What's wrong with my Apricot Tree

It's a fan trained apricot growing in a very sheltered and sunny spot against a brick wall. Planted September 2013. Neutral soil, good soil I think. It thrived last year, its first year, producing three fruit. This year it started off OK, though now flowers. Die-back on one side started in March. Now the other side has started to show the same symptoms. No die back has recovered. It's growing round a corner. The first side to die back is under a gutter and I noticed the die back after a rainstorm. I thought it was peach leaf curl.

However the latest die back was in a dry time, and happened just last week.

 

I wouldn't like to say, but its not anything like peach leaf curl.

It does appear to be a bit hemmed in by concrete.
Is the paving newish?

Are those healthy looking shoots growing from below the graft?

 

Sorry, but I think it's been planted to close to what seems to be the house wall. There will be foundations there stopping it from spreading it's roots. Also, being so close to the wall and closed in at the base, rainfall won't reach it and the soil is probably lacking nutrients too.

 

sorry to say but its where you have planted it is the problem .

How much soil does it have to grow in ? as Pete has already mentioned.

I am not surprised it flowered and fruited in the 1st year as it has just come out the pot.

Also corners of houses can be quite exposed to cold winds something a apricot wouldn't appreciate.

wrong spot to plant a fruit tree would of been better in a large barrel.

 

Oh, that's a pretty clear message. Nothing to be done I suppose, I'll rip it out.

Any suggestions for something fun to put in that sort of spot? There's an agave flourishing near it, and an abutilon, and a vine, and there used to be a pomegranate, nbut I got rid of it (hardly any flowers or fruits , foliage OK but not special enough.) . Something surprising and exotic would be nice!

Today it reached 110 celcius there.

 

The healthy shoots are above the graft.
And as I say, one half was healthy until last week. The other half clapped out in March.

 

Howard how deep is the soil , a grapevine would be good but it still requires soil to grow in

 

Do you mean Fahrenheit Howard?

 

Blimey, hot enough to make a cup of tea.

Heat aint every thing, it can be good for ripening wood late in the season.
But anything struggling, just a bit, no matter how exotic, with a poor root system, wont put up with it.
Having said that, I'm just wondering if it might be some kind of die back disease.
Or possibly cement from what appears to be new paving.

 

Oh yes, Fahrenheit

The paving is new. It's limestone. It was put in this winter, a year after the tree was planted. It is grouted with mortar. Before there was other paving there.

The soil, underneath the foundation of scrapings, is deep and good. Other things have grown well there.

I thought it was a neat idea to grow a fan apricot round a corner, so I'm a bit disappointed and I don't want to give up really.

I mean, who else has an apricot fan growing round a corner?!!!

 

It's up to you whether you leave it there but you will have to keep it fed and watered for most of the year, every year for it to survive. There's also the possibility the roots may damage your foundations as it grows and removal at that later point is not going to be easy.

With respect Howard, when a plant, particularly a tree is planted we have to think about the consequences of the future not how good it looks now. An example for you.....my neighbours have planted an Aesculus (Horse Chestnut) in a 3ft wide bank by about the same in height that is only about 20ft from the back of their house. Bearing in mind the roots of trees tend to grow the same distance as the canopy spreads, this tree is going to grow to a height of up to 80ft!

 

Maybe you have found out why?
Sorry couldn't resist that.

Id be a bit suspicious about the new paving.
New cement is a killer, or at least it stunts growth until it weathers.

 

Don't worry, it's on a dwarf root stock.

 

That gives me a bit of hope. I think I'll leave it in over winter, see what it does next year.

If not, I thought I might investigate the world of exotic bamboos for growing in its spot. I saw some bamboos growing against an old wall in Albi in France, really flourishing, and it was wonderful, best use of bamboos I've ever seen.

 

The spot seems a bit restricted for Bamboo, some of that stuff spreads like crazy.
How about a passion flower, if your going down the ornamental route.

Not sure how protected the area is, but I've had real luck recently with Podranea, just fleece in winter could be all it would need.