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Old Apricot Fruit Tree Needs Help or Replace

10shoe's picture

Old Apricot Fruit Tree Needs Help or Replace (post #18406)

10shoe on Sat, 01/22/2011 - 17:25
in

I have an apricot tree that I love. It is 30+years old and used to produce huge sweet fruit but between droughts and sporadic spraying it is now in poor health and hasn't produced a full crop of fruit in 10 years. Can I revive this beloved old tree or is it time to replace it? If salvageable what steps need to be taken? I'm constantly battling scale infestation and some of the larger branches have lichen growing on them which I know is another sign of poor health. I also have to cut suckers from the base every June.  Are there any good sites or articles for apricot trees to resource?

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coleus queen's picture

check out university extention website (post #18406, reply #1 of 1)

by coleus queen in reply to 10shoe [original] on Sun, 01/23/2011 - 06:53

I have a peach tree in much the same condition, I almost gave up hope until last year it started to revive after I cut a butternut tree down that was shading it.  If you really love the tree, it is worth trying to save if you are the sentimental type. Scale is very hard to get rid of, but high pressure water spray followed by a light horticultural oil every month may diminish it enough for the tree to rebound. Don't use dormant oil, in the growing season, it's heavier and will smother the tree. Prune it hard,  top dress it with manure around the roots, and spray with seaweed extract as a foliar spray to boost the nutrients and supress disease on a biweekly schedule. It's a lot of work, and will take two or three seasons to really turn around. It will be easier to start from scratch with a new one. If you have room, plant a new one somewhere else for the fruit, and keep the old one for the form. The best sites for fruit trees are usually University extention or Department of Agricutlure sites, check out your local state resources with those in mind.