Apricot trees are a popular addition to many gardens, prized for their early spring blossoms and the sweet, velvety fruit they produce. Pruning is a necessary practice to improve the tree’s overall health, maintain a manageable size, and maximize its fruit-bearing potential. Unlike many other deciduous fruit trees, however, the timing of apricot pruning is highly sensitive and directly impacts the tree’s survival. Understanding when to make cuts is even more important than knowing how to make them, making precise seasonal timing an absolute requirement for successful apricot cultivation.
The Primary Rule: Why Apricots are Pruned in Late Summer
The most important difference between apricot trees and common fruit trees like apples or pears is their susceptibility to fungal diseases. Apricots, which are stone fruits, should not be pruned during the dormant season, which spans from late fall through early spring. This winter timing is standard for many fruit trees, but for apricots, cuts made during this cool, damp period create entry points for harmful pathogens.
The primary concern is the presence of Eutypa lata, a fungus that causes dieback, and other pathogens like silver leaf disease. Spores of these fungi are spread by splashing rain and thrive in wet conditions, easily infecting unhealed pruning wounds. Infection can lead to the sudden collapse of major limbs in summer, often with leaves still attached, or the appearance of cankers that ooze a gummy substance on the bark.
To avoid this risk, main structural pruning must be performed in late summer, typically from July through early September, immediately following the fruit harvest. Pruning when the weather is warm and dry allows the tree’s natural healing processes to seal the wounds rapidly. Professional recommendations suggest completing all major pruning at least six weeks before the expected start of winter rains to ensure complete wound closure.
Timing for Shaping: Training Young Trees
While the main annual pruning for mature trees occurs in late summer, timing is also crucial for establishing the tree’s permanent structure during its first few years. New apricot trees require specific cuts to develop a strong scaffold system, usually trained to an open vase or modified central leader shape. These initial cuts dictate the future productivity and longevity of the tree.
For a bareroot tree planted in late winter or early spring, the first structural pruning is done right at planting time, involving removing broken roots and heading back the main leader to encourage lateral branching. Subsequent major cuts in the first two to three years must still adhere to the late summer window to mitigate disease risk.
This timing ensures that the severe cuts needed to select and shape the main scaffold branches heal quickly. During the first summer, primary structural cuts select three to five wide-angled branches to form the main framework. These training cuts involve heading back chosen branches by about one-third and removing all others that are poorly positioned. Repeating this process during the second and third summers helps solidify the tree’s shape, establishing balanced limb spacing and a strong branch attachment angle.
Mid-Season Adjustments: Managing Fruit Load and Growth
Beyond the main structural pruning in late summer, two other activities occur earlier in the growing season, focused on crop management and light adjustment. The most significant is fruit thinning, which takes place in late spring or early summer after the tree has naturally shed some developing fruit.
Apricot trees often set far more fruit than the branches can support, resulting in smaller, lower-quality fruit and potential limb breakage. Thinning is performed when the developing apricots are approximately the size of a marble, or about three-quarters to one inch in diameter.
By carefully removing excess fruit, growers ensure the remaining apricots receive maximum resources and sunlight. The goal is to space the fruit two to six inches apart along the branch, which dramatically improves fruit size and flavor while preventing the branches from snapping under a heavy load.
A second mid-season adjustment is the removal of unwanted vegetative growth, such as water sprouts. These fast-growing, vertical shoots do not produce fruit and can be selectively removed earlier in the summer to improve light penetration and air circulation. This light corrective pruning can be done before the main late-summer pruning, provided the weather remains dry, allowing the tree to divert energy into the developing fruit.