Culture
Best grown in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Prefers moisture-retentive soils with good drainage. Best sited in a sheltered location (e.g., sloping ground on the south side of the home). Avoid planting in low-lying areas which can act as frost pockets. Hardy in Zones 5-8. The rootstock of a given cultivar will affect its cultural needs, tolerances, and hardiness.
Self-pollinating.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Prunus armeniaca, commonly called dwarf apricot, is a small, deciduous tree native to northern China and grown primarily for its edible fruit. Mature plants will reach 16-32' tall with a densely branched, spreading canopy of equal width. The ovate leaves can reach 2-3.5" long, 1.5-3" wide and have serrated margins with small glands on the teeth. The 1" wide, five-petaled, fragrant flowers are pink in bud but white once they open and bloom in spring before the foliage emerges. The round, 1-2.5" wide fruits have golden orange, smooth to pubescent skin, fleshy, red-tinged fruit and a center pit or stone. Cultivars are grafted onto rootstocks, which control the size of the tree.
Genus name from Latin means plum or cherry tree.
Specific epithet means of Armenia, Western Asia.
'Wilson Delicious' is available in commerce as a standard tree (15-20' tall) or grafted to certain dwarfing rootstocks (6-12' tall). The tree growing at the Kemper center is grafted to a dwarf rootstock which limits its growth to 8-10' tall. Dwarf trees bear full-size fruit, but have the advantage of fitting into smaller sites, of being more manageable (easier to prune, spray, harvest) and of often bearing fruit at an earlier age. This cultivar features white flowers in very early spring followed by freestone apricots which ripen in early July in USDA Zone 5.
Problems
Apricots in general can be difficult to grow in Missouri because (a) their early blooming flowers (two weeks earlier than peaches) are extremely susceptible to frost injury and (2) insects/diseases. Potential disease problems include brown rot, root rot and bacterial leaf spot. Potential insect pests include plum curculio, borers and aphids. Mites can also be a problem. Although good sanitation practices are always essential, chemical spraying is usually necessary in order to adequately control pests.
Uses
Grown primarily for the fruit crop, but has early-blooming ornamental value.
This dwarf apricot is ideal for smaller spaces because it is a small tree and is self-pollinating.