Apricots (Prunus armeniaca) are small, stone fruit tree, cultivated throughout the temperate regions of the world, especially in the Mediterranean. Apricots are closely related to peaches, almonds, plums, and cherries. They are eaten fresh or cooked and are preserved by canning or drying. The fruit is also widely made into jam and is often used to flavor liqueurs. Apricots are a good source of vitamin A and are high in natural sugar. Dried apricots are an excellent source of iron. Apricot trees are small and spreading, with broad ovate leaves that have pointed tips.
Stages and Techniques To Grow Apricot Tree From Seed
Selecting the Right Fruit and Seed
The foundation of a successful apricot tree begins with choosing the right fruit. Use fully ripe, locally grown apricots rather than supermarket fruit — commercially sold apricots are often grown from non-locally adapted varieties, treated with preservatives, or have been refrigerated for extended periods in ways that can compromise seed viability.
Ideally source fruit from a tree growing in your own climate zone, as the seedling will inherit the parent tree’s cold hardiness and heat tolerance. Eat or use the fruit flesh and save the hard stone inside — this stone is the seed’s protective outer shell, and the actual seed kernel sits within it.
Extracting and Cleaning the Pit
Once you have eaten the apricot flesh, the remaining pit must be carefully cleaned before any further processing. Rinse the pit thoroughly under running water, removing every trace of fruit flesh — any remaining organic matter will encourage mold during the stratification process and can kill the seed before it ever germinates.
Use a soft brush or your fingers to scrub the pit clean, then allow it to air dry at room temperature for twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Do not dry it in direct sunlight or on a heat source — excessive heat can damage the embryo within the shell before stratification even begins.
Cracking the Outer Shell — Optional but Recommended
The apricot pit’s hard outer shell is technically a protective endocarp — a woody layer surrounding the true seed kernel inside. Germination can occur with the shell intact, but cracking it carefully before stratification significantly accelerates and improves germination rates by allowing moisture to reach the kernel more readily.
Use a nutcracker, a vice, or carefully place the pit on a hard surface and apply controlled pressure with a hammer along the seam to split it without damaging the almond-like seed kernel inside. The kernel should be pale cream, firm, and intact — any soft, discolored, or shriveled kernels should be discarded as they are unlikely to be viable.
Cold Stratification — The Essential Step
Cold stratification is the single most important and non-negotiable step in germinating apricot seeds — and the step most commonly skipped by impatient gardeners, resulting in failure. Apricot seeds require a prolonged period of cold, moist conditions to break their dormancy — a requirement evolved to prevent germination during autumn when a subsequent frost would kill the seedling.
Wrap the cleaned seed kernel — or intact pit if you chose not to crack it — in a slightly damp paper towel, place it in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container, and refrigerate it at between two and five degrees Celsius for sixty to ninety days. Check it regularly for mold and remoisten the paper towel if it dries out.
Monitoring Stratification Progress
During the sixty to ninety days of refrigerator stratification, the seed is not simply sitting dormant — complex biochemical changes are occurring within the embryo that prepare it for germination. Check the seed every two weeks during stratification for signs of mold — if any appears, gently rinse the seed, replace the paper towel, and return it to the refrigerator.
Toward the end of the stratification period — typically around the sixty-day mark — examine the seed closely for the first signs of germination: a tiny white radicle emerging from one end of the kernel. Once this appears the seed is ready to plant and should be potted up immediately.
Choosing the Right Time to Plant
Timing the end of stratification to coincide with the appropriate planting season is important for the seedling’s long-term success. In most temperate climates, beginning stratification in November or December means the seed will be ready for planting in late January or February — allowing the seedling to establish indoors through late winter before being gradually hardened off for outdoor planting in spring.
Alternatively, beginning stratification in late summer with seeds from the current season’s fruit means planting in autumn — a strategy that replicates the natural cycle of a fallen seed overwintering in the soil, though it requires protection of the seedling through its first winter.
Preparing the Germination Container and Soil
While the seed completes its stratification, prepare the container and growing medium it will be planted into. Use a small pot — a ten to fifteen centimeter container is ideal for the first stage — with excellent drainage holes, filled with a free-draining seed-starting mix or a blend of equal parts peat-free compost and perlite or sharp sand.
Apricot seeds are susceptible to damping off — a fungal condition that collapses seedling stems at soil level — and the free-draining, aerated growing medium is the most important preventative measure. Avoid heavy, dense potting compost that retains water around the delicate stem.
Planting the Stratified Seed
Plant the stratified seed kernel — or cracked pit — at a depth of approximately five centimeters, with the pointed end facing downward if the orientation is visible.
Firm the compost gently around it to eliminate air pockets and water it in thoroughly, allowing excess water to drain completely from the base of the pot. Place the pot in a warm location — a windowsill above a radiator, a heated propagator, or a greenhouse bench — where temperatures remain consistently between fifteen and twenty-two degrees Celsius.
