Low Chill Apricot Variety Availabilty (forum)

Apparo starts with ...
I've wanted to get myself an apricot tree or two for some time but being a Perthite I thought it best to look into low chill varieties; the Department of Agriculture lists the Perth coastal plain as having around 300 chill hours per year. Plantnet list Perth as 500 "hours", rather hopeful I think.

After tralling the net this is what I've found about chill hours for Australian apricot varieties:

Blenheim - 400 hours;
Fireball - 450 hours;
Builda - 500 hours;
Bently - 500 hours;
Daley's Low-Chill Seed Grown - unknown hours

I haven't been able to find anything about Divinity or Newcastle - does anyone know how many hours these need or what sort of fruit they produce?

But during my research I found some American varieties that seem to be truly low chill. These include:
Gold Kist - 300 hours
Flavor Delight - 300 hours (technically an aprium)
Cot-N-Candy - 300 hours (as above)
Katy - 350 hours

Does anyone know if any of these varieties are available in Australia or if they'll be released here soon? Any information about the quality of any of the Apricots mentioned would also be appreciated.


Time: 20th November 2014 3:40am

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About the Author Apparo
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denise1 says...
300 and 350 is very close to hardly make a difference as each cultivar may be variable in other requirements. If you are keen and have the room, plant one of each. If you are skilled you can graft several on one tree. Hopefully someone in Perth will answer about their experience

Time: 20th November 2014 6:37am

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About the Author denise1
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VF says...
Cot-n-candy is available in Australia, is distributed by Flemming's. I'm awaiting my first crop to ripen so can't say first hand anything about taste yet, but supposedly very good; it seems to be a reasonable self-pollinator so no need for a second tree.

Whatever you get, just check if it needs a pollinator. Fireball does, don't know about the others you listed.

Time: 20th November 2014 6:53am

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About the Author VF
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Don C says...
From memory, when I lived in Booragoon we had a Newcastle apricot. It fruited, but due to the fruit fly and the rats living in neighbouring cocos palms, we cut it down.

Time: 20th November 2014 8:24am

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About the Author Don C
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Julie 1 says...
The old Newcastle early is the BEST tasting apricot! It makes fantastic jam.

It will fruit in Perth, but may be hard to find. The fruit is relatively small compared to other varieties, and people expect larger fruit these days.

I would rather have quality than quantity any day!

Time: 20th November 2014 10:59am

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About the Author Julie
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Apparo says...
Thanks for responding everyone.

It seems I'll have to look into Newcastle early - I haven't seen it at an nursery I've been to but I'll hunt around. After some more searching it looks like it only needs around 300 chill hours which is ideal. ( http://homeguides.sfgate.com/chill-requirements-apricot-trees-57693.html )

VF - I didn't know that Cot N Candy was available here. I look forward to your findings when it fruits. I have heard that its fruit is good but the tree is a little unusual because the fruit are not very sweet until they fully ripen and then they fall off the tree within a day. Some growers on Gardenweb say that they put up nets or foam below the tree to catch falling fruit and collect them in the morning. Even then they can be green and take a few days to ripen up. (see http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg072224117454.html ) Even so that sweet apricot taste has got to be worth the trouble of an idiosyncratic tree.

Time: 20th November 2014 8:54pm

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Markmelb says...
I put Cot n candy on my plumcot last year and from that twig have at least 15 fruit to try soon - lovely Apricot leaves - the fruit has a lovely red blush that is slightly furry - not smooth like a plum - that plumcot has taken 6 other plums and 3 prunes as well - cant wait to try shropshire damson - just love that name ;)

Time: 20th November 2014 9:20pm

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Apparo says...
That's one productive little twig Mark. I'd love to hear your report when the fruit is ready.

Time: 21st November 2014 1:20pm

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Don C says...
I bought a Newcastle Early from Yalca fruit trees this year. Daleys don't stock it (nor do most other places). I'm not sure that they can send to WA though, and they may not be sending stuff out again until next winter. From memory when in Booragoon, I bought the Newcastle from Dawsons on South Street.

Time: 22nd November 2014 7:43am

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Chris says...
Cot n candy is a hybrid. Not a true apricot though appears like one.

Time: 22nd November 2014 10:20am

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Tommoz says...
Cot-n-candy is not just an aprium but a white aprium. I calculated the ancestry as 84% apricot, 16% plum. Patent lists Tri-gems, Modesto apricots and Splash pluot among others as parents. Claims uniform ripening but a reported problem on forums is the fruit drop. https://www.google.com/patents/USPP17827?dq=cot+n+candy&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1uNvVLyTGOLsmAWK2YCACg&ved=0CB8Q6AEwAA

The best low chill apricot is the Kingston Royal (allegedly), a selection of Royal/Blenheim from Kangaroo Island. I've just had no luck with grafting it so I can't report back. Peter on the forum has it though.

Time: 22nd November 2014 12:33pm

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Markmelb says...
Heres a pic of my Cot n candy - I counted 13 on 2 branches 16 months after grafting - none if any fruit fall either - not like the stupid plumcot it grafted on - never got mor than 8 off it ever
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 22nd November 2014 2:32pm

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Tommoz says...
Is the plumcot Spring Satin? Dark Skin? That's the one I got, hopefully I'll have better luck.

