Blenheim apricot hopes

I just remembered - Moorpark and Gold Kist apricots might be contenders for you. I’ve had them from a friend’s tree in San Fernando Valley and they were both tasty.

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It will fruit when the tree is big. Based on how it looks you probably have 2 more years, unless you can get it to grow a lot. Studies have shown that nitrogen the year before increases crop load. I wouldn’t use regular fertilizer but I would give it compost and mulch and maybe manure and weekly water on the edge, not toward the trunk. You picked the best variety for your area. Moorpark is rated better by some but that’s just because Blenheim always fruits and Moorpark is fickle. So we never get sick of Moorpark. Also, you are doing right with summer pruning. The fruit buds form in the summer. If you winter prune, you lose fruit. Summer prune and the fruit buds form evenly on the branches that remain.

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I have zero experience growing apricots in low-chill conditions, but in my climate Moorpark produces quite consistently and it is much better fruit flavor-wise compared to Blenheim. In my conditions, Blenheim is average quality for fresh eating, while Moorpark is near the top (and definitely the best in its season). It’s worth noting that historically most Blenheim production in California was for canning, and Blenheim was specifically valued for preserving its aroma and flavor when processed for canning. It was never considered top-notch fresh eating apricot until it basically became the only alternative to atrocious supermarket apricots.

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Any chance you have any Moorpark scions available? I’d love to try to graft it onto 1 of my apricots and see if it can thrive in my bay area climate.

Thank you. Also update on my tree that I originally posted. It was covered and I do mean covered with fruit, 4months after I posted this. I can’t imagine to think of all of the great fruit I would have missed if I had yanked my tree out. The fruit is amazing too.

Not in late February, almost everything is out of dormancy already. Next January or, if you want to try budding, in late June.

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I have been getting some clear sap on my branches. Is this because of borer beetles? I keep reading that the opaque sap is due to beetles but not the clear sap. I have sprayed with neem oil, but a few more sap spots have appeared. What could be causing this?

Might be bacterial canker. Did you include copper in your dormant spray?

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Borers are usually nearer to the ground.Are there any wounds by the sap?
Sometimes fungus,like Cytospora Canker can get in there and cause problems.bb

@bonitapplebump, As @Ahmad mentioned that looks like bacterial canker. I would wait until the last chance of rain and cut that off 8 to 10 inches below sap. BC will most likely kill a tree that small so recommended. I have a Van cherry that I discovered the same thing. I cut it 10 inches below the infection, leaving only 3 inches of graft. Here is that same tree 4 years later, if I would have left that it would most likely be dead now. I know its hard to do, but it should be done. make sure to wait to cut as sumer is heating up and no chance of rain. This is important because the infection starts on freshly pruned wood that is exposed to rain. Good luck!

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What stone fruit is that?
While canker on cherry can be deadly, often canker on peach is not as deadly. Lot of time a healthy peach tree can recover from it.

Can you take pics of the while tree?

Also, look for holes. In the west, there are twig borers, not just peach tree borers.

@mamuang, this is a Blenhiem apricot, both apricots and cherries are most affected by BC. The canker looks amber and probably has slight vinegar odor, not good, by cutting she will save it from a most likely death.

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Jon,
You are in a similar climate to @bonitapplebump, your advice is more relevant to it.

Apricot trees in my area often die suddenly. They don’t wait for canker to do them in. :disappointed:

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Thank you. We get rain on and off through May in my area. Should I wait until then? We also get heavy fog roll off the coast in the early summer (drops of fog heavy, the hotter the day, the heavier the fog), so I normally wait until our annual 90F+ 2 weeks of weather in mid July, or our Indian summer September to prune.

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Is there a way to be sure its bacterial canker? I did spray copper on my stone fruit late last year before our rains in October and again in January this year.

Here are some possible symptoms.bb

Local university extension offices usually have disease/insect diagnostic services, that you can ship a sample of the diseased wood or insect to and they will give you a more professional diagnosis. I would check with UC Davis extension.

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This is a Blenheim apricot. I don’t see holes or smell vinegar on the sap. Here’s another photo of what it looks like underneath the sap.

And here is the whole tree. I’ve had it for 4-5 years.

@Richard, I saw you mention DuPont Kocide 3000 in another thread about bacterial canker on sweet cherries. Is that a good option for my apricot as well? I did spray a copper spray from home depot in October and in January but maybe it is not strong enough.