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Apricot

Prunus armeniaca

Apricot is a small, spreading stone-fruit tree, a close cousin of the plum, with orange fruit like a small, smooth peach. It blooms very early, so a late frost often takes the crop; even in good years fruit may fail to set. Grow it for the years it does bear, not for a dependable harvest.

Tree facts

Scientific name
Prunus armeniaca
Origin
Central Asia; long thought to come from Armenia, hence its name
Tree size
15–40 ft tall and about as wide; 25–30 ft is common
Growth rate
Medium
Sun
Full sun, at least 6 hours a day. Avoid low spots where cold air settles, and keep it about 10 ft from patios and pipes.
Soil
Clay, loam or sand, as long as it drains well.
Soil pH
Acid to alkaline. In soil around pH 7.5 or higher, a tree on apricot roots does better than one on the usual peach roots.
Pollination
Self-fruitful; one tree is enough.
Cold hardiness
The tree itself handles winter cold, but the early blossoms are easily killed by late frost, and buds lose hardiness after warm spells in late winter.
USDA zones
5–8
Years to first fruit
3–5 before good crops
Season
May–Jul
Water
About every 10 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 120 days, Mar–Jun
Pruning
Feb–Mar
Taste
Sweet and lightly tart, with fragrant orange flesh
Nutrition
A source of vitamin A (as beta-carotene) and fiber

Is apricot safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Ripe flesh, fresh, cooked or dried

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Toxic: The kernels inside the pits contain amygdalin, which releases cyanide. Don't eat them; chewing or grinding them makes it worse. Leaves and stems are poisonous too.
  • Good to know: Crops come irregularly. Texas A&M warns that a tree may bear one year and then nothing for several.

Pets: Listed as toxic to dogs, cats and horses: the leaves, stems and pits contain cyanide compounds, and wilted leaves are worse. Keep pits and fallen leaves away from animals.

How to eat and enjoy apricot

  • Fresh off the tree
  • Dried, for snacking and baking
  • In jam, preserves and pies
  • Grilled or poached

When it's ripe

Fruit ripens from late May to July, depending on cultivar and place. Pick when the ground color turns fully yellow-orange and the fruit gives a little under your thumb; a red blush on the sunny side is normal.

Storing it

Ripe apricots keep only a few days at room temperature; refrigerate them to stretch that a little, or dry, freeze or preserve the surplus.

Apricot varieties (4)

  • Blenheim · also Royal Blenheim

    An orange-skinned apricot with yellow flesh, and the most consistent bearer across Texas in Texas A&M's experience.

    Season: Late Jun (Texas) · Size: Medium

  • Bryan

    An early apricot with orange flesh, on Texas A&M's list of cultivars suited to Texas.

    Season: Late May–early Jun (Texas) · Size: Medium

  • Chinese · also Mormon, Chinese Mormon

    A small to medium apricot that blooms over a longer stretch than most.

    Size: Small to medium

    Its drawn-out bloom seems to help it get past late frosts in some places.

  • Moorpark

    An apricot with orange flesh and medium to large fruit.

    Season: Mid-Jun (Texas) · Size: Medium to large

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

  • Spider mites

    Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

    What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.

Growing apricots? Let Yardkin keep track.

Yardkin tells you when your apricot needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.