posted
is there anyone out there on apricots? i'm having some trouble with one of my apricot trees.it has lots of fruit, but when the apricots get the size of a grape seed i notice a tiny bug eats the center out and i eventually wind up with about a dozen apricots.but these apricots are huge,larger than a tennis ball and very sweet.how can i get more fruit?
* * * * art Plants: 76 | From: Santa Barbara | Registered: Dec 2005
| Seeded: 64.12.117.7
posted
Sounds like it could be plum curculios. You need to intiate a spraying program! Start with dormant oil spray. before the trees buds out in late winter. Look into a fruit trees spray made by Bonide- its is a pesticide, and fungicide, and follow the recommended spray schedule on the bottle. Another thing is to clean up all fallen fruit, as this will start the cycle all over again if you do not! The same goes with the leaves in the fall. Rake them up and get rid of the leaves- do not mulch with them. Preferably burn the leaves if you can! Apricots have a bad habit of blooming to early in many places as they are the first of fruit trees to bloom, which mean in colder areas they can get frost/freeze damaged. ANother factor is pollination -some Apricots are self fertile , some are not. Most fruit trees that are claimed to be self fertile will yield more fruit if another variety is planted nearby anyways. Just a few ideas.....
Plants: 175 | From: McHenry, MD | Registered: Jan 2006
| Seeded: 209.3.112.34
posted
DeepCreekLake thank you for the input.you are right on all counts. i have 2 apricot trees within 10 yards of each other and only one gives me all the trouble.one gives me a lot of fruit and no bugs,the other one comes up with the same bugs year after year in spite of the sprays that i use on it.and it's the one that bears these huge apricots larger than a tennis ball.i had never seen apricots this big before.the bugs in the blossoms are little tiny things about half a millimeter long.i need a magnifying glass to see them.
* * * * art Plants: 76 | From: Santa Barbara | Registered: Dec 2005
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
Those are some big Apricots- sure there not peaches? lol. Apricots are hadr to grow around me because of the early flowering, and cold weather we get in Early Spring. I always like the look of an Apricot tree- esp when its loaded with them. Your climate in Cali is prob much more ideal. What culitivar is that apricot in the pic?
Plants: 175 | From: McHenry, MD | Registered: Jan 2006
| Seeded: 209.3.112.67
posted
yes i'm sure they are apricots. i have another tree that gives me lots of fruit about the size of a half dollar.i don't know the cultivar of this tree,but it has never given me more than 15 apricots.this year it has very few blossoms and most of them are in the lower branches.i cut some of the spurs off and noticed that the center is dark and dead. i sprayed it & a grafted seedling on it with Cooke dormant oil in december & january as recommeded and it seems to me that it had adverse effects from the spray because the graft died.could that be possible? maybe too much spray?
* * * * art Plants: 76 | From: Santa Barbara | Registered: Dec 2005
| Seeded: 64.12.117.7
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