Apricot trees should be fertilized in early spring, just before or at bud break, with a possible second application after harvest in late summer. The exact timing and amount depend on the age of your tree and how much new growth it’s putting out each year. In many cases, a healthy apricot tree growing in decent soil may need less fertilizer than you’d expect.
Let Growth Tell You If Fertilizer Is Needed
Before you reach for a bag of fertilizer, check how much new shoot growth your tree produced last season. Young apricot trees (under five years old) should be adding 10 to 20 inches of new growth per year. Older, established trees naturally slow down to about 8 to 10 inches of new growth annually. If your tree hits those targets, it’s getting enough nutrients from the soil and doesn’t need supplemental feeding.
The most common nutrient that runs short is nitrogen. When an apricot tree isn’t getting enough, you’ll see pale yellow-green leaves and sluggish growth. The yellowing typically starts on the older, lower leaves and works its way up to newer growth as the deficiency worsens. That color change, combined with shoots that barely grew a few inches, is a reliable signal that it’s time to fertilize.
Timing by Season and Growth Stage
Early spring is the primary fertilization window. Apply fertilizer just as buds begin to swell but before the tree fully leafs out. This gives the roots time to absorb nutrients right when the tree’s demand spikes for bloom, pollination, and the first flush of leaf growth. During bloom and early fruit set, the tree is also forming next year’s flower buds, so feeding it now supports two seasons of fruit production.
A second opportunity comes after you’ve harvested the fruit, typically in mid to late summer depending on your variety. A light application of nitrogen at this stage can help the tree recover from the energy drain of fruiting and improve its vigor the following spring. The key during this post-harvest period is also keeping the canopy healthy. Leaves that stay green and functional longer in the fall allow the tree to stockpile more energy in its roots for winter.
Avoid fertilizing in late fall or winter. Pushing new growth when the tree should be going dormant makes it vulnerable to frost damage.
How Much to Apply
A practical rule from the University of Arizona: apply 0.1 pound of actual nitrogen per inch of trunk diameter, up to a maximum of 1 pound of nitrogen per tree. So a young tree with a 3-inch trunk gets about 0.3 pounds of actual nitrogen for the year, while a large mature tree tops out at 1 pound.
For young trees under five years old, Utah State University Extension recommends about ½ to 1 cup of a high-nitrogen fertilizer (such as a 20-0-0 formula) spread around the dripline. For older bearing trees, increase that to 1 to 2 cups. If a soil test shows that phosphorus and potassium are also low, switch to a balanced fertilizer like 16-16-16 in the same quantity.
To put the math in perspective: a mature fruit tree generally needs one to two pounds of actual nitrogen per year, plus similar amounts of phosphorus and potassium. If you’re using a 16-16-16 all-purpose fertilizer, only 16% of each pound in the bag is nitrogen. That means you’d need roughly six pounds of product to deliver one pound of actual nitrogen.
Skip Year One Entirely
Newly planted apricot trees should not be fertilized during their first year in the ground. The transplant process damages fine root hairs, and concentrated fertilizer salts near those healing roots can cause burn and set the tree back. Let the tree focus its energy on establishing a root system. Water consistently, mulch the base, and wait until the second spring to begin feeding.
Soil pH and Nutrient Availability
Apricot trees grow best in soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. This slightly acidic to neutral range matters because pH controls how available nutrients are to the roots. You can dump plenty of fertilizer on a tree growing in soil with a pH of 8.0 and still see deficiency symptoms, because the minerals get locked into chemical forms the roots can’t absorb. A simple soil test kit (or a sample sent to your local extension office) will tell you where you stand. If pH is too high, sulfur amendments can bring it down over time. If it’s too low, lime will raise it.
Micronutrient Deficiencies to Watch For
Nitrogen gets most of the attention, but two micronutrients cause distinctive problems in apricot trees: zinc and boron.
Zinc deficiency shows up as “little leaf” or “rosette.” You’ll notice leaves that are noticeably smaller than normal, sometimes with shortened spacing between them so they bunch together in clusters. On mildly deficient trees the leaves may be partly yellow but still normal-sized. Severe deficiency produces completely yellow, dwarfed, narrow leaves. This is common enough in orchard regions across the Pacific Northwest that growers treat it as a routine concern.
Boron deficiency often appears in early spring, when fruit and leaf buds fail to break dormancy and the branch tips die back. On the fruit itself, low boron causes dry, corky patches inside the flesh. If this happens while the fruit is still small, it won’t size up properly. Apricots are particularly prone to cracking from boron deficiency. These cracks can appear anywhere on the skin, though cracks that show up only along the suture line may have other causes.
Both deficiencies are best confirmed with a soil test or leaf tissue analysis before you start adding supplements, since excess boron in particular can be toxic to trees at relatively low concentrations.
How to Apply Fertilizer
Spread granular fertilizer evenly around the dripline of the tree, which is the circle on the ground directly below the outer edge of the canopy. This is where the majority of feeder roots are concentrated. Avoid piling fertilizer against the trunk. Water the area thoroughly after application to dissolve the granules and carry nutrients into the root zone.
For micronutrients like zinc and boron, foliar sprays (diluted solutions sprayed directly on leaves and buds) are often more efficient than soil applications. The nutrients absorb through the leaf surface and reach the tissue quickly. Foliar feeding during bloom and early fruit development can also support bud retention and fruit set for the current season and the next.