My sixth pair of apricot trees have died. For three years now, 2 trees each year, I have planted apricots and they die within a short period of time after planting. I plant other fruit trees from the same company and they don't die. I buy the kind suggested for my zone 5. They keep dying. Anyone have any suggestions, ideas?
If your apricot trees are anything like the ones I received, they are thin and spindly. the smaller and thinner they are, the easier they dry out. Try soaking them for a day or two prior to planting. Also you might try pruning the branches back to the main "trunk" and 3 or 4 other main branches. These should be evenly spaced up and down the trunk and also on different sides of the tree. ( When you look down it should look like bicycle spokes after you prune.) The roots have a hard time keeping the upper half of the tree hydrated when the top is out of balance with the roots. Also, do not fertilize in the hole, but around the top of the soil only. (You probably know that one.) Another trick is to put top soil in the hole and the deeper, inferior soil on the top. This helps with weeds and keeps the roots happy. Top-dress with compost and keep it well-weeded. Water frequently. One other thought is that there is something wrong with the location that you are using. Is it sandy? Are there insects? Mice? I have had a similar problem with mulberry seedlings. I think they are just too small for my location, which is a little on the sandy side. I think if I try them again I will pot them for a year or two until they are big enough to fend for themselves.
Thank you for your comments. My soil tends to be clayey, but I always amend the soil where I plant. This year I put them in pots, as I have other trees, to control them the first year. It didn't help.
Apricots are fairly sensitive to wet roots that apples pears and plums can handle. I also seem to recall they don't like heavy soil (clay). What are they types of trees that do okay? With peaches, you're not supposed to replant in the same place - the old tree's decaying roots hurt the new plant - but I haven't heard that about apricots.
What type of soil is best for them? I will try again, but maybe I should amend the soil to suit them.
Did you research the requirments for growing apricots first? World production occurs generally in two broad bands between about 25° and 45° latitude, often in association with peaches, nectarines and plums. However, apricots are not as climatically adaptable as other stone fruits. Individual varieties which grow well in one area often do not perform in other apricot production districts. Apricots require a warm Mediterranean climate, needing cool to cold winters to break dormancy and warm to hot dry summers to mature fruit with minimal disease problems. Fruit is subject to cracking in wet or humid weather. Apricot trees flower early, exposing them to damage from spring frosts in many of the areas they are grown. The tree is drought resistant (especially on apricot stock) but requires supplementary irrigation to reach its full yield potential. Soil requirement Apricots grown on apricot rootstock require well drained soils. In soils where drainage is restricted and ponding occurs after irrigation or rainfall (cherry) plum stocks are needed. Apricots seem well adapted to soils of around pH 6-8. The species is fairly tolerant of alkaline conditions but is very sensitive to high salt levels in the soil Check some fact out here
