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11:51 am
March 25, 2015
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PNW, Columbia river, at a micro-climate
I know apricots are never advised for PNW conditions due to short lived trees and problems associated with poor flower health issues. However several days ago while exploring through the Washington side of the river, near PDX airport, I (by accident) found a healthy one loading up on fruit (picture shown). Now this is in all my many years living both here and Seattle -the first time I have ever seen such healthy apricots. I think the reasons are related to the proximity to overtowering brush and shelter all around and the underground spring waters that go beneath the ground spot and exit a short distance south into the Columbia river. In short: no wind exposure, cloudless night time temperature losses are recaptured by canopy, and the winter ground temperatures are above average.
I have seen 2 out of these 3 conditions come together before on other kinds of fruit trees but not quite all three at the same time. Like for example sour cherry production in Canada and Alaska by the simple act of moving unproductive trees and trasplanting them closer to other trees (in other instances ground warming ideas) fruiting and an generally acceptable standard of health followed.
A word of caution for those first time locals wishing apricots is to generally avoid them. see link
7:05 pm
August 3, 2015
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You may want to revisit that tree next year.
On my inner-SE PDX block there was a fine old apricot tree (was very mature in 1990) and it fruited heavily (fallen fruit would require tiptoeing, no place to plant a whole shoe). It fruited twice in 25 years. The other 23 years zero fruit. The last heavy fruiting perhaps 5 years ago prompted the property owner to remove the tree. The stacked wood is still visible streetside, and it makes me wince every time I drive by because that fruit was very tasty.
12:47 am
March 25, 2015
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Yes, thanks, it certainly makes sense to see what happens in 2020. If all the externals come together for this one we still have to know we are not in California.
Zaiger and Company produce a "black kat" from Cal that hit the shelves up here about a month ago. Maybe the pits on them could make a good apricot rootstock because the hybrid patent looks interesting. They are the big black plums (you have to look the true fine print name on the box) and they are solid firm for shipping but very delicious. Still prefer delicacies as such straight (softer) from the tree though.
10:03 am
November 26, 2015
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Apricot trees are not my friend. I have killed 8 already. They rarely survive past their first year, so they are no longer welcome in my orchard.
12:11 pm
March 25, 2015
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The last apricot in my yard I had died also. It was a late blooming species selection from a more northly source around China called Hunza apricots. It was even more prone to disease than regular apricots. I saved a small scion and had that grafted to a couple other plums successfully and I get my pollen from them every year. They live on because they are covered up during rainy season, and I do this religiously.
2:08 pm
Moderators
March 16, 2015
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I'm sure they would grow great in E OR or E WA.
John S
PDX OR
4:10 pm
November 17, 2018
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I have seen examples of a tree I believe to be Puget Gold, producing well in Portland.
Those trees, are no more. But, I don't think they died on their own.
Alas, the properties "Changed hands".
Often, the first thing new owners do, is cut down the former owner's fruit trees.
12:36 pm
March 25, 2015
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@buzzoff, It's nice to see others join in to an already experienced team here!
Apricots: Going back not so long in time it had been suggested that PNW growing of apricots could benefit from later in the season flowers because of frost damaging to the early spring frosts. Then that idea had been expanded with more information to include a discovery that any flowers including later flowers were being robbed of iron particles by both good and bad bacterials that in turn, made the flowers suseptable to frost and freezing.
I can configure the article in a sec, which is another scientific advancement as a result of fire blight sprays on the market at the time, and OSU (k johnson) with the ARS were involved with this.
1:22 pm
March 25, 2015
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**This is the research page; Iron chelate efficacy and freeze prevention idea
There will always be the hunt for better apricot cultivars that make a difference if any can be found. I have also noted a few 'puget gold' mostly failing in the Seattle suburbs while living there before for a while. I think to get all you can from apricot in PNW other than the shelter idea from rain, is that you must find adequate summer soil moisture conditions, which PNW arid conditions add so much stress on the limited genetics apricots are adapted for.
One example is a (mostly failing) puget gold downhill from my heights location in Vancouver that is growing near the river upstream from the so far producing one in my opening topic. The upstream pugetgold is completely different soils consisting of rocky deposits from the historic george deposition of rocky deposits. Then nearer the PDX airport (downstream) the soils consist of differing texture.
**miner end note to the meaning in the referenced reading article "INA". INAs meaning is as it refers to "ice promoting proprties".
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