top work apricot in july

[jtnguyen333]

I have this apricot for 5 years now.  The total fruit I got from 5 years is less than 20.   So I decided to stump it soon. Is mid-summer the the right time to stump a couple of main branches and do a bark graft?  The tree has 3 main branches.  Each branch is 2.5" to 3.5" in diameter.  I will stump 2 of the 3 and graft something else onto it.

[growinginphoenix]

I have read that summer is the time for budding and that spring when the temperatures are between 60-80F and the new leaves are 1-2 inches long is the best time to do other types of grafts on apricot. I'm not an expert though...

[seng]

During this time of the year, there is no scions to graft to. 

Don't top work.  Just graft on smaller branches.  That was what I did to my apricot. 

Your tree do not fruit most likely the chill hour issue.  Find low chill ones like:
-cot-n-candy.
-flavor delight
-katty
-gold kist

[jtnguyen333]

During this time of the year, there is no scions to graft to. 

Don't top work.  Just graft on smaller branches.  That was what I did to my apricot. 

Your tree do not fruit most likely the chill hour issue.  Find low chill ones like:
-cot-n-candy.
-flavor delight
-katty
-gold kist

May be I will do that.  The one in the picture is a gold kist -- very unreliable production.

[SoCalGardenNut]

I had a Gold Kist and maybe a Katy, I ordered them online, they never had a single flower, so i got rid of them after 3 years. Royal Blenheim is perfect for my weather.

[Galatians522]

Apricots are known to bloom but have very poor fruit set under low chill conditions. I've never been able to find an explination as to why. I wonder if Apricot pollen viability is effected by the temperature causing a cultuvar that is reported to be self fertile to no longer be effectively self fertile. If it blooms well enough, maybe grafting some other low chill apricots would give it the bump it needs.

[jtnguyen333]

Apricots are known to bloom but have very poor fruit set under low chill conditions. I've never been able to find an explination as to why. I wonder if Apricot pollen viability is effected by the temperature causing a cultuvar that is reported to be self fertile to no longer be effectively self fertile. If it blooms well enough, maybe grafting some other low chill apricots would give it the bump it needs.

This year it bloomed and has a good amount of fruit set but about 3/4 of them fall off when they were about size of a quarter.  Same as the year before.

[seng]

jtnguyen333, it might be not enough water.

[jtnguyen333]

jtnguyen333, it might be not enough water.

I checked the soil and it was still moist from all the rain in april/march.  Do you water extra when it is fruiting?

[SoCalGardenNut]

I don’t give mine extra water at all. Right now all of my fruit trees only jujube trees will drop fruit if not enough water, they are growing in container.

[seng]

jtnguyen333, when the fruits are small, yes.  Extra water also make the fruits bigger as well.

[jtnguyen333]

Seng..what variety do you grow?  do they fruit consistently?

[seng]

I have
-tilton. some fruits.
-moorpark. no fruit at all due to chill hours.
-gold kist. some fruits.
-cot-n-candy. some fruits.
-flavor delight. no fruit.
-katy. small and no fruit.

It their second year.  They produce some fruits because I did not water them in fall and winter and  most of the dormant fruit buds dried out, so I can't tell about consistency.  This year I will take good care and see what will happen next year.

[jtnguyen333]

Seng..I noticed you are in mira mesa.  Moorpark and Tilton required 600+ chill hours.  That's a challenge.  I also have flavor delight (no fruit, 2 year old).  I also have a santa barbara peach (some fruit not as much as last year) and a 4 in 1 pluot (flavor grenade, splash, geo pride, and emerald drop).    Have you ever had a big crop on any of your tree?

[seng]

Moorpark never produce.  Tilton produces a few.  The rest produce a few. 

Never produce a bumper crop because I think the fruit buds died during winter due to not enough water.  Let see next year.

[Alippincott]

It's just odd to me that Moorpark Apricots "need" lots of chill hours. I live in Moorpark where it is famous for it, and our city does not get that cold really.