So, I read a lot of posts about apricots and how easily they die in some areas of the country. Seems like the problem is not very well understood. I have struggled to understand as well. I have significant concerns about brown rot blossom blight (Monilinia) and spray fungicide right before bloom. The other problem is perennial canker. I am becoming convinced that this is really the more common problem. When I review different varieties, perennial canker resistance is frequently called out as a positive attribute. The “har” series apricots are a good example.
I have been battling canker on my current Canadian White Blenheim for a couple of years now, losing scaffold branches along the way. I am slowly losing the battle and will pull the tree out this year. This is the second Canadian White Blenheim I have lost. Here is a picture from today.
This tree has numerous grafts of other varieties, some seem unaffected, but when the trunk is infected every variety is doomed to be starved from below.
Interestingly, I grafted Canadian White Blenheim to my Sugar Pearls tree several years ago, and those grafts have grown into strong healthy scaffolds. Sugar Pearls is resistant.
As I stated earlier, I will replace my dying Canadian White Blenheim, but this time I will plant a perennial canker resistant variety and see if I can get the same results I got with Sugar Pearls.
I grafted it on a regular blenheim this year. It’s a super aggressive grower putting on 5-6 foot from the scion. How well did it fruit for you? I keep hearing all the whites are kind of stingy.
My Canadian White Blenheim grafts fruit just about right. Truth be told I struggle a little trying to figure out how many fruitlets to thin. Since it is grafted to Sugar Pearls which over-sets like crazy, I wind up thinning it just as aggressively as I thin Sugar Pearls, then later in the season it self thins some more. Next year I am going to try not thinning Canadian White Blenheim at all, and see how it does. It would be nice to have a variety that doesn’t need thinning.
Yes, having a little hot spell, well hot for Spokane. Last half of July is usually when we break 100 if we are going to do it. The stone fruit should love it this week! (Back into the 70’s next week). - Make that 80’s, as the forcast gets revised…
I don’t think that your tree is done. Remove the affected branches, use some pruning sealant and next year spray not before bloom but at the beginning and then again end of bloom. My area is full of monilia (the trees die usually within the first 3-4 years if not sprayed) but since I started to spray it is not an issue at all (2 sprays are needed in the petal phase)
From that series Hargrand and Harogem are favorites of Bob Purvis. He also told me before that Sugar Pearls is top five for him, if I remember correctly Ilona and Robada belonged there too for him. I had grafts of all those at my old property, but never got to try them before selling it.
I do have a graft of Hargrand on my Sugar Pearls tree, and I agree with Bob, it is surprisingly good. Very large, very round, dull orange with a little green cast that won’t go away. It’s not a pretty piece of fruit like Orangered or Robada, but it is really tasty.
I do not know what apricot is the largest. Three large ones are Robada, Hargrand and Spark’s Mammoth. I’m sure there are others. @Stan has more varieties than I do. Maybe he will chime in on the big ones.
Spark’s Mammoth excels in both fruit size and quality. Most white apricots (Afghanistan, Lasgerdi Mashhad, Moniqui) have pretty large fruit and great flavor.
