Tree tubes work great on bigger trees. I like donuts for young trees. A mail order bare root tree is too small for a upright watering bag.I've had amazing success with (vertical) tree tubes. No soil amendments other than bagged tree soil. I've never used irrigation and have yet to lose a tree that was planted in fall. It's a pom. It was not grafted. About 8' tall now. I know I'm pushing it zone wise. Its not fruiting unfortunately despite the blooms.
I only planted one apricot. It fruits every year (over 10 years now) but I don't spray anything so bugs and brown rot get all of them. Most everything I plant was for the wildlife. Bugs, worms and fungus are wildlife right?
I get a ton of flowers on my apricot and almond, but no fruit. Late April frost kills the fruit. Since your pom is 8ft tall, I would try to tarp it in the spring, after it blooms, if overnight temps are below freezing.
Use fruit safe systemic drench in the fall on the trees (will wear out before the pollinators in the spring, but will save the tree from borores and bugs in the winter), spray with Eagle 20w and copper on the label schedule for fungus, Bonide Fruit tree spray for worms, on lable schedule
In any case, this year has by far the biggest crop. It's a weird fig. It's not ripe, not ripe, not ripe, and then it goes ripe in ONE day. If you don't pick it on that ONE day, you can forget it. Birds will. I'm hoping to at least get a few this year.
