Actually, I was thinking more about me with my small business and excessively extended orchard and veg gardens. Sometimes I don’t even have time to throw a net over a tree and there’s always stuff that needs to be done being postponed beyond optimum bang for the buck for my effort.
I could easily spend 50-60 hours a week just working on my own trees and other plants.
I can wait until my apricots dropped. I bagged some so it’s good that they dropped in the bags.
We’ve had perfect fruit ripening weather for the past 2+ weeks. Brix of my Orangered is consistently in the 16-18 range. Tomcot ranges from 13-17 (the one I had today).
Some OR today has the texture of plum, soft and juicy. Tomcot is firmer, drier and in general, not as sweet.
My better judgement keeps telling me not to use the space and take the risk of apricot trees. Then I keep seeing you have good results and I start to question myself. You’re a bad influence!
Go for it Jim… Get a Tomcot and/or Orangered tree…
Planning on those two. I forget what if I mentioned, but all five of my apricot grafts didn’t make it. Jerseycot, sugar pearl, Zard, Tomcot and Orangered.
If I were you, I would get Orangered. I know you were unsuccessful at grafting apricots this year but it will come with experience.
You can graft a few varieties on it later. To me, OR is a cut above Tomcot.
Is it a reasonable leap to just flat out say that Orange-red has the superior fruit? More sugar- juicier. I’m thinking that’s going to make it the winner for most palates.
I don’t have an Orange-red against my wall and I have no more wall space. Maybe time to cut down the Tomcot- but it does have big beautiful fruit that tastes pretty good.
And it’s established.
In my case, both varieties were grafted on the same tree, treated the same way, get the same sun exposure (in fact Tomcot gets more). Both are tree-ripened fruit.
I think it depends on an eater. Those who like softer, sweeter and juicier apricots will prefer Orangered. Those who like firmer, drier apricots probably will like Tomcot more.
I think @Stan likes OR a lot. @scottfsmith likes both, per their characteristics. I like OR more than Toncot.
Two weeks isn’t nearly enough. Two months of water deficit is more in line with what’s needed. I’ve had apricots up to 28 brix, normal is low 20s. The higher the brix the better they taste to me.
Fruitnut,
2-3 weeks of almost no rain is as good as it gets where I live. For us, no rain for two months here, it is called a drought 
That happened two summers ago. Fruit ripened two weeks earlier.
From my very limited experience this year, I liked Tomcot flavor more. Orangered was very sweet, like honey, but I favored Tomcot. So, it really depends on one’s palate… I am eager to see how they will fare with me next year.
Thanks for that FN, but we are natural growers in a humid region. We don’t have to compare our fruit to yours, only to what is available otherwise. I’ve never tasted fruit like you grow, and yet somehow I adore the inferior fruit I get to taste from my own trees. (for those not familiar with FN and my little brix battle, it’s actually all in good fun)
Last year we didn’t have a 3 week interval without soaking rain the whole summer. My well is actually giving me some trouble!
But I am so singing so loud in the not-rain that I can’t hear you.
My early peaches plums and an Alfred cot are candy to my buds.
Why not continue grafting? Sorry meant for Mamuang
Here we are already calling this 3 week respite from the monsoon a drought. It has been so long since I’ve seen dry ground and grass lacking vibrancy.
My grocery store keeps their fruit in the boxes and i noticed the apricots they were selling right now are Robada. I grabbed a few to grow out as seeds.
I went out to pick most of my apricots today, Tomcot and OR. I tasted one each. OR had brix at 21 and TC surprised me with brix at 20. Both were really good. OR texture was softer.
I was pleased that my Tomcot got sugar as high as 20. Our long rain free days will end with rain later today and all day tomorrow.
Yes, all we fruit growers ask for is “normal” weather. To bad it’s such an abnormal commodity.
I had my first Robada last year. I like them a lot. I have only a few this year, not quite ripen yet.
I’ve found my best apricot of the year, Robada. The last one dropped to day.r
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With my very limited experience, I have eaten Harcot, Orangered, Robada, Tomcot and Zard. Robada has the best all around quality. The texture is sufficiently firm, the taste was sweet (20-22 brix)with some tartness to it, the size was good ( 3.3 oz) and it has attractive appearance ( gold skin with red blush).
Robada is my number one apricot this year.
After all things considered, would you stay with your recommendation of Tomcot and Orangered as the two to grow? Have those two been better growers than Robada? Easier?
