Apricot recc's for our area

[Graftman]

@warmxrules
They haven’t yet and I’m surprised because we had such warm weather. I have a plum of unknown variety that started to open three weeks ago. Fortunately it stopped opening.

[scottfsmith]

Maybe Moorpark got thrown in with Blenheim since those are the two classic California cots. Blenheim I have heard many sad reports on. You are the first person I have heard successfully growing Moorpark in a hot and humid area.

[fruitgrower]

I would bet you have Wenatchee Moorpark, recommended for western Oregon and Washington. It is different from Moorpark and good for rainy, late frost areas. Probably a good recommendation along with tomcot, harcot and harglow.

[Graftman]

Maybe that is the variety I have. I bought it from a local (McMinville) nursery. They may have shortened the name. How does its flavor compare to Moorpark?

[fruitgrower]

I haven’t tried the Wenatchee, though its supposed to be good! My Moorpark was always large and ripened unevenly, leaving half green, half orange ripe fruit. The ripe part of the fruit was excellent, but think it needs a little cooler summer to ripen evenly. I needed a place for a chicken coop so we hacked it down. I will probably add it somewhere I can get a little afternoon shade like on my blenhiem tree. I have found that varieties that are grown in their respectable climates taste best regardless of their hype.

[thecityman]

Wait a Minute! You live where? I had no idea that a Nashville area grower had joined the group. For years its only been me, then @RobThomas south of Nashville, so I’d like to offer a belated welcome to you. Please add yourself to the location map
(sorry for going off topic…carry on)

[warmwxrules]

Well…the blowtorch looks to continue…this could be a crazy early bloom year if this doesn’t change.

[Stan]

I personally didn’t try Wenatchee Moorpark, but according to David Karp (a well known California fruit writer), it’s inferior to the real thing:

“Moorparks at Southern California markets are often Wenatchee Moorpark, a different and inferior variety.”

All fruit books (Hogg, Hedryck, Wickson, etc.) emphasize tenderness and irregular bearing of Moorpark; Hogg has a full paragraph devoted to winter tenderness of Moorpark trees.

Uneven fruit ripening is also a well known issue of Moorpark, but its severity depends on the climate. Wickson wrote in the early 20th century:

“In some parts of the Santa Clara Valley the Moorpark seems to ripen uniformly. The same behavior is reported from the upper San Joaquin Valley, where it also seems to be a more regular bearer. The variety is almost wholly rejected in So. Calif.”

I notice on my Moorpark tree that the fruit that ripen early in the season tend to ripen unevenly, but ripening becomes more uniform as the harvest season progresses.

[Graftman]

The more I think about it there is a good chance it’s not a Wenatchee Moorpark either. The pictures I find of the Wenatchee Moorpark show a rather large pit with respect to the rest of the fruit. My tree has very small pits. I’m not sure if it was the same nursery but my Read Haven peach turned out to be a nectarine, the Moonglow pear a Kefir, and a Stella Cherry (self pollinating) something else that never set fruit. With odds like that, the apricot is probably something else. None the less I’m very happy with it. As far as budding out they are in a pink bud stage. I’d send pictures but don’t know how to attach.

[scottfsmith]

This morning I was reading a book called “Fruits recommended by the American Pomological Society” which gives recommendations for different fruits for different regions of the US. For my area (mid-stlantic), the only apricot they recommend strongly is Moorpark. So, its not so surprising it is doing well for you.

Here is an interesting picture from this book BTW which shows US fruit growing districts.

Here is the book:

https://archive.org/details/CAT87201635

[danzeb]

Interesting lists of old (1904) varieties.

[Graftman]

Cityman, thanks for the welcome. My apricot is dropping its petals now. That is about two weeks early.