The search for the unicorn continues!
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Yeah, Iām not looking for a prime eating mandarin. Iāll be happy for something as good as grocery store lemons and limes and bonus if it is an interesting flavor
I think Iāll order a 3 gallon too. I really think what I said before is true. What seems like a ridiculous amount more now wonāt seem like much later. Iām trying to keep that in mind more. Are they going to ship yours in the spring?
BTW, Iām very intrigued by your seedling feijoa. Iād love to get a taste and grow it.
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Sure, Iāll send you some. Anytime. Just let me know.
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@JohannsGarden good point! Iām hoping those two will put on fruit this year. If so, I will take your advice and lighten the load. The one tree that produced this year is tall but small. It had about 12-20 apples on it that were green and tart (granny smith) but in perfect shape.
Iāve noticed the apple trees (planted on a hill in a row) are crowded by alders which have grown over the top of them so I hope to trim some of that back and give them more light. Then do clean up (no more than 30%). This will be my first time pruning/restoring. Iāve watched a lot of videos but I still dont feel like I know what Iām doing. Hoping to take some classes this year. If anything Iāll try to be more conservative. Thanks for your advice on the two trees.
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I could have sworn I read this thread before, but much to my surprise it seems I had not! Iām now a little bummed I missed out on some events in October. Iāll have to keep a lookout next year!
Iāve got yuzu, kumquat, honey tangerine, and pomello I started from seed. Definetly trying to think about where I can try putting the yuzu in ground next year. I only have the one though and donāt want to lose it!
I have a lot of different things, but one Iāve been wondering about is two persimmon, Fuyu and Meader (I think?), that may or may not have died back to the graft (pretty sure the Fuyu did) due to circumstances beyond my control.
If it is the rootstock, I must try my hand at grafting. Iāve only tried grafting on plum and apple, just a couple times each. Not in the right season of course. Iāve watched a few videos and got a little better idea of the cuts, so weāll see about some more this spring.
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Has anybody grown Puget Gold Apricot. This literature from Mt.Vernon research center says this variety has fruited moderate to heavy crops consistently for over 10 years (at the time of publishing).
Puget_Gold_Apricot.pdf (242.9 KB)
About 4 years ago I planted Puget Gold, Harglow, and Harcot apricots. Puget Gold succumbed to bacterial canker within the first year. This was my second attempt at growing Puget Gold. The problem the first time time was also bacterial canker.
They were all planted in a raised bed with an 8ā polycarbonate cover. I thought this might offer some protection against bacterial canker. At this point Harcot and Harglow have reached the top of the cover and Iāll be removing the cover this year.
Even grown under cover Harglow now has a spot of canker. Harcot looks pretty clean and is the most vigorous. Last year Harcot flowered on Feb 21 and Harglow on March 16. I tried hand pollinating but nothing took.
Iāve found an apricot tree that fruited a couple dozen fruits a few blocks away here in inauspicious Port Angeles despite the cold snaps of last winter. I canāt vouch for the quality of the fruit but it did get harvested. Cherry trees donāt do super well in town so having an apricot tree doing anything is surprising! (The tree is not in a sheltered spot either and fairly exposed to winds from the north and west, but is not likely to experience hard frost after February)
The tree is fairly old and large, it has some banker on several major branches but looks reasonably vigorous and healthy regardless. Iāll keep an eye out on it this year and see if it can pull off a repeat performance, but even getting fruits one year is more than I would have expected!
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@Curglaff
From Trees of Antiquityā¦ āThe Copeland Family discovered an apricot seedling at the Anacortes ferry landing and named it āPuget Goldā after it proved reliable in the inclement weather of Washington.ā Puget Gold Apricot ā Trees of Antiquity
Maybe the tree you found is Puget Gold. I live 3 miles from the ferry landing so maybe Iāll try again!
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After 6 years of growing apricots I have less than that many ripe fruit from all my varieties. IMHO apricots are vastly overrated. Iāve never tasted a good one except for those grown in dry/nearly arid climates.
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I grew a Puget Gold tree for several years. Mostly it seemed reasonably healthy but eventually it succumbed to a canker on the trunk and broke. I got maybe 10 ripe apricots the most productive year. And a few other years got a few. They were better than grocery store apricots.
Good apricots are delicious. One of my favorite flavors.
On a whim I added a Harglow to my Burnt Ridge order this year. I donāt know where Iām going to put it with the other things Iām planting. I should probably cancel. It would probably be smarter to just try a few added limb grafts to toy around with. Disappointing to hear that cdamarjianās got canker.
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In the paper they mention Puget Gold set more fruits when self-polinated vs from other cultivars. thats encouraging.
Seems like itās reliable as long as canker doesnāt kill the tree. I donāt think Mt.Vernon has any special microclimate compared to further south on the I-5 corridor for it to fruit every year.
For some reason I get 1-2 fruits set (max) each year. There is very little sweetness. Iād rather grow plums.
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@Curglaff, many decades ago my grandfather grew a large beautiful Bing cherry in his back yard near downtown Port Angeles. I suspect it was much easier then in terms of disease pressure.
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@Quill
Hi Carole! Good to hear from you!
Iām leaving for Hilo on Monday. I was trying to remember the name of the grower on the Big Island you suggested to me. He was the president of a growing group.
Chris
You should try and meet Ken Love if you are in Kona. He is the local growing guru.
@Oregon_Fruit_Grow
Portland should be way more favorable than Mt. Vernon (my backyard)!
Thanks Ram ā¦Ken Love that was the name I was trying to remember!
Ping me offline if you need his email contact.
Say hi to him for me if you meet him.
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A Puget Gold came with a 5-in-1 tree and produced fruit for a few years,which were okay.Then,I had an OrangeRed Apricot,which tasted like a tropical fruit.
Itās not canker,that gets my trees,but Brown Rot Blossom Blight,that I fight.