Time: 22nd November 2014 4:01pm

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Markmelb says...
It was a 2002 Flemings plumcot - their first i think and no particular name to it - even they said now wasnt a good bearer as it flowers too early for mariposa - but are Dark and sweet with slight apricot hint - darn good in jam - so the multigrafting was my best way to improve it :)

Time: 22nd November 2014 4:39pm

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Tommoz says...
Yeah Mariposa is a late bloomer. Maybe pollination was the issue. Early bloomers include Flavour Supreme and Flavour Rouge pluot and Spring Satin plumcot might overlap better.

Time: 22nd November 2014 4:48pm

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Markmelb says...
I will have to note those for grafting next winter - i have a couple watershoots Im training now


Time: 22nd November 2014 5:03pm

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VF says...
Have picked all the Cot-n-candy the last week. Fruit drop hasn't been an issue at all. Biggest problem has been ants- they love them, and start eating them as soon as they sweeten. Have also had fruit split with rain (not a problem with my peaches though). Flavor is good to really good depending on ripeness: have eaten several greenish ones which are reminiscent of plum in flavor, the few that have ripened to orange are very soft and taste like a decent apricot with a hint of something else. Looking forward to next year, but with ant barrier in place!

Time: 7th December 2014 10:04pm

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About the Author VF
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The poster formerly known as... says...
VF - what sort of chill do you get down there? I thought Cot-n-candy needed quite a bit?

Time: 8th December 2014 9:47am

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About the Author Theposterformerlyknownas
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VF says...
BJ, to be honest, I don't know. It never got below 7c this past winter, and only got to 7c maybe 15-16 nights. But chill apparently starts acummulating below 13c, and many nights were 10-12c. As a rough calculation maybe 300-350hrs tops? As for C-n-C, the chill has been revised a few times since it's release, and now it's being promoted as less than 400hrs - this seems to be true. (But I do have lower day temps than Brissie, stops negating of chill so that works in my favour.)

BTW, all plants received from you so generously, are growing well. ☺

Time: 9th December 2014 6:12am

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sandy31 says...
Guys i have a C-n-C,and i live in western syd, we get some 500 chill hours.
The C-n-C, is only 1 yr old in ground and produces some 10-12 fruits, but i thinned them all in order to make better structure in first year.
I am looking for a Pluot scion wood Does any one have any Pluot tree and willing to spare me some scion wood. I am happy to pay for the shipping.


Time: 21st January 2015 3:46pm

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About the Author sandy31
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Waterfall says...
Hi Guys,

Can anyone tell me when Cot n Candy sets fruit and when they are ripe to pick?

I want to plant one on the south side of my house and this spot only gets sun from the start of spring to around mid March.

Cheers.

Time: 21st June 2015 5:16pm

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About the Author Waterfall
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Markmelb says...
Just do it - great tasting fruit - Im sure to get lots more this year - and they an are early ripening around week or so before Xmas.In fact i will graft another branch or two they are so good - I thing even better tasting than a Peach or Plum.Also want to make jam from it also :)

Time: 21st June 2015 6:09pm

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About the Author Markmelb
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Waterfall says...
Thanks Mark, sounds perfect as they will be picked before the spot loses its sun.

Do you grow the spicezee nectraplum too? I'm wondering when they ripen as well.

Time: 21st June 2015 6:45pm

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About the Author Waterfall
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Markmelb says...
I have a dwarf Nectazee type - its very slow growing and because its so low to the ground is hard to protect the fruit - CC is on an early non productive Flemings Plumcot and this has alot more of those huge beauties due to my grafting - they make great Jam :)

Time: 21st June 2015 7:01pm

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Chris says...
The problem up here is fruit fly.
I pulled my CC out. They are not on dwarfing rootstock and I found if you keep pruning to keep it to a decent size to net, you ended up with very little fruit as it bears on older wood.

Time: 21st June 2015 10:35pm

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About the Author Chris
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Markmelb says...
Chris - Im interested to see what happens this year as the grafted CC has grown very well and quite precosiously but it seems to me the spurs they fruited on have grown bigger with more buds and look like fruiting on same wood again - will take a pic in next few days and see if same as yours?

Time: 21st June 2015 11:31pm

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Waterfall says...
I bought myself a cot n candy yesterday, the tag says it grows to around 4m tall/wide but I believe this is in 20 years so I'd consider it semi-dwarf at least.

Planting it involved moving 2 established fruit trees but they were in less than ideal positions so it had to be done anyway.

Time: 25th June 2015 11:31am

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Chris says...
It is not the mature height that is the problem. You just can't prune it back to a contained size every year like peach/nectarines and expect fruit.

Time: 25th June 2015 1:41pm

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Waterfall says...
but you can prune back some of the vegetative growth as long as you leave the fruiting spurs. Agreed its not as easy as those trees which fruit on 1 year old wood.

Time: 25th June 2015 2:21pm

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Markmelb says...
Waterfall - just took a photo of my Cotton Candy spurs - it is more like a plum in that way so you can I feel keep it short - im going to have to on this branch as its growing amazingly well.
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 25th June 2015 6:15pm

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Waterfall says...
I guess I won't get any this summer but I will have a few spicezee nectra-plums to try which are meant to be very nice according to the reviews from the USA.

Time: 25th June 2015 8:50pm

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About the Author Waterfall
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Waterfall says...
A little over 4 years now with this cotton candy and we have only got a total of 3 fruits off it. Lots of flowers each year and very little fruit set and then what does set mostly drops off.

Should I graft another pollinator onto it or just cut my losses and plant something else?

Time: 10th November 2019 2:54pm

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