GrowSabzHow to grow apricot in pots
Also called khubani, mishmish, abricotier · Prunus armeniaca
خوبانی
- ☀️ Sunlight
- 6–8hours daily
- 💧 Water
- 7.5 Levery 7 days, 50 L pot
- 🌡️ Ideal temp
- 18–30°C
- 🪴 Min pot
- 50 L45 cm deep
- 🧺 Harvest
- 90–120days from sowing
- ⚖️ Yield
- 3 kgper 20 L pot
Apricot is a long game. From seed it takes 3-5 years before you see a harvest, which is why most growers start from a nursery plant. Container growing is entirely possible, but the container has to be sized for a plant that will live in it for years.
Short answer
Grow apricot in a 50 litre container at least 45 cm deep, watering about 1000 ml per 10 litres of soil every 7 days, and keep temperatures between 18 and 30 °C. First harvest comes 90–120 days after sowing.
Where to plant it
What size pot does apricot need?
50 litres and 45 cm deep is the realistic minimum for a single plant. Pick a container below to see what changes.
| Container | Minimum size | Depth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pot | 50 L | 45 cm | Suitable for dwarf varieties or young trees. Requires excellent drainage. |
| Grow bag | 50 L | 45 cm | Fabric bags provide good aeration and drainage, ideal for container growing. |
| Open ground | — | 90 cm | Requires ample space and deep, well-draining soil for optimal growth. |
| Raised bed | 100 L | 60 cm | Allows for control over soil composition and drainage, beneficial for root health. |
Watering
How often should you water apricot?
Every 7 days through the growing season, at about 1000 ml per 10 litres of soil — every 3 days in hot weather, every 10 days when it turns cool. Water in the early morning. Drip irrigation or slow deep watering works best.
Too little water
- wilting leaves
- fruit drop
- small fruit
Too much water
- yellowing leaves
- poor growth
- root rot
Avoid: shallow watering; waterlogging.
Climate
Can you grow apricot where you live?
No hardiness zone needed — compare your actual temperatures against the plant's own limits.
| Ideal range | 18 – 30 °C |
|---|---|
| Survives | 0 – 38 °C |
| Germinates above | 10 °C — best at 20 °C, about 21 days |
| Flowers drop | above 32 °C, or below -2 °C |
| Sunlight | 6–12 hrs/day, best 8 |
| Frost | Highly sensitive — will not survive it |
The flower-drop thresholds matter more than the survival ones. A plant can be perfectly alive at 38 °C and still give you nothing.
How cold is too cold for apricot? Check your temperaturesEnter your night low and day high — see if it survives, and if it will cropTimeline
Apricot growing stages, day by day
Click any stage to see what's happening. Durations shift with temperature — a warm season runs roughly a quarter faster than a cool one.
Feeding
Fertiliser schedule for apricot
Feed on the interval below, changing what you give as the plant shifts from making leaves to making fruit.
| Stage | What to use | Per 10 L | Every |
|---|
How to prepare each feed
Common mistakes
Why apricot fails, and how to avoid it
- A container that is too small
Below 50 litres the root run is too shallow. The plant grows, flowers late, and drops whatever it sets because it cannot support the crop.
- Watering too lightly
A daily splash wets the top few centimetres and nothing else. Apricot wants about 1000 ml per 10 litres of soil — one deep soak beats three shallow ones.
- Ignoring the flower-drop threshold
Above 32 °C, or below -2 °C, flowers fall before setting. The plant can look perfectly healthy and still give you nothing — shade it through the hottest hours.
- Harvesting too late
Left too long the colour changes, seeds harden and the flavour sharpens. Pick on the signs listed below, not on the calendar.
- Planting it beside Walnut
Walnut trees release juglone, a chemical toxic to many plants, including apricot trees, causing stunted growth or death.
- Leaving it out through a cold snap
Apricot is highly frost-sensitive. One night below 0 °C can end the plant outright — bring containers in or cover them.
Companions
What to plant with apricot
Good neighbours
Deep roots accumulate nutrients, making them available to the apricot tree. Attracts beneficial pollinators.
Deep taproots break up compacted soil, improving aeration and water penetration. Brings up nutrients from deeper soil layers.
