North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Alan Haigh <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

I'm in Z6 southeastern NY and delaying bloom here is more than about saving the crop but also saving these fragile trees.  Harsh winters don't seem to be what kills the Har series apricots here so much as hard freezes after warm spells.  Purvis told me that the Rutgers program is using hardier strains than what the Harrow Station breeders worked with when they developed harcot and all the others.  I'm growing Early Blush, from Rutgers, which Adams County Nursery carries but is sold out on for 11.  From sampling the first few fruit it seems a tasty variety and wonderfully early.

The only research that I've seen that successfully involved white paint to delay bloom involved painting all the wood, including the small bud wood which I suspect is most important of all.  White paint on the trunk seems to be mostly about protecting from southwest injury but I'm not at all sure it would be helpful in protecting apricots from being killed by fluctuating temps in early spring.  Show me the research!

As far as quality, I find site makes a difference as much as variety around here where some sites seem to produce dry fruit while others produce fruit with good juice.  I haven't figured that one out at all, but if the fruit is juicy all of the Har series should be real good- at least as grown around here.  Hargrand is the only one that I grow that can give you CA sized fruit and it's probably been the most hardy.  Alfred (from Cornell) is a reliable cropper, maybe hardier that the Hars, but tiny and prone to scab.  Pretty tasty though.