Morden m604 apricot tree . Anybody seen them around?
mattpf (zone4)
10 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (13)
ljpother
10 years agoKonrad___far_north
10 years agoRelated Discussions
hardy apricot source/suggestions
Comments (15)I doubt that Sungold and Moongold need specific pollination from each other. The other, inedible apricot mentioned above seems to have served as a suitable pollen source. I think the marketing hype came from a time when Sungold and Moongold were often sold together for cross-pollination because they were among the few really hardy commercial apricots. Concerning Chinese and Montrose: These should be hardy in most of Zone 5. Don't know about Zone 4. Both are sweet pit varieties, with Montrose ripening after Chinese. LE Cooke wholesaler offers both. If I were in Zone 5, I might take a gamble on Canadian White Blenheim (also sweet pit) and OrangeRed, parent of Robada, which has a very high chill requirement. It's a favorite in Europe. CWB and OrangeRed both require cross-pollination with a different variety....See MoreBlack Apricot pollenizer?
Comments (4)Sautesmom, I would suggest that you contact Andrew Mariani at his "Andy's Orchard" site and ask him. (Or ask him to come over here and post a public reply, so that all might benefit from his knowledge.) I think that he might have introduced this cultivar to the U.S.; I'm almost certain that the Raintree Nursery catalog description mentions that they got the plant from him. I doubt there's anybody in the U.S. who would be better-qualified to answer your question than him, and the climatic conditions at his Morgan Hill operation are probably nearly identical to those in Sacramento. (I can't guarantee that he'll have time to respond, of course, but there's a good chance that he might reply to a polite inquiry.)...See MorePruning a Morden 604 Apricot
Comments (5)A cankerworm is a light, almost lime-green caterpillar than averages a quarter inch to inch-long length. It has feet at the front and back, and inches along like a bent wire. It chews the leaves of every possible tree we have here, most prominently the elms, but have now grown to such a population that they are even starting to chew on evergreens! They pupate from eggs laid by small moths in the autumn of the previous year. The eggs hatch into caterpillars measuring 1/8th of an inch some time in early to mid-June. This year it might be later as the season is very late (at least 3 weeks behind). They then chew the leaves of a tree or more, growing to be about 1 inch long. Then they ''fall'' to the ground to burrow under the grass or plantings to chrysallis until they emerge as moths around mid-to-late September. They 'fall' by strands of 'strings' similar to a spider's strand. When the infestation is very bad, the strands are like a curtain across a street. Imagine parking under a tree infested with these things. When you come out an hour later your windshield is caked with sticky droplets that aren't washed off with windshielf wiper fluid. Your vehicle's tires run over the surface of the street and literally 'stick and slick' the fallen caterpillars. The excrements of these critters also cause quite a stir as they don't wash off the roads very well. If there is a puddle of water nearby, the stench is at times unbearable. Also, walking is an obstacle course as you weave between the strands of worm silks. At times you don't even know that you have a stowaway on you until a friend, shopkeeper or total stranger pick one or two off you. If ever you visit Winnipeg, don't come in June or early July! In regards to the apricot. Yes, it is self-pollinating. I had lots of flowers on the tree about a week ago. Today, I took the time (I'm off after working 17 days straight of 10 hour days) to have a look. I've got fruit buds! Quite a few. I suppose that means I'll have apricots in August as long as we don't get a killer frost in the next week. Thanks for the tips on dormant oil. I guess I can't use any of them this year as it looks to me I have producing fruit. Or do I? Would it be safe to do so now? If not, I'll just have to keep a weather eye out for thoaw pesky caterpillars and hope for the best....See MoreThose fragile N. apricots