As a legume, it fixes nitrogen in the soil, enriching fertility. Acts as a living mulch, suppressing weeds and retaining soil moisture.
Emits a strong scent that can deter pests like aphids and borers from the apricot tree.
Acts as a trap crop for aphids, drawing them away from the apricot tree. Can also deter other pests.
Keep apart from
Walnut trees release juglone, a chemical toxic to many plants, including apricot trees, causing stunted growth or death.
Raspberries can compete heavily for water and nutrients. They can also harbor diseases like Verticillium wilt, which can affect apricot trees.
Potatoes belong to the nightshade family and can share common diseases (e.g., blights) with apricot trees, increasing disease pressure.
Fennel is known to inhibit the growth of many plants, including fruit trees, due to chemicals released from its roots.
Problems
Apricot pests and diseases
Each lists the weather that brings it on, so you know when to start checking rather than reacting once it's established.
Brown Rot humidity >85% · temp 15-25
Causes blossoms to turn brown and die, twigs to develop cankers, and fruit to rot rapidly, often with fuzzy gray spores. Spreads quickly in wet conditions.
Bacterial Canker humidity any · temp 5-15
Causes sunken, dark cankers on branches and trunks, often with amber-colored gum oozing. Can lead to branch dieback and bud/blossom death.
Apricot Scab humidity >70% · temp 18-24
Appears as small, dark, olive-green spots on fruit, leaves, and twigs. On fruit, spots can merge, causing cracking and reducing marketability.
Powdery Mildew humidity 50-70% · temp 20-27
White, powdery patches on leaves, shoots, and sometimes fruit. Can cause leaf distortion, stunted growth, and reduced fruit quality.
Aphids humidity any · temp 15-25
Small, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new growth, sucking sap and causing curled, distorted leaves. Secrete sticky honeydew.
Peach Twig Borer humidity any · temp >18
Larvae bore into young shoots, causing them to wilt and die back. Later generations bore into developing fruit, leading to wormy apricots.
Plum Curculio humidity any · temp 15-25
Small weevils that lay eggs in young fruit, creating crescent-shaped scars. Infested fruit often drops prematurely or develops internal damage.
Gummosis humidity any · temp any
Oozing of amber-colored sap from the bark, often a symptom of stress, injury, or disease (like bacterial canker).
Frost Damage humidity any · temp <0
Apricot blossoms are very sensitive to late spring frosts. Frost can kill flowers, preventing fruit set and leading to crop loss.
Harvest
When to harvest apricot
First picking falls between day 90 and day 120, and the plant then keeps producing for about 20 days. Pick often — what you leave on the plant signals it to stop making more.
How to tell it's ready
- Soft to the touch
- Full color (orange/yellow)
- Easily detaches from branch
How much to expect
Storing it: Store at room temperature until ripe, then refrigerate for up to a week. Wash just before eating.
Questions
Apricot: common questions
How long does apricot take to grow?
About 100 days from sowing to the first harvest, with picking usually starting between day 90 and day 120. It then keeps producing for roughly 20 more days. Warm weather pulls that forward; cool weather pushes it back.
What size pot does apricot need?
At least 50 litres and 45 cm deep for one plant. A raised bed wants 100 litres of soil and 60 cm of depth.
How often should I water apricot?
About 1000 ml per 10 litres of soil, every 7 days in normal weather — every 3 days when it is hot and every 10 days when cool. Water in the early morning.
What temperature does apricot need?
It does best between 18 °C and 30 °C and survives from 0 °C to 38 °C. Seed needs soil above 10 °C to germinate, ideally around 20 °C.
Can I grow apricot in winter?
Not outdoors anywhere that frosts — it is highly frost-sensitive and will not survive it. In a frost-free winter it grows slowly; anywhere colder, treat it as a warm-season crop.
How do I know when apricot is ready to harvest?
Soft to the touch; Full color (orange/yellow); Easily detaches from branch. Once picked: store at room temperature until ripe, then refrigerate for up to a week. wash just before eating.
How much does one apricot plant produce?
Roughly 3 kg from a 20 litre container, or about 15 kg in open ground. Larger containers give proportionally more, up to a point.