Question
When should I spray my apricot tree with dormant spray? It really produced in 2008 but we had only 8 apricots in 2009.
Barbara
San Rafael
Answer
What affects Apricot production is weather and a phenomenon called alternate bearing. Late winter and spring rains destroy the early flowers of apricots. The rains also prevent the bees from coming out to pollinate. Alternate bearing provides another whammy, for some reason some fruits produce a bumper crop one year and then produce a mere handful of fruits the following year. I am betting that 2010 will be a good year for you (if we have sunshine while your tree is in flower!). The time to begin dormant spraying the apricot is now, in late October/early November, again in December and once again in late January. DO NOT use a sulfur spray such as "Lime Sulphur" on apricots. Use a copper spray instead (Kop R Spray, EB Stone Copper spray).
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