So my apricot finally set fruit after I top grafted it last year to more frost hardy varieties - Hoyt Montrose, Tomcot, and Zard. My other tree, Canadian white blenheim is still proving to be vigorous but stingy with fruit giving.
Now I’m wondering what pest issues I should be thinking about. I know squirrels could be an issue, and I’m working on reducing their numbers. This year I’m planning to try bagging apples and peaches, but apricots seems small for such a task. Do people do that? Not sure if we have plum curculio or not here. Last year I lost apples to some type of weevil, and peaches to earwigs (I think). Is it worth doing surround or spinosad as a preventative? Hard to want to spray without known issues - but would also like to see these make it to harvest.
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I’m also getting some,after a few years of Blossom Blight and spraying for it.When I did get fruit,they were covered with organza bags,which stopped at least the earwigs and stinkbugs.
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Oh interesting. I’ll check those out. Did you have any issues with plum curculio on your cots? I have some panty hose style bags labeled for apple maggots which could maybe work and the Clemson paper peach bags which seem too large.
Being in western Washington,PC is very rare to non existent here.My first bagging attempts were with the nylon footies and they worked well,but were a little complicated to tie.
A year or two ago,I bought some long clear plastic bags,with pinholes and may try sliding them over Plum branches.
Congrats on the Cots!I saw on another post of yours,with grafts in a tub.What’s the gray coating on some of them?
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Thanks! I’m excited to have made it past the frost stage. On the bench grafts I did some with the green Doc Farewell’s heal and seal. The photo color is kind of washed out. I couldn’t find the yellow grafting compound, and I was worried the green wouldn’t work for grafting but apparently it does. And the others I did with parafilm. The green stuff was faster for me to work with than parafilm, but I wasn’t sure if the buds could push through it so I did some both ways.
Congrats, I too have some apricot trees but they’re just babies, I planted them last yr, so I got a bit of a wait yet! As I said they’re just babies, but I have them on a two week spray schedule of Eagle 20, and Specracide insect killer, and so far there been no problems🤞.
Paul
The biggest issues I have here in CO with my established apricot is squirrels. The people who have a bunch of rain can struggle more. Depending where you live like me cultivar can be an issue too. A lot of apricot cultivar are early to flower and get hit with a late frost freeze. There are some less prone to this like Montrose as it is from Montrose CO.
I have been working on the squirrels one a a time, 15 down but the supply seems endless. I have heard some orchard managers have success with letting the squirrels rot in a cage so predators can’t eat them, the dead smell acts as a deterrent. But I think that could create additional issues in my neighborhood.
My family would certainly never approve trapping squirrels. If I did that I would be out of the house.