Comments (16)Here's what Bob Purvis had to say on the issue in response to an e-mail. Dear Alan, I can understand your puzzlement and frustration. However, I can possibly mention a few things that might encourage you or improve our understanding of what is going on. Richard W. Weidman was the manager of the U of Wisconsin's Peninsular Research Station in Sturgeon Bay, WI on the Door Peninsula. He and I exchanged a couple of e-mails back in 2002 when I was living in Minnesota. (The Door Peninsula lies just east of Green Bay, WI and is an area for commercial fruit production, especially cherries.) I distinctly recall that Dr. Weidman said that although in theory Harlayne should have been the best apricot for his location, in fact Harcot (which is significantly less winter-hardy than Harlayne under MN conditions) performed much better in this cool, modified-maritime environment. I might also mention that in SW Michigan, Herb Teichmann (the manager of Tree-Mendus Fruit, 450 ac, which grows all the tree fruits commercially including apricots) cited Harcot and Goldrich as their "bread and butter" apricots, the ones which performed best at their location, when giving me a personal tour of their orchard in July 2003. I was surprised that they had a lot more acreage of Harcot than of any of the other Harrow apricots. They are in a USDA Zone 5a location, or maybe even a 5b. So your comment about Harlayne's difficulties and Harcot's potential was perhaps in line with what Weidmann and Teichmann reported to me back in 2002-2003. Attempting to diagnose why a fruit tree dies when you are on the spot isn't easy; to do so from 2,500 miles away is even harder. To begin with, one question I would ask is, when you dug up the dead tree, what did the root system look like? Were there a lot of fine roots, or was the root system mostly big roots (which suggests that soil pathogens were eating the small ones)? Another thing that would be worth checking out is this: was there a lot of gumming on the tree, or problems that affected the bark, fruit spurs, etc? Was the cambium on the trees dead from top to bottom, or perhaps only near the base? We had dogwood borers in MN that would attack stone-fruit trees, and out here we have peach tree borer. Dogwood borers typically got active the first week of July in the Twin Cities, and peach tree borers here in Idaho around June 20-27 in an average year. I would wonder if the dead trees were killed by peach tree borer. This clear-winged moth can weaken established peach or apricot trees and kill young trees. The larvae tunnel around in the cambium near the base of the tree, leaving a pile of frass beneath the tree near the trunk. Here are a few other things to consider, based on comments by Apricot Interest Group members. Tomcot, even though it was bred in Washington State, has done amazingly well from Massachusetts to North Carolina because of its extended bloom period. I've had good reports about Stark SweetHeart as well, from Philip Rainville in central Massachusetts. He's a small-scale commercial grower. Stark SweetHeart is later blooming, but if there are lots of squirrels in one's neighborhood it might be a bad choice because its kernels are sweet. Both these cultivars are readily available from commercial sources. Also, have you tested Jerseycot at those locations where Harlayne and Early Blush died? Horticordially, Bob Purvis Chair, Apricot Interest Group, NAFEX...See Moremattpf (zone4)
10 years agoljpother
10 years agoCollin001
10 years agomattpf (zone4)
10 years agofruitmaven_wiz5
9 years agodon555
9 years agowayne
9 years agomattpf (zone4)
9 years agomattpf (zone4)
9 years agomattpf (zone4)
9 years ago
Related Stories
EDIBLE GARDENSHow to Grow Your Own Apricots
Velvety fruit, pretty blossoms and interesting bark make apricot trees a delight — and they’re great for smaller gardens
Full StoryCONTAINER GARDENSPatio-Perfect Berry Bushes Like You’ve Never Seen
Small enough for pots but offering abundant fruit, these remarkable bred berries are a boon for gardeners short on space
Full StoryHOME TECHThe Inevitable Future of Drones Around Your Home
As Google joins the push for airborne deliveries, it seems only a matter of time before neighborhoods are buzzing with drones. Is that OK?
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGN7 Great Trees for Summer Shade and Fall Color
These landscape-pro faves straddle the seasons beautifully. Could one enhance your own yard?
Full StorySPRING GARDENING7 Spectacular and Practical Spring-Flowering Trees
Put on a beauteous show in the garden with a landscape tree awash in flowers — just do your homework first
Full StoryEDIBLE GARDENSHow to Grow 10 Favorite Fruit Trees at Home
Plant a mini orchard in fall, winter or early spring to enjoy fresh-off-the-tree fruit the following year
Full StoryCHRISTMASReal vs. Fake: How to Choose the Right Christmas Tree
Pitting flexibility and ease against cost and the environment can leave anyone flummoxed. This Christmas tree breakdown can help
Full StoryMOST POPULARHow to Get Rid of Those Pesky Summer Fruit Flies
Learn what fruit flies are, how to prevent them and how to get rid of them in your home
Full StorySPRING GARDENINGTop 10 Scented Plants for Your Garden
A palette of perfumed plants can transform even the smallest of gardens into a sensory delight
Full StoryLANDSCAPE DESIGNGreat Design Plant: Retreat to the Shade of Hardy Catalpa
Big foliage and a towering height provide a shady respite in summer, but that's not all hardy catalpa offers dedicated gardeners
Full StorySponsored
mattpf (zone4)Original Author