Quote: Originally Posted by akrouus
nice thread. thanks all for the inputs
Gary, i think you might have nailed it. i searched and my blenheim apricot requires 400 chill hrs below 45 degrees. I am in LA, its probably not getting those hours. anyone have a good site for searching chill hrs by zip code?
For the chill hours calculator : http://getchill.net/ open the Wunderground link on that page in a new tab, find an official weather station near your house, type the station name into the spot on the getchill.net page, select a time period on the calendar (they recommend Nov to Feb, but in TX we can have cold randomly/easily from October 1 to May 1), then hit calculate... it will take a minute or two for the results to tally, the progress bar should move slowly.
In my case I researched through the Texas A&M website for recommended varieties for my area, with an eye towards late blooming fruit trees due to our crazy last minute freezes into April at times, varieties that were Self-fruitful, and varieties that paired specifically with other varieties who bloomed at the same time (as a production boost for both self-fruitful varieties). Otherwise you have two healthy fruit trees that want to go on a date to do some "pollinating", yet each show up to the Lover's Lookout a few weeks apart, thus no fruit babies get made :)
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut/
http://harris.agrilife.org/files/2011/05/fruitnut.pdf
Use this link to find the low chill/climate appropriate varieties. I would imagine a university in your region has a similar "recommended fruit" list for your climate.
Using these resources I selected/planted Harvester, Ranger, Elberta, Red Globe, and another peach which I can't remember. Had to thin the first couple years as the trees weren't ready to grow that much fruit, but still got some peaches to eat each year.
Best of luck this year !
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