How do I protect apricot blossom from spring frost?

Apricot is the earliest-flowering stone fruit, so frost protection is central to getting a crop. Site selection matters most: plant on slopes and higher ground where cold air drains away, and avoid frost-pocket hollows. Practical frost-night methods include lighting smoke or low fires upwind to create a smoke blanket on radiation-frost nights, running sprinklers or overhead irrigation through the frost so the latent heat of freezing water protects the buds (used where water and proper systems exist), and using wind machines on large orchards. Delaying bloom slightly helps too: whitewashing trunks, late dormant pruning, and avoiding early excess nitrogen can nudge flowering a little later past the worst frost. Where feasible, choose later-blooming varieties for frost-prone sites. Keep watching the local forecast in the bloom window and be ready to act on cold nights. No single method is perfect; combine site choice with active protection on dangerous nights.