Renewing Old Apricots
Categories:
Fruit Growing
Shall I prune back heavily a 15 to 20-year-old apricot tree which did
not mature its fruit this season, I think on account of neglect? It was
very poorly cultivated and not irrigated, consequently looks very sick.
Cut back all the main branches to six or eight feet from the ground,
leaving on whatever small growth there may be below that height. Paint
the stubs and thin out the shoots next summer to get the right number of
new branches properly distributed. Whether you will get a good renewal
of the head depends upon whether the sickness is in the root or not. Cut
back just before the buds swell toward the end of the dormant season.