Those look like flower buds. They formed this summer as the limb/spur grew and while it had leaves. There must have been some leaf loss. The spur won’t flower and in fact will die if it doesn’t grow each year.
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The tree is slowly loosing leaves…
I didn’t notice or take a photo that shows how they looked earlier. Those small spur limbs are healthy and flexible.
It’s September and there are some leaves dropping. It’s not from colder weather and they aren’t turning any color, it’s just how some fruit trees behave in such a long summer.
And the drought hasn’t helped.
I have a small, I’ll placed Tropic Gold apricot that has never fruited. A few summers it dropped all its leaves a good 2 months before other trees.
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I’ll add that I’m quite excited at the idea of producing and eating my first aprium and or apricot.
The Cot-n-Candy should produce it’s first fruit next year. It’s an early fruit so I hope the short time spent before harvest will help limit the insect issues.
I’ve only seen apricots in nature twice, literally. Once was after a Green River rafting trip. It was in the back yard of a small place we stayed after a week long rafting trip in Price, Utah. The tree was big, say 30 feet tall and wide. It was loaded with small ripe apricots. I ate my full and them some.
The next was in a friend’s yard in Albuquerque. A small tree perhaps 8 feet around. Much bigger fruit and tasty. I was even happy eating the less than ripe ones.
Not a single blemish on them in that dry environment.
Not expecting perfect fruit here.
Also excited about seeing some non-all-white flowers for a change.
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They look like flower buds. Why are the leaves dropping this soon. I am in PNW we are in mid 60’sF and rain already but my trees haven’t dropped the leaves yet. What I have read observed on my trees planted this year Apricot/Aprium and Plum both make fruiting spurs from 3" to 10" long.
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Thanks for the spur info.
It’s just dropping some. The last photo is the tree today and it is pretty healthy.
It hasn’t dropped a lot but it’s dropped more than my other trees thus far.
I’ll be pruning it back again in January and summer so even if it’s not spent the happiest summer with 10 degree above average highs for 2 months, it will be fine.
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Shibumi’s spring likely started at least a month earlier than yours so leaves on his tree have endured more sun and elements, not to mention the extreme heat dome over his locale.
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Mine started popping leaf buds the last week of January. It is still fully dressed. The EquiLux will pass in a few days so I expect some changes are in order.
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A large portion of the summer was a crazy 8-10°F above average. The main way we got there was from lack of cloud cover / rain.
I’ve read conflicting information on whether excess hours of sunshine depletes chlorophyll more quickly.
My tree broke buds the last few days of February.
Here is a quick vid of my Cot-n-Candy Aprium and a photo of leaves on the ground.
Also a shot of some browning of a few leaves.
Still thinking just heat stress in general.
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No surprise to me that pluots/plums in the humid south lose leaves before Socal. Hot and humid vs dry and mild. The leaf lose in southern Louisianan shouldn’t hurt bloom next spring.
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Hi Richard
Those fruits look nice! Curious as to shay the cages? Are birds an issue with these?
Dennis
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Yes, I suspect Morning Doves followed by rodents.
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My Cot-n-Candy Aprium is losing it’s leaves a handful each day. I’m able to see the tree a little better without the leaves. It’s finishing it’s second leaf in my yard, so a 4 year old tree.
Looking at the wood it seems I will definitely get blossoms next spring. It has set numerous small caliper branches off the larger main scaffolds. I assume these are the aprium’s idea of fruiting spurs, though they are longer than what I’d call a spur like you see on apples or pears? Having never grown an apricot or aprium I don’t know.
On the larger scaffold’s second year wood I see 3 to 6 buds at each location. Assuming most of these will be blossoms with a few vegetative. It’s only late summer so perhaps over winter it will be a little easier to tell.
I know from this past spring that Flavor Grenade can put out 6 flowers on a single bud cluster location. Maybe apriums are the same.
Last photo shows the numerous sap leaked the tree had this summer. Most branches have several, some every few inches.
Not great focus using my phone for daylight pics.
Fruit stock frustration on semi-dwarf root stock. Be mindful of water and fertilizer dosages.
Citation.
No fertilize this year.
Certainly on the underwatered side of things. We haven’t had rain in 32 days. I’ve only watered once a week for the past few weeks. I don’t seem to see any fresh weeps.
I’ve been assuming heat stress from this crazy hot summer here.
To add to the story, I have a same aged flavor grenade 12 feet away in the same soil and watering conditions also on Citation. Beyond a few weep bubbles on the trunk from early summer, it has none on any of the branches.
How often does it rain there?
I’ve noticed Peach and Aprium oozing sap from pruning cuts only when we get some rain. Not sure if its just natural response or some form of infection.
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See the graph below. Since there is no such thing as normal in weather, only averages, it’s not a question I can really answer.
This summer has been a pretty strong drought, so rainfall days have been spread out. It’s also the main mover in the hotter than average temps… Lack of cloud cover.
I looked at my weather station data… For July and August I had 3 or 4 days with rain for each month …
Often more than an inch.
It has just been a stressful summer for many growing things here.
That’s what I’m talking about.
And?
Be mindful of water.