Apricot

Bacterial canker

What you will see

Sunken dead patches on the bark with gummy ooze; leaves have ‘shot-hole’ holes.

The source says: in stone fruit it is a serious disease that can kill branches or whole trees.

How to protect

1. Prevention

   • Gummy ooze on its own is not a diagnosis – look for sunken dead bark.
   • Prune only in spring or summer – it lowers the risk of infection.
2. By handCut affected branches back to healthy wood and let the wounds heal naturally.

No fungicide sprays are available to amateur gardeners; rely on cultural measures.

Brown rot

What you will see

Fruit rots brown with cream-coloured spore pustules, drops or dries up as mummified fruit on the tree. At flowering, blossoms and fruiting spurs turn brown and wilt (blossom wilt). Severity varies with the weather at flowering time.

The source says: stone fruits like this one are susceptible to brown rot.

How to protect

1. Prevention

   • Protect fruit from birds with netting – the fungi enter through wounds (from birds, codling moths, scab).
   • Mummified fruit touching the bark causes small cankers and releases spores in spring – do not leave it on the tree.
2. By hand from midsummerPick up rotten fruit straight away; bury it at least 11¾ in deep or put it in biowaste if your council accepts it.
3. By hand at flowering and in winter dormancyRemove affected fruiting spurs and blossoms by pruning where possible.

Aphids

What you will see

Colonies of aphids on shoots and the undersides of leaves, sticky honeydew and sooty mold.

How to protect

1. Prevention

   • Check plants at least twice a week during fast growth.
2. By hand early morningWash aphids off with a strong jet of water; remove badly infested curled shoots.
3. BiologicalEncourage ladybirds, hoverflies and lacewings; limit ants, which protect aphids.
4. Gentle spray repeat as neededInsecticidal soap or horticultural oil, thoroughly, including the undersides of leaves.

Spring frost injury

What you will see

Early flowers are killed by frost.

How to protect

1. Prevention

   • Apricots flower in early spring – choose a spot without hard frosts.
   • Fan-trained trees and trees in containers are easiest to protect; in cold areas, grow them in an unheated greenhouse/polytunnel.
2. By hand during flowering when frost is forecastWhen frost is forecast during flowering, cover the tree overnight with horticultural fleece, hessian or a sheet on stakes so that it does not touch the blossom; uncover it by day (pollinators, sun). Thicker fleece gives ~36 °F of protection. Move container trees to a sheltered spot.

Plum pox (sharka)

What you will see

Chlorotic spots, bands or rings and vein clearing on leaves (best seen in spring). On fruit, chlorotic spots or rings; fruit may be deformed with browning of the flesh; on apricot stones often pale rings. Fruit drops prematurely.

How to protect

1. Prevention

   • Plant only healthy certified (virus-free) saplings.
   • Choose tolerant or resistant varieties.
   • The virus is spread by aphids and by grafting/propagating from infected plants; most spread is within a few hundred meters of the source.
2. By handThere is no cure for the virus in orchards. Infected trees are removed (eradication), which lowers infection pressure.
3. Chemical — only when nothing else helpsAphid products and mineral oils have only limited effect (mainly in nurseries); a product authorized in your country against vectors (aphids) only if the other steps are not enough.