Apricot trees in Sydney? (forum)

Natalie starts with ...
Hi everyone. I have a small courtyard with garden beds and a cleared front garden ready for planting (south facing). Does Sydney provide enough chill for apricots? And, how tall do they grow? Can they be dwarved or grown in pots as well as in garden beds?
Happy growing, Natalie

Time: 4th August 2009 2:40pm

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About the Author Natalie
Inner West, Sydney
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HappyEarth says...
There are a few low chill varieties available like daleys 'glengarry' that will fruit. In general they get to be about 4m x 4m but you can prune them to keep them smaller.

Rich
www.happyearth.com.au

Time: 4th August 2009 3:22pm

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About the Author HappyEarth
Wollongong
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kert says...
My experience with Glengarry is that they are small, disease prone fruit(shot hole) that taste bad . And that's the good part .

Time: 8th August 2009 9:02am

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amanda says...
I had a glengarry and a newcastle - one died and the other gets shothole too. It's been a contrary plant to get going..just flowering this year (3rd year) but still less than metre tall. I will perservere just for the taste of a 'real' apricot! My dad has trevatts and they are loved by his whole neighbourhood!

Time: 8th August 2009 9:11am

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About the Author amanda19
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HappyEarth says...
I have a divinity growing which I planted last winter and ive already pruned it three times and its still 2.5m tall! Besides the panama berry its been the fastest growing tree ive planted. I just hope it gets enough winter chill to flower - fingers crossed :)

Rich
www.happyearth.com.au

Time: 8th August 2009 10:18am

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Wollongong
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amanda says...
Hi HappyEarth - divinity sounds promising - please let us know how it goes when the time comes? (and what it tastes like!)

Time: 9th August 2009 9:38am

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HappyEarth says...
Will do ... I planted it with my young niece and its kind of her tree now - I hope it flowers and fruits because there is little chance of me digging it out now :)

Time: 9th August 2009 1:19pm

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About the Author HappyEarth
Wollongong
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amanda says...
Crikey HappyEarth ... that's dangerous!!!? If it doesn't fruit I suggest u buy some fruit from the shop...stick em onto the tree and just "pretend" until she's a bit older!! Littlies take this "stuff" very seriously! .. (plus it's fun!) :))

My 5 yr old daughters tree is a poincianca - and it's the most beautiful/perfect tree in our whole garden...

Time: 9th August 2009 8:45pm

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About the Author amanda19
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Natalie says...
Hi Happy Earth, Amanda and Kert,

Thanks for your down to earth (he he) feedback. Kert, the Glengarry does not sound promising at all! Divinity sounds a goer as its growing near by in Wollongong. This has been very helpful advice - thanks everyone. Will put some pictures up of my spindly dwarf lime when I find my digital camera. All the best,

Natalie

Time: 14th August 2009 11:43am

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About the Author Natalie
InnerWest Sydney
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HappyEarth says...
Hi Natalie, Im stil hoping my divinity apricot tree will fruit - there is a chance that we may not get the winter chill for it to fruit properly. Ill let you know :)

Rich
www.happyearth.com.au

Time: 14th August 2009 11:53am

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About the Author HappyEarth
Wollongong
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Natalie says...
Hi Rich,

I look forward with much interest as to whether your Divinity apricot fruits.

Today I have been digging over the front garden and adding gypsum for breaking up clay. This arvo the shrubs/small decorative trees will go in as I am tired of the empty space. (I can plant some small fruit trees later - gardens can be changed!)
Cheers,

Natalie

Time: 16th August 2009 1:07pm

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About the Author Natalie
InnerWest Sydney
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Tara says...
We grew an apricot tree at Kundabung which I think was either a glengarry or bentley. It was delicious. We purchased some of the anti fruit fly fabric and made some sleeves which we slipped over the fruiting branches and then tied the ends off. This successfully protected the fruit from birds, bats and fruit flies. Another bonus we noticed was that if it rained a lot, the bags prevented the fruit from splitting and pitting. We had just sold this property and will miss our delicious unsprayed apricots.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1
Picture: 2

Time: 6th September 2009 9:17am

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HappyEarth says...
Those apricots look absolutly delicious Tara .. its always hard leaving fruit trees behind!

BTW, my divinity apricot tree is flowering at the moment - there is as many flowers as there are leaf shoots (not sure if this is normal) and mostly at the ends of last seasons growth. Hopefully, ill get a few apricots to follow :)

Rich
www.happyearth.com.au

Time: 7th September 2009 5:26pm

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About the Author HappyEarth
Wollongong
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Jimmy says...
me jealous, my Newcastle flowered this week for the first time.

Time: 8th September 2009 3:05pm

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shelley says...
I've been growing an early divity for about 6 years, flowered the last 3 years
finally set fruit last year, all dropped off as tiny 4mm green nuggets.
Tree itself is magnificent. Last chance this year, and I'm not hopefull as we didnt get any frosts. Heard about a new low chill, 450 hrs variety called Fireball, good colour and flavour. You could only hope!

