Lecture on growing Apricots in cold climates

[Sherwin Dubren]

Anyone interested in how to grow Apricots in zones 4 & 5 might be interested in attending a lecture on that topic by a Master Gardener named Robert Purvis. He now works for the USDA as an agricultural statistician. He has a 243 tree hobby orchard he maintains at his home in Yakima and is currently concentrating on 7 apricot varieties for zone 4 hardy types. The lecture is being held at the Chicago Botanic Garden, just north of the City of Chicago, on Sunday, February 22, 2004, at 1:30 PM. Admission to the lecture is free, but there is a charge for parking. Members of the Chicago Botanic Garden or the Morton Arboretum can park for free. The event is being sponsored be the Midwest Fruit Explorers (MidFex). MidFex is asking people to contact them in advance, so they can arrange for the proper amount of seating space. They will also answer any specific questions you may have. Send confirmations and queries to: [e-mail]

[dr-solo]

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[RWL]

I live in PA at the junctions of zones 5 &6 and I've got an apricot tree that's been growing well here and thrives on benign neglect. It was called a Manchurian apricot and came from one of the nurseries as a bonus a number of years ago.

RWL

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[J. Del Col]

The Manchurian apricots are one way to go.

I have Hungarian Rose and Moonglow(I think) here in Philippi, WV. USDA 6( or 5, depending on what side of the hill you are on)

Last year I had the best crop ever, maybe a dozen fruit per tree. Most years the fruit is killed by late frosts.

J. Del Col

[dr-solo]

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[dr-solo]

1. heavily mulch around the base to keep the ground cold later into the spring
2. paint the trunk and branches white to reflect light
3. the best. put this tree in the shade of something that doesnt reach it until spring has really sprung.
4. use a flip fl>I have Hungarian Rose and Moonglow(I think) here in Philippi, WV.

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[Sherwin Dubren]

I am eager to hear what Robert has to say, but if anyone is interested, they will have to attend, in person. I had a Manchurian Apricot in a large planter on my patio, here in Zone 5. Even after wrapping insulation around the pot, it did not survive the second winter. I did have a great apricot crop from a Moorpark on dwarfing rootstock planted in my backyard. Robert is experimenting with some newer hardy types, which might prove more resilient in our colder climates.

Sherw>

[dr-solo]

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[J. Del Col]

Or I could concede that apricots aren't suited to this climate and save myself a lot of time and trouble.

They were planted as an experiment. They provide a great place to hang potted orchids in the summer. Any fruit is a bonus.

J. Del Col

[dr-solo]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List

the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make.

[J. Del Col]

They'll survive and grow well but won't bear much fruit without a lot of help.

The fruit I do get is superb, with a much richer, more complex flavor than any store bought apricot, but I don't expect more than a handful each year.

Here in the WV mountains we frequently have late hard freezes as well as frosts. I'm not interested in adopting Florida citrus protection methods to increase yield.

J. Del Col

[RWL]

Apricots ;-)

Actually, pretty good. Nice and sweet . I usually grab some as I pass by when mowing.

The last two seasons haven't been good. In 2002 we had the latest frosts I've ever seen in this part of PA May 21 and 22 as I recall. That did in the cherries, apricots and apples. In 2003 we had an unusually wet spring and again, there was a poor yield on the fruit trees. Ahh. Maybe things will be better this year.

RWL

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[gregpresley]

Apricots are an interesting fruit to grow. I inherited some dwarf variety in the yard of the house I'm living in. It blooms VERY early (usually the first week in April) long before our last expected killer frost. For the most part, I regard it as a great ornamental for its early bloom, and especially for forcing branches indoors. There are NEVER active bees during its blooming cycle, but it gets covered in butterflies, which are apparently enough to get some pollination done. Then 2 weeks after the bloom there is usually a terrible hard frost and I expect nothing. However, by early July, there are always about 12-25 fruits hidden under leaves ripening somewhere or other - very tasty - they will stay on the tree for about 3 weeks in a ripe state. Three houses over from me there is some other variety of apricot, in a lower, more protected spot. It blooms much later, is a full-sized tree, and is covered by many hundreds of apricots which ripen in early August. I am in Spokane, zone 5/6

[dr-solo]

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[Sherwin Dubren]

Reading some of these replies on this thread, I am surprised that people do not make distinctions about different varieties of apricots. Like any other plant, there are types which can be bred to be cold tolerant. To say one has had bad experiences with apricots does not have meaning unless you tell us which variety was planted. I have not heard Robert's talk yet, but I believe he has developed at least 7 new kinds of cold tolerant apricots. What happens to less tolerant apricots is that the cold and wind of the winter kills the buds. Of course, if the blossoms come out and then there is a frost, it will probably kill any kind of blossom.

Sherw>

[dr-solo]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List

the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make.

[Sherwin Dubren]

Hi dr-solo, Apricots originally came from northern China, then brought to Persia and subsequently to the Mediterranean Area. One of the most cold tolerant apricots I know of, is the Manchurian variety, which to my understanding is only tolerant down to zone 2. They will also grow in zones up to 9. The drawback with the Manchurian variety, is that the fruit is smaller than most other varieties. Most of the current world's production of apricots takes place in a band from about 25 to 45 degrees north latitude (not much of zone 1 in these areas). Like many of the other fruits we enjoy today, apricots have evolved over the years to tolerate warmer climates, like California and Turkey. You are certainly right about late frosts killing the early apricot flowers, but I think there are more factors involved, like enough cold winter temperatures to set buds for the coming year. I will relay to this forum any more facts I can glean from the upcoming lecture on Apricots.

Sherwin D.

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