Why Are the Tips of My Apricot Shoots Dying Back?

Shoot tip dieback on apricots — where the leading tip of a young shoot wilts, browns and dies, sometimes progressing further back down the shoot — is a signal that something is killing the actively growing tissue. The underlying cause may be the fungal phase of brown rot (Monilinia blossom wilt), bacterial canker tracking from the flowers into shoots, or late frost killing soft new growth. Each cause presents at a slightly different time and in a slightly different way.

Monilinia blossom wilt

Monilinia laxa (the brown rot fungus) infects apricot blossoms during wet flowering weather. The infected blossom fails to drop and instead dies on the spur, and the fungal mycelium grows back through the flower stalk into the spur and the shoot behind it. The shoot tip wilts, browns and dies with the dead flower attached. In wet springs this can kill many spurs across the tree, significantly reducing the fruiting wood for future years. Remove all dead blossom and affected shoot tips during spring. Apply copper-based fungicide at pre-blossom stage in subsequent years.

Bacterial canker from flower infection

Pseudomonas syringae can also infect through flower buds in early spring. The symptoms are similar to Monilinia but the affected tissue often shows a brown-orange discolouration in the wood when cut, and gum may exude from the base of the affected spur. Bacterial canker dieback tends to extend further back — beyond the immediate shoot tip — while Monilinia dieback tends to be more limited. Treatment: cut out all affected tissue to clean wood in dry summer weather.

Frost damage to soft shoot tips

Young apricot shoots in April and May are frost-sensitive. A late frost at -1°C or below will blacken and kill the very tips of the softest young growth — the leading 5–10 cm of shoots. This is cosmetically worrying but rarely serious — the shoot usually resumes growth from the first healthy bud below the killed tip. The damage is symmetrical across the whole tree (all new growth affected equally) rather than selective, which distinguishes it from disease.

Recovery and prevention

For Monilinia and canker dieback, cut out all affected material to clean, healthy wood during dry weather in June or July. Disinfect tools between cuts. For frost-damaged tips, simply remove the dead tissue and allow the shoot to resume from the first healthy bud.