RIP apricot tree

Unfortunately. the apricot tree never came back so Mike took it out. Sad....I liked that tree.

The only fruit trees that seem to survive very long in our yard are citrus trees. The lemon, orange, and grapefrut trees that were among the first things we planted in 2002 are large, healthy, productive trees. We've only lost one citrus tree since we've been here, a tangerine that was overwhelmed by its sour orange rootstock following a bad freeze, and it didn't really die...we just decided to take it out when we realized it was no longer producing edible fruit. I've lost count of how many stone fruit trees we've replaced over the years, but we like them so we keep replacing them, hoping to enjoy their fruit for a few years at least.

I'm not sure why this one suddenly lost all its leaves early last September, but I knew it was a bad sign. We weren't digging around this pond disturbing its root system, which is what I blame for the loss of a couple of other trees. I've considered the possibility that we may have Texas root rot fungus in the soil here, but there's no way to no that for sure without someone who knows what they are looking for examining the roots under a microscope. I hope not, because virtually all dicots are vulnerable to it, and we want fruit trees, not palm trees, in our garden. So, we'll try to address possible drainage concerns and plant another Prunus species here, hoping it lasts at least as long as this one did.