Germination typically occurs within two to six weeks of planting a properly stratified seed, though poorly stratified seeds may take considerably longer or fail entirely.
Providing Optimal Light and Temperature for Germination
Once planted, consistent warmth and adequate light are the two most critical environmental factors influencing successful germination. Bottom heat — provided by a heated propagator mat — is particularly effective for apricot seeds, maintaining the root zone at the ideal germination temperature even when air temperatures fluctuate.
Once the seedling emerges above the soil surface, move it to the brightest available position — a south-facing windowsill in the northern hemisphere — to ensure it develops stocky, robust growth rather than the pale, drawn, elongated stems that indicate light starvation. A grow light positioned close above the seedling during the short days of late winter is an excellent supplement to natural light.
Watering the Seedling Correctly
More apricot seedlings are killed by overwatering in their first months than by any other cause. Allow the growing medium to approach dryness between waterings — the compost surface should feel dry to the touch before the next watering is applied.
When watering, water thoroughly until it drains freely from the base, then allow the excess to drain completely away — never leave the pot standing in water as waterlogged roots rapidly develop root rot. Use room-temperature water rather than cold tap water, which can shock the roots and check growth, and consider using rainwater where possible as apricots are sensitive to the high lime content of hard tap water in many areas.
First Fertilizing and Potting On
Once the seedling has developed its first true leaves — the leaves that appear after the initial seed leaves and carry the characteristic shape of apricot foliage — it is ready for its first application of diluted liquid fertilizer. Use a balanced, general-purpose liquid feed at half the recommended strength for the first month, gradually increasing to full strength as the plant establishes.
When the roots begin to emerge from the drainage holes of the initial pot — typically around two to three months after germination — pot the seedling on into a larger container, typically twenty to twenty-five centimeters, using a slightly richer, loam-based compost mixed with perlite for drainage.
Hardening Off Before Outdoor Planting
Before an apricot seedling grown indoors can be planted in its permanent outdoor position, it must be gradually acclimatized to outdoor conditions through a process called hardening off — a transition period during which the plant is exposed to increasing amounts of outdoor conditions over two to four weeks.
Begin by placing the pot outdoors in a sheltered, partially shaded position for a few hours each day during mild weather, gradually increasing the daily outdoor exposure over two to three weeks until the plant can remain outside through the night without showing signs of stress. This gradual transition prevents the leaf scorch, wilting, and growth check that result from abrupt exposure to wind, temperature fluctuation, and full outdoor sunlight.
Choosing and Preparing the Permanent Planting Site
Apricot trees grown from seed require a carefully chosen permanent planting position — one that meets the tree’s considerable light and drainage requirements. Choose the sunniest available position — ideally a south or southwest-facing wall, bank, or open site that receives full sun for at least six hours daily.
Apricots are among the most frost-sensitive of temperate fruit trees at flowering time, and a sheltered position that avoids frost pockets and cold air drainage is as important as sun. Prepare the soil by incorporating generous quantities of organic matter — well-rotted compost or manure — and ensure drainage is excellent, as apricots will not tolerate waterlogged roots at any stage of their development.
Planting Out and Establishment Care
Plant the hardened seedling in its permanent position in late spring when all risk of frost has passed and soil temperatures have warmed. Dig a planting hole twice the width of the root ball and the same depth, position the tree so the original soil level mark on the stem is at or just above the surrounding soil surface, and backfill firmly, eliminating air pockets around the roots.
Water thoroughly after planting and apply a generous mulch of compost or wood chip in a circle around the tree — keeping it clear of the stem — to conserve moisture, suppress competing weeds, and gradually improve the soil as it breaks down. Water consistently during the first growing season as the tree establishes its root system.
Understanding Seedling Variability and Managing Expectations
This is the step most frequently omitted from seed-growing guides and the most important for setting realistic expectations — apricot trees grown from seed are genetically variable, and the fruit they eventually produce will not be identical to the parent tree. Apricots do not come true from seed, meaning that a seedling grown from a particularly delicious named variety will produce fruit of uncertain quality — which could be better, worse, or simply different from the parent.
Many apricot seedlings produce perfectly good fruit, some produce excellent fruit, and some produce fruit of poor quality. The uncertainty is part of the adventure of seed growing, and it typically takes five to seven years from germination before the tree produces its first fruit — the moment of revelation that all the preceding stages have been working toward.
Long-Term Care and Patience
Growing an apricot tree from seed is a multi-year commitment that rewards patience with one of the most satisfying experiences in food gardening — eating fruit from a tree you grew from a seed. In the years between planting and first fruiting, the tree requires annual pruning to develop a strong, open framework — preferably a fan or open vase shape that maximizes light penetration to ripening fruit.
It requires protection of its early spring blossom from late frosts — fleece draped over the tree on forecast frost nights is the most practical method. And it requires the ongoing attention to watering, feeding, and pest management that any productive fruit tree demands. The patience required is considerable. The reward — fresh apricots from your own tree, grown from a seed you planted — is entirely worth it.