What an Apricot Tree Needs in April – 3 Tasks for a Delicious and Juicy Crop This Summer

Perhaps one of the most desirable fruit trees to grow at home, apricots are prized for their sweet and juicy flavor. However, being generally less hardy than other top fruit, apricot trees do require some extra care to thrive.

As true sun-lovers, apricot trees do best when planted in a sunny spot and can either be trained against a wall or grown as a standard. With care required throughout the year, spring is an excellent time to prepare for the growing season ahead.

If you are wondering what an apricot tree needs in April, I spoke with an expert grower who shared their advice on how to care for your apricot tree so that you are justly rewarded with delicious fruits come harvest time.

What an Apricot Tree Needs in April – 3 Key Areas to Get Right

Depending on where you live, April can still feel like the depths of winter or the beginning of summer, and apricot care requirements vary as a result.

Marta Lynch, Farm Manager at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Norristown Farm Park, advises: ‘Apricots can be especially sensitive in early spring, so April care is all about protection and preparation.’

However, before you dive in and tackle the tasks discussed below, she suggests: ‘Begin with a thorough clean-up, remove any mummified fruit and weed around the base of the tree.’

Marta Lynch

Marta comes to PHS after managing FNC Community Learning Farm at 8th & Poplar, where she strengthened community engagement, doubled crop production, and expanded educational programming. She learned to grow food as a child, helping her parents tend their large kitchen garden in rural Bucks County.

1. Protect Trees from Frost

Considered hardy in US hardiness zone 5 to US hardiness zone 8, apricot trees require sunlight, warmth, and protection from low temperatures. Marta explains: ‘Because apricots bloom early, they are particularly vulnerable to late frosts. Keep an eye on the forecast and be prepared to protect blossoms if needed, as this can directly impact fruit production.’

You can protect your apricot tree’s delicate blossom and new growth from any late frosts by covering it with horticultural fleece or frost cloth. However, care is needed when laying it over the tree to avoid damaging any of the fragile petals.

To protect your fruit tree from low temperatures, you can purchase Toniful frost cloth from Lowes, or ready-made covers like these winter tree covers with a zipper and drawstring from Amazon.

Once the risk of frost has passed, remove any protective layers to allow light and pollinators to access the tree. In colder areas, or in frost pockets, you could also consider growing an apricot tree in a container and overwintering it in a heated greenhouse for added protection.

Mulching apricot trees can also help safeguard them over the winter months. When you apply a thick layer of organic mulch, you are effectively adding an insulating layer that will help protect the roots from freezing temperatures.

You can use garden compost or purchase an organic mulch such as Timberline natural cedar mulch from Lowes. However, Marta recommends, ‘be sure to keep any mulch away from the trunk,’ as this can encourage rot.

2. Monitor for Pests and Disease

As the days lengthen and temperatures rise, April is also a key time to start monitoring apricot trees for pests and disease.

Marta suggests: ‘Light cultivation under the tree can help manage overwintering pests, and consistent monitoring for pests and disease is essential. Oriental fruit moths can also affect apricot trees.

'Hanging pheromone traps is a useful way to track insect activity and time interventions effectively. Many growers also incorporate holistic sprays like compost tea or Regalia to strengthen plant health.’

Although they predominantly attack peaches and nectarines, Oriental fruit moths (Grapholita molesta) can also affect apricot, apple, plum, and cherry trees. Often overwintering in the soil or ground cover under the canopy, the larvae bore into new growth and even the fruit flesh, damaging the crop.

Perfect for identifying and monitoring both codling moths and Oriental fruit moths, you can purchase Vivagrow pheromone traps from Amazon.

If you already make your own garden compost, making compost tea is the natural next step. Full of beneficial microbes and nutrients, compost tea is used to encourage strong, healthy growth and, once steeped and diluted, can be applied as a soil drench or as a foliar feed using a Chapin pump sprayer available from Amazon.

3. Irrigate Trees

Even with the risk of a late frost, April temperatures in some states can reach 60 to 70 F, and with limited rainfall, this can lead to dry conditions. In these situations, Marta advises: ‘Consistent watering, especially during dry periods, is important, particularly for young or newly planted trees that are still establishing their root systems.’

Newly planted specimens may, therefore, need watering every few days in April, or even more frequently during hot and dry periods. Once mature, standard forms might require watering only when fruit is forming or during prolonged dry spells, whereas those espaliered or trained against a wall in full sun will need more frequent irrigation.

Watering correctly and efficiently is key to ensuring that plants and trees establish well, particularly in the face of climate change. Known for its health benefits to trees, shrubs, and edibles, slow and deep watering delivers moisture down to the plants’ roots, encouraging better-developed root systems, more resilient plants, and reducing water loss through evaporation.

You can water an apricot tree deeply by hand with a watering can or a garden hose, or through an irrigation system. Valued by time-poor gardeners, drip irrigation and soaker hose systems, such as this MIXC quick-connect drip irrigation kit available from Amazon, are ideal as they irrigate deeply and slowly and reduce the need to water by minimizing run-off and evaporation.

Furthermore, by applying water directly to the base of the plant, the foliage does not get wet, which in turn reduces the risk of fungal diseases developing, such as powdery mildew.

Along with protection from frost, monitoring for pests and diseases, and watering, pruning apricot trees is also crucial to their health and vitality. If not pruned, an apricot tree may still bear fruit, but yields may be limited, and the tree may be more susceptible to health issues.

As with other top fruit, knowing when to prune apricot trees is key. Like other stone fruit, established apricots should be pruned in spring or summer when they are actively growing to minimize the risk of silver leaf disease or bacterial canker.

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