"Why my apricot tree is not blooming" is a frequently asked question by many farmers and gardeners as it seem to be a common problem facing the apricot trees especially the new planted ones. Before we start talking about the reasons, we want to make it clear that an apricot tree with no flowers is a different problem from an apricot tree with no fruits as the later entity has its own reasons if the tree is actively producing blooms every year.
One of the very important causes for the apricot tree not flowering is the late frost bite around the blooming season as the apricot tree tends to bloom earlier than other fruit trees just around the last frost. The most successful prunus species yield good amount of flowers in the hardiness zone 5, but can still blossom up to zone 9. They require anywhere between 300 and 1000 chills hours in the winter to be bale to give flowers.
Soil and PH
Apricots prefer a slightly alkaline soil in the pH range of 6.5-8.0, the average being 7.5. You can use this soil test kit to determine the next step. They also like soil that drain well yet hold on to moisture. They don't do well in sandy soil though.
Fertilizing
The kind and the timing is important. Apricot trees prefer the low nitrogen fertilizer twice a year, one in the winter and the second after the fruit babies show out from the blooms. You can test the soil with this digital meter. You might want to get a full components fertilizer yet low in nitrogen like this Blossom Booster.
Age
Depeding on how old is your tree, the older the more blossoms expected. Usually apricot tree start flowering at age of 4 to 5.
Pruning
Although pruning is good for the known reasons, however if you do it excessively with the apricot tree you might end waiting couple of years to get flowers as those grow on the 2 year old branches that already has the buds.