Time: 12th August 2011 12:14am

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About the Author shelley2
gerringong
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Viva says...
I bought a multi-fruit tree with peach, nectarine and apricot brances grafted onto it. The peach and nectarine have set fruit, but the apricot had a few flowers on it that then dropped off. I'm looking at this blog and getting the impression that it will probably never fruit as the CC is even warmer than Sydney. I'm wondering whether it might be a good idea to prune it off and let the goodness go to the other fruit. What do you think?

Time: 4th September 2011 11:19am

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About the Author Viva
Central Coast NSW
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MaryT says...
Not sure about the Central Coast but I've tasted a beautiful apricot from a tree in Lane Cove (Sydney).

Time: 7th September 2011 3:32pm

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About the Author MaryT
Sydney
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Chris says...
Apricots do crop in Sydney, provided you are not right on the coast. Biggest issue is fruit fly. The blighters have gotten worse here in recent times.

Time: 7th September 2011 10:18pm

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About the Author Chris
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MaryT says...
I had apricots in the Cinque Terre, Italy right off a tree on the cliffs by the sea and they were delicious but the owner did say that they only crop well every other year.

Time: 8th September 2011 7:52am

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amanda says...
Nice one MaryT - aren't the Italians good growers too!? :) My tree is happy enuf and flowers well (and we are right on the coast) - but I never get fruit here - it's a Glengarry and I think it's too warm for it.

Time: 8th September 2011 8:58pm

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About the Author amanda19
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amanda says...
PS - this is our position to the coast...(finally got a pic!)

(It's for sale BTW...hehe ;)
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 8th September 2011 9:04pm

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MaryT says...
Wow that is a lot of land by the sea Amanda! My property measures 196 sqm hahaha. Yes the Italians use every bit of the land, even go so far as ABSEILING down the cliff to grow and harvest - how about that? Their eyes bulges when told about our million acres properties here.

Time: 9th September 2011 9:32am

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MaryT says...
Photo of Apricots by the sea
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 9th September 2011 9:37am

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MaryT says...
Speaking of "chill", can someone tell me what temperature that would be?

Time: 9th September 2011 10:08am

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MaryT says...
Found it; "chill" = under 7 degrees C

Time: 9th September 2011 12:08pm

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Kazzygirl says...
I grew up around Windsor NSW and we had 2 apricot trees that fruited so well there was enough left over to give away after making jam and just eating them off the tree.
We also had blood and Narrabeen plums and so many different peaches that fruited at varying times that my father and his father had grafted onto about 4 trees not to mention so many citrus.
I recently finished pruning what remains of these fruit trees and an old Isabella grape that must now be over 90yrs old for my 86yr old father as he can no longer climb too high on the ladder.
If these trees can survive this long maybe you can grow good apricots in Sydney Natalie

Time: 11th September 2011 4:20pm

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ron70 says...
There are a few varieties of what I would call "medium chill" apricots, like bullidha, storey, priana, ferriana, franchesco etc which should (depending on the season among other factors, otherwise they would not be apricots would they) fruit fine in Sydney, but the work on true low chill apricots is still happening. I am breeding them and have low chill just waiting on the eating quality......
I do not know of any dwarfing varieties so you will be pruning your apricots for a while yet, I will get to work on that too!

Time: 11th September 2011 11:23pm

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About the Author ron70
Western Australia
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Senecio says...
I live in western Sydney. I've had my apricot tree for nearly 5 years now. It grew fast and is around 4 metres in height, but it only gave me 1 fruit within that timeframe. It also doesn't bloom much, just a few flowers here and there - unlike my plum tree that produces extravagant flowers in August.

There's this Arabic idiom that goes like "tomorrow when the apricots bloom" (which has the same sense as the English "when pigs will fly"). Because in places like Egypt and Palestine, apricots don't bloom much and therefore do not set fruit that much. So I can now totally see where that idiom comes from, as my apricot has only produced 1 fruit in the past 5 years.

Time: 21st August 2023 12:00am

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About the Author Senecio
SMITHFIELD,2164,NSW
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Maali says...
HI Senecio, where in Western Sydney? I'm in Blacktown area and have 2 apricots. 1 Bentley from Daleys has produced 7 - 8 fruits in 1st year. It's in a very windy and exposed position. Given the growth pattern, I'm very hopeful it'll produce much better next year.

I also have a Moorpark variety (from Bunnings) but in a protected spot. Very vigorous growth and produced some flowers with no fruit set. I'll see how it goes next year.

Which variety do you have? Maybe try planting different varieties and see which one works.

Time: 15th November 2023 1:00pm

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About the Author Maali
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QRcode says...
Fireball fruits for me without much of a cross pollinator. But even though it is on dwarf rootstock, it is a pretty tall tree.
I have a Divinity also, but it is newly planted so has only a solitary fruit.

Time: 18th November 2023 4:14pm

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Original Post was last edited: 18th November 2023 4:18pm
About the Author QRcode
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