At over 5700 feet in Utah, I planted two of these Manchurian apricot trees. They grew like weeds and are not a bush in size. I later cu...Read Moret one down because it out grew my garden area. The remaining tree is hardy, provides nice shade (its larger than 20x20 feet) and has beautiful fall leaves. It was planted over 20 years ago but I can count the times it has born fruit on one hand. The fruit is terrible for eating, bitter tasting but maybe you could sweeten it up for jam? I have sense moved next door and just planted a Chinese "Mormon" apricot (4/2016) that is better rated for my growing area with a sweet fruit?
This tree was once widely planted as a wind break and in the Northern Great Planes where many other trees may struggle. It is a "wild" su...Read Morebspecies rather than an carefully bred orchard tree. So, it is better as a small shade tree or specimen than a fruit barer. Obviously, it does bare fruit or it wouldn't exist. However it can hardly be called "fruitful." It will require another Prunus (with an overlapping bloom period.) If you have a Manchurian, I would suggest planting a cultivar of Apricot that grows well in your area. That way, at least one of your trees will likely fruit, (the other one). Manchurian apricots can grow in light shade but will not set fruit. It requires full sun and lots of bee activity for pollination. According to Lori Lapierre, on eHow.com,
"Prune the Manchurian in the late autumn or early spring, cutting back half of the new growth and discarding any damaged or dead branches. Keep new growth at 2 feet or less per year and make sure sunlight is hitting all branches. A properly pruned tree promotes fruit development in the spring. Refrain from using any pesticide in the growing season on or around the tree. Honey bees are necessary for cross-pollination, in addition to other trees; insecticide may destroy your pollinators. Left alone, it is an easy to maintain decorative tree. But to make sure the tree produces fruit, some planning and work are required, and it may be 1 to 2 years before your efforts pay off."
I planted this tree 2 years ago. It has grown in height and added a few small branches, but every spring there are dead tips on twigs an...Read Mored a few twigs that are completely dead. Not sure if it is from the heat in the summers or the cold winds in the winter. It did bloom the first year but it seemed awfully early and did not set any fruit. Apparently it is self-pollinating. Info on the Internet seems to lean toward use as an ornamental rather than for its fruit. I bought and planted it for fruit for wildlife, so it's a bit disappointing, but still a beautiful tree.
At over 5700 feet in Utah, I planted two of these Manchurian apricot trees. They grew like weeds and are not a bush in size. I later cu...Read More
This tree was once widely planted as a wind break and in the Northern Great Planes where many other trees may struggle. It is a "wild" su...Read More
I planted this tree 2 years ago. It has grown in height and added a few small branches, but every spring there are dead tips on twigs an...Read More