I noticed buds on our apricot tree the other day and then yesterday I noticed it was leafing-out ! No blossoms ! What happened? We also have in the same area a necterine and a peach tree and both still have blossoms with the leaves starting to come out now. What could have happened to the apricot tree? It was newly planted last year as a bare root and I can't remember if it blossomed last year or not as I didn't pay it much attention. We didn't get any fruit last year from it I remember that for sure but I chalked the no fruit up to it being it's first year and also to the leaf curl that ruined our crop of necterine and peach. This year I sprayed with a dormant spray in January so hopefully we won't have the leaf curl this year. It's a semi-dwarf apricot. I could understand blossoms that don't get polinated but no blossoms at all? Isn't that a bit weird?

-- cindy palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), April 04, 2002

Answers

If you only planted it last year, then it is too young to blossom. It knows it won't be producing fruit until another year or two so it is going to only leaf out only and no reason to blossom.

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), April 05, 2002.

Karen is correct. It's still to young. Evan if it did bloom it probably wouldn't set fruit. The flower buds are actually formed beginning in July. I assume plenty of sun and a well drained location. I've had people tell me things get lots of sun and upon investigation plants were only getting a few hours of direct sun. Many apricots are not self fertile, be sure you have good pollination once it does start to bloom. Go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer, many fruit trees with plenty of nutrients just go vegatative the first few years before setting fruit.

-- John in Mn. (nospam@mywork.com), April 05, 2002.

Something I just found out this winter from our state horticulturist: apricots have a low chilling requirement, which means that in a later winter thaw, they will begin to go out of dormancy. This happens rather quickly. Then, when cold weather resumes, the buds have lost their cold acclimation and will freeze and die. Same for peaches around here. Flower bud tissue is a lot more tender than leaf bud.

-- Marcia in MT (marciabundi@myexcel.com), April 05, 2002.