Q. My apricot tree is 15 years old. I have emitters around most of the canopy. I gave it fruit tree fertilizer in early spring. This spring it developed a lot of apricots then a few weeks later the leaves started turning brown and falling off. I fear my tree is dying. Any suggestions?
A. This is the time of year we see borers finish their nasty work. This is not peach tree, or crown borer that gets into the soil as it does further north. These borers have been tunneling just under the bark, staying in the tree, and are “flatheaded borers”. It is possible that borers may have been a problem before your tree was 15 years old.
When we see the tree dying it is often times later in the year (usually July or August) when it gets hot. Often times the tree has an exposed trunk facing west or south. The trunk gets hot, scorches or sunburns and the borers infest the tree where there is damage. Like I said, this borer infestation can happen over several years when it is older like yours. In young trees it can happen over one or two years.
What to do? Look for borer damage of the tree trunk where it is exposed to direct sunlight. I would get borer control insecticide containing the active ingredient imidacloprid and treat it now. Make sure a soil drench is mentioned on the label. You can always look for borer damage after you apply the soil drench treatment.
Normally this treatment is done earlier in the year before damage is obvious, around March. But it is worth the treatment now in hopes the tree will improve. Since the fruit has already been harvested (it finished flowering in February) the soil drench is straightforward. The tree may continue to get worse before it gets better, or the tree may die outright because the visual damage is so extensive.
Your other option is to remove the tree and buy an apricot and plant it in the same hole. I would recommend any apricot on any dwarfing rootstock. Plant any of them in October when it is cooler. If it is borers, they are only in the tree and not the soil.