When to plant apricots in Pretoria

Why these dates

Plant dormant, ideally against a south or west wall in a cool climate. The flowers can open in late winter, weeks before anything is flying to pollinate them, so a soft brush and ten minutes on a warm afternoon often makes the difference between a crop and none.

Extremely early bloom is the whole story. The wood tolerates hard frost easily; the open flower is finished at about -2C, and apricot flowers open earlier than any other stone fruit.

Apricots are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in Pretoria is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.

Pretoria sits in zone 10a, which is milder than this crop wants, and a winter that never really arrives is its own problem. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.

One caution specific to warm climates: this crop needs roughly 500 hours below 7.2°C (45°F) over winter before it will flower properly, and the coldest month in Pretoria averages 13.4°C (56.1°F). Low-chill varieties exist for exactly this situation and are worth seeking out by name.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 3, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

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