Why Are My Apricots Falling Off the Tree Early?

Losing fruitlets from your apricot tree before they mature is disheartening, but not all fruit drop is a problem. Some early drop is normal and even beneficial. The key question is whether the drop is the natural self-thinning response the tree uses to regulate its crop, or whether it signals a specific problem — water stress, pest damage, disease, or poor pollination — that is causing the tree to abort otherwise viable fruit.

Natural fruit drop (May–June)

Apricots, like apples, naturally drop surplus fruitlets in early summer when the tree regulates its crop load. This natural drop typically occurs in two waves — a small one two to three weeks after flowering when unfertilised flowers are shed, and a larger one in May to June when the tree aborts fruitlets it cannot support. This is normal and healthy. If plenty of fruitlets remain after the natural drop, no action is needed. If the drop is heavier than expected, assess the remaining crop load and water availability.

Water stress

Apricots in containers or trained against walls dry out rapidly in warm weather, and a period of water stress — even brief — triggers fruit abortion as the tree conserves resources. Wall-trained trees on brick walls in south-facing aspects are particularly vulnerable because the wall radiates heat and dries the root zone quickly. Water thoroughly and consistently from fruit set through to harvest. A layer of mulch around the base reduces soil moisture loss significantly.

Poor pollination

Fruitlets that formed from flowers that were only partially pollinated — perhaps due to frost damage to the pistil or low pollinator activity — lack viable seeds inside. The tree detects these and sheds them in early summer. Examining the dropped fruitlets is informative: cut one open with a knife. If the interior is small, the seed cavity largely empty and the flesh thin, poor pollination is the cause. Nothing can be done for the current season, but improving frost protection and pollinator access in future years prevents the same problem.

Plum moth larvae

Plum moth larvae bore into the developing fruitlet, causing the tree to shed the damaged fruit prematurely. The fruitlet drops prematurely — earlier than natural June drop — and cutting it open reveals a small white caterpillar and frass. Pheromone traps hung in the tree from late May monitor and partially control the pest. Once larvae are inside fruit there is no treatment — remove and destroy all dropped fruit rather than letting it sit below the tree where adult moths will emerge.