I am in zone 7a southern middle TN… and did my best to find a variety that would work for my location…
Like you not expecting it to be a dependable fruit producer year after year… but more like having the HOPE of getting some in good years.
I planted a moor park apricot last spring and it grew nicely… seems to be happy in my food forest bed… hope to at least see blooms this spring… if i do get fruit in the next couple years… well that is the HOPE. Waiting patiently.
TNHunter
I got fruit here in Dallas most years with Tomcot. I didn’t try any others
North TX here. I have Peggy, Tisdale and Chinese/Mormon in ground. Planted last winter. So far so good. No buds opened during our first false spring last week. Wondering if any these taste good enough for the hassle.
I know this is a old thread but I wanted to chime in. I have a 6 year old Tisdale. I am in North Texas zone 8a. The past 3 years it has bloomed but has never set fruit. This year for the first time I have one fruit on the tree. I honestly believe this particular variety needs a pollinate (even though it was listed as self pollinating). I think the only reason I got this one fruit set is because last year I grafted another apricot (that graft has 4 apricots set on it) to my frankenstein tree and a bee went to flowers on it then back to the Tisdale.
Seems like a viable theory.
I kept my more park apricot 3 years here… it did ok year 1… but late June when the heat came on it dropped many leaves except for at the limb tips. Then the rest of the season… it survived but never flourished.
The first two springs it put out 2 or 3 blossoms… but no fruit set.
It did that leaf drop thing each year and never really grew any. Third spring… no blossoms and leaf drop again… it got the axe.
Next spring … going to graft some spring satin plumcot onto my plum trees… may be as close to an apricot as i can get (hopefully).
I have put out a Moorpark this year in northern FL, 8b. It grew well, about 5 feet, no leave drop in summer. But new growth died back in the spring with a frost end of March. I figure the biggest problem is going to be late frosts
I wonder whether early leaf drip is not so uncommon with apricots.
I have a Tropic Gold going on about 5 years. It’s bloomed a few years but never set fruit. It’s not a good example perhaps as it’s in a horrible sun location and has some low bark damage.
Regardless this tree also has exhibited leaf drop really early a few years. Strangely after this unbelievably hot and dry summer here is holding it’s leaves well in line with my other fruit trees.
So I don’t know what the deal is. Perhaps others can report if this is an apricot thing.
I got rid of my apricot … have raspberries growing there now… they make lots of nice fruit and dont fuss about growing here.
Trying to stick to my plan… of mostly growing things that grow like weeds here… no fuss, good fruit.
Things that complain a lot, finicky, got to baby it… getting the axe and replaced.
What variety are you growing? I tried Dorma (looks ok in first year) and Heritage. Also ordered Caroline from Ison, but got a pink fruiting variety- not sure what that is, not Caroline. Everything besides Dorma died in the heat of the summer.
Not frost, but death.
In addition to the Tropic Gold in mentioned above I have a Katy apricot planted this past spring. It had some major trunk weeping but seems to have gotten past that though it didn’t grow any more after that. It has pushed some short spurs but I don’t know if those will pop any blooms.
I’m using the Tropic Gold tree to park wood for other stone fruit varieties.
I’d mention aprium as an alternative, but from everything I’ve read none of the aprium varieties really have a big apricot flavor, regardless of the parentage.
I’m in zone 7a outside Philly. I planted a summer delight aprium in Spring 2021. I got my first fruit this year. It was DELICIOUS. I wrote a little about them here: Summer Delight Aprium - #27 by dpps
I started my orchard 3 years ago in zone 8A (SW AR) & included 5 apricots in the plan knowing I’d never get consistent fruit, but hoping to get some small yield at some point. I’m willing to put in the $ & work for small reward because I love these things and you can’t buy decent ones in any market near here. I have Royal, Blenheim, Gold Kist, & Early Golden varieties, from 1-3 years in the ground. The oldest tree is the Gold Kist, which has a 2.5” dia base and is around 6’ tall, just pruned. It is showing blossom color this year for the first time and will likely get frost bit. That’s the game we play. I’m using the same spray schedule as on my plums, nectarines, & peaches. More as this develops. I am very interested in successes in similar zones. Thanks
@Willyb71
Zone 9a here in south Louisiana. I have, perhaps fool heartedly, two apricot trees and one aprium tree.
The first and oldest is a Tropic Gold apricot. It is in a horrible location and barely gets around 6 hours of sunlight. It’s leggy because of this, and though it will flower sparingly depending on the winter, it has never set a fruit that kept past about olive size.
I have a Katy apricot planted just this past year. It will bloom some this year as I see flower buds swelling. Would be surprised if it sets any fruit, but it’s possible.
My Cot-n-Candy aprium was planted in spring '22. It’s a very healthy tree and even pruned has some branches at 9-10 feet. It will be loaded with blooms this spring as it set a whole lot of fruiting spurs this past year. Hoping I have the problem of thinning fruit on this one.
I will graft another hybrid as well as a White Ume apricot scion I received this spring.
I haven’t sprayed, though I think once it dries out some from last night’s 2.39" rainfall, I will do a copper / dormant oil combined spray.
I am scheduled to spray all my trees (pears, plums, peaches, apples, nectarines, figs, & apricots with dormant oil & copper Wednesday morning, to give them 48 hours above 40F before the next rain. Only one or two are showing bloom color, but bud swell is heavy on some early apples and most of the plums. I’ll probably spray them with this once more before I switch over to the spray I’ll use all summer. Do plumcot/aprium/etc hybrids require unusual pollination trees?
Apriums are at least partially self fertile, but will benefit with another apricot or aprium blooming with it. I assume this is from the predominant apricot parentage, as most apricots are self fertile.
Pluots are not self fertile and require a Japanese plum or other pluot blooming at the same time.
20 mi north of TN/KY line, have been Z6b forever, ‘new’ map moved me up to Z7.
I long ago gave up on apricots & pluots… they typically broke dormancy here in February… not a chance in Hades that they could bloom or set fruit without them freezing out.
Tomcot was a top performer, year-in/year-out, for Don Yellman at Great Falls VA. I never grew it, but I guess if I were gonna try one, that would be the first one I’d try.
Wonder of wonders, I have a 4 years in the ground Goldkist that is loaded with tiny apricots. It’s been crazy warm here and the 10 day forecast is frost free. This is a first for me. I know the odds are still against me, but hope springs eternal.
North Texas - apricots are growing strong here. Many flowering now so I expect to see fruit. Tomcot has larger flowers. OrangeRed is sparse - probably due to high chill hours so may need to replace it. Robada blooming well. Sugar Pearls has just started waking so it is indeed late to bloom. Flavor Delight in 15 gal container has set many fruit - last yr harvested about 50 and expect more this yr. Early spring is putting rush on everything to flower.