Apricot leaves wilting

[SfromKY]

Hello, good people of gardening forums. This 2-year-old apricot was planted in the ground this Feb and has been doing great till 4-5 days ago. The leaves are all wilting. It's been a bit hot here but nothing above 80. I deep-watered it last Sunday and it rained a few days ago, too.
I don't see any pests on the tree. There are white spots on the trunk but seems to be a part of the bark to me (last pic) and not a living organism.

Please advise what I can do to maximize this beautiful tree's chances. Many thanks in advance.

 

[lifegardener]

Mulch is good, but perhaps not that close to the trunk. Does the soil appear dry (about 1"-2" down) around the base of the tree?

It could also possibly be something bacterial or fungal in nature. Suggest asking someone at a nearby nursery.

 

[SfromKY]

Mulch is good, but perhaps not that close to the trunk. Does the soil appear dry (about 1"-2" down) around the base of the tree?

It could also possibly be something bacterial or fungal in nature. Suggest asking someone at a nearby nursery.

Thank you. I will move the mulch away from the trunk. No, the soil is wet in the top 1-2 inches

 

[lifegardener]

Thank you. I will move the mulch away from the trunk. No, the soil is wet in the top 1-2 inches

It could possibly be too damp. Is the soil more clayish, or silty ?

 

[SfromKY]

It could possibly be too damp. Is the soil more clayish, or silty ?

Thank you for the response. The soil is more clayish. That is my sense, too. This happened when I deep-watered the tree and it rained heavily in the same week. I will remove the mulch so the soil dries faster. Is there anything I can do? The wilting has worsened in the last few days. Could digging up the tree and replacing the soil work as a last-ditch effort?

 

[lifegardener]

Thank you for the response. The soil is more clayish. That is my sense, too. This happened when I deep-watered the tree and it rained heavily in the same week. I will remove the mulch so the soil dries faster. Is there anything I can do? The wilting has worsened in the last few days. Could digging up the tree and replacing the soil work as a last-ditch effort?

It could likely be suffocating - both from above and below.

Replanting first into a larger pot, with good planting mix, might get it back - no mulch.
Hopefully, when it's looking better, replant in Fall or Early Spring.

 

[SfromKY]

It could likely be suffocating - both from above and below.

Replanting first into a larger pot, with good planting mix, might get it back - no mulch.
Hopefully, when it's looking better, replant in Fall or Early Spring.

Thank you for the advice. When repotting, do I get rid of all the soil around the rootball or leave some? My question is: is it OK for the roots to be exposed for a short while?

 

[lifegardener]

Thank you for the advice. When repotting, do I get rid of all the soil around the rootball or leave some? My question is: is it OK for the roots to be exposed for a short while?

The less the roots are exposed (or handled) the better. If exposing them (while prepping your soil mix), keep the plant in the shade.
If you notice the root ball appears very damp - suggest to carefully remove or loosen the soil if you can, and then repot it, making sure that the main root flare, at the base of the tree is not buried, or only slightly buried.
(From your photo it's hard to tell at what depth the tree was planted, perhaps it was planted too deeply from the start)

Preferably, use a pot with a larger diameter than the root ball.