I have always been told by people here in Maine that I can't grow some of the plants and fruit that I do. I tell people who tell me that to tell that to the trees. Here is proof that apricots do grow in Maine and can produce fruit. They were delicious. I still have a half dozen on the trees. I have the seeds to start new trees. The tree I have is seven years old and was started by me from seeds. It is approximately 16 feet tall. This past winter was very hard here so I lost a lot of the fruit buds but I ended up with 16 apricots this year. That is an improvement over the last two years when I harvested a combined total of 4. Hopefully next year brings even more. But

Nice! Then again, we theoretically don't have the climate to grow fig trees either...
Where there's a will there's a way. Congratulations, may it have 50 next year.

Congratulations!  Apricots are one of my favourite fruits fresh or dried'.

Hi swizzle,
Congrats !
Perhaps you already know, if not, be informed that apricots-trees are a pain !
I've seen neighbors and me, loosing a tree just for no reason or because of a big branch was cut - some people say at least- ...
This year is a good year for apricots here, mine was covered - first time in 7 years. The other years, as you said, 5 or zero fruits ... A PAIN !
Good luck with your tree !
I started a seedling this year - been busy at it for 3 years but the others did not germinate -, and that small one will certainly take the place of a peach tree which fruits are too so so ...

Are you growing one of the newer Manchurian hybrids? I've read a bit about them. I keep considering putting in an apricot but I don't think I could bear losing crops to lost frost on a semi regular basis.

Wow Swizzle, very nice.  Did you do anything specific when siting your tree?

Do they airlayer easily?

The seeds for this tree came from a tree in Colorado at 7500 feet in the San Juan Mountains. It is very cold hardy to be able to produce fruit there. I do not know what variety it is. It is planted at the lowest part of my property and gets a good amount of water. It is in a planting bed that gets mulched every other year otherwise I don't do anything for it.

Swizzle, what zone are you in?  What cross-pollinated the tree?  Are you planning to share seeds?  greenbud zone 4    Also was it protected from north winds?

So what happens if I go to the store; buy a pound of apricots, save the seeds and grow them.
Would I get real apricot fruit or something else?

Gorgi,

I've read that apricots do come from seed well, but hardiness would be the big question. In zone 7 you would probably be fine, however.

-Kelby

I live in zone 5a. I would be willing to give up a few seeds. PM me if you want some. I have 10 seeds. My wife threw away the others. The tree is self-fertile. It does not need a pollinator. It probably would produce more with one though. I milk now of a couple of other apricot trees in the Portland, Maine area that are loaded this year but they are more protected than mine. My tree is the tallest tree in the flower bed it is planted in and has no protection. To propagate seeds you first scarify the seeds with a file then put in potting soil in the refrigerator for two months. When you take them out of the refrigerator put them in a warm area still covered. Wait about two weeks and the seeds should be sprouting. I have about an 80 % success rate seeding stone fruit this way. It also works for asian pears.

Hi Gorgi,
Yes it works, but it all depends on how long the fruits have been waiting in the "fridge" or "cold chamber" and how close to to ripe stage the fruit was - so that the kernel i fully developed.
I basically seed them outside so that the stones take the Winter blast, and in Spring you wait to see if anything comes out.
I did like that for apples, Williams pears, peaches, cherries,plums (still waiting for the fruits) and Apricots.
IMO and to my experience, Apricots do come out closer to something interesting than any other fruit - For me, seeded cherry-trees have always been a time loss !
But ok, there is always a risk ... But the first Apricot-tree I grew from seed was a show ! Until my dad savaged a branch too close to the trunk and the tree died the next year after its blossom ... Apricots-trees are really a pain !

I dont agree. I love apricots. They are beautiful trees and the fact that the give me fruit is even better. They are the first fruit trees to flower so they are susceptible to frosts but the flowers are nice to see early in the spring. I started my first apricots when I was 14 in northwestern Colorado and those trees are still alive. I can see them on google earth. I find I have better sucsess putting them in a refrigerator for two months. I mark the date on the top of the jar I use when I put it in the refrigerator and two months from that day I take them out of the refrigerator and put the jar in a warm location with the jar still sealed. After a couple of weeks I usually already have roots and transplant the seeds to pots and put them in a sunny spot. Apricots are usually true to fruit but other types of fruit that have been grafted will grow true the rootstock. Since a lot of plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines are grafted to plum rootstock you may end up with a plum. The tree that the seeds for this tree came from was a wild tree meaning it has no rootstock. The seeds are true to that tree. I prefer starting my trees from seeds because even if they are not true to the fruit I got the seeds from it will make a good rootstock for the type of fruit that the seed came from and can be used to graft onto. I have some native plums that I am going to graft onto. If I use seed from the peaches and nectarines I am going to graft onto it I could very well end up with more native plums.

Elin I tried to airlayer this summer but I did not have any of them work. I have been told that it can be done but it didn't work for me.

Hi Swizzle, thank you for this post.  PM sent. 

BTW, I lived in Colorado as well.  Our oldest son was born in CO while I was going to grad school out there.

Thanks all. I think that I will try to grow at least one Apricot from SEED.
When I first moved to NJ, I did buy some-each drupe (stone) fruit trees.
They all produced fruit for a year (or 2,3); but they all eventually died
mostly b/c of some worm-[borer/cutter] at the base just below soil level
- including my loved Stella sour cherry.

I'm in Maine as well, and have been growing a few little apricot trees as well; no fruit yet from my 'Tomcots' and 'Briannas'.  I know they are a crapshoot up here in z5.   So, it's nice to hear your success!   I have starting picking our earliest ripening plums- another stone fruit treat- and I've noticed that one Japanese-American hybrid called 'Underwood' has some nice apricot characteristics.  Seems like a good year for the stone fruit up heah.

Apricots are very hit and miss in every zone in my opinion. Being very early to bloom they are often hit by late cold spells, so it's not just a warmer zone but how fluctuating your spring weather happens to be. I grow 3 cultivars and had pretty good bloom on and got a freeze, so I have no fruit. If you guys get a bum tasting seedling PM me in winter for scion

APRICOTS


           

MY apricot lost its buds due to a late frost again this spring . three yrs ago I got about a dozen tasty fruit . yum

Great fruit
Apricot are my Favorited too especially if let to fully ripen on the tree.

I grow them in a pot and get about 20 from a 8 gallon pot.