...yet.

I've been buying "Poppycots" at the store here. They aren't bad if you get the softer ones. They have a very nice color. I know California has had some really cool wx this spring, so i'm guessing things are behind at this point.

My "Tomcots" and "Hunza" are sizing up nice...about the size of a walnut.
ottawan_z5a
13 years ago
I remember the taste of "Hunza" while visiting Hunza (far North Pakistan) in 1963. It was good, eating fresh from the trees. At that time you could see the trees in almost every field but rarely managed for commercial use because of lack of transportation/access to the market.
sautesmom Sacramento
13 years ago
Apricot wood is very brittle, if you leave too many fruits, you could come out one morning and find a splintered branch on the ground full of too many apricots.

If you thin to one per six inches, it shouldn't be too heavy for the tree to carry.

Carla in Sac
franktank232
13 years ago
I've noticed that the wood seems "weak" compared to say apple or even peach. I was covering my trees from frost early this spring and thought iw as going to snap the branches. I want to tie down some branches to shape my trees better.

Then again my mom had probably a 20 yr old apricot in her yard that we had to cut down and that stump was thick and heavy...so it must harden up good with age.

The Hunza live for ever and have little sign of cancer/heart disease. I'm guessing all that high altitude air, sun and good diet/exercise must really help, along with tasty apricots.

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guidance for pruning excess apricots

Comments (6)

franktank232

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX

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