You could graft on to it. That was would save you some time

I have almost the same situation. A 3 year old apricot was growing very vigorously until this year. In spring the leaves started to come out and half way through the process they stopped. The tiny leaves dried up and fell off.

Recently I noticed last years growth was looking dry and shriveled. I dug up some roots and they look fine. In fact the root is starting to get suckers now. I cut off a branch that needed to pruned and noticed that the growth from 2 years ago is still very much green. I put the cutting into a container of water. A week later it is starting to get tiny leaf buds.

I don't understand. I thought peaches are more sensitive to cold than apricots. I have a healthy peach tree and a plum tree growing right next to this apricot.

This post was edited by nyRockFarmer on Mon, Jul 7, 14 at 8:14

"Train one of the suckers into the new leader?" - Renee

Suckers from the roots will most likely be plum rootstock. You would have to graft something onto this.

Are you sure the trunk of the tree is dead? You need to scratch the tree bark to see if there is green underneath. In my case the laterals still show signs of life. I figure I will wait until next spring. If it doesn't recover by then, I will cut it down to the rootstock.

I'd suggest getting a self-fertile hardy apricot, not a moonglow, that can pollinate your sunglow. Most apricots are self-fertile, and your experience is a good reason to avoid the varieties that aren't.