Those comments are completely accurate, and it tastes fantastic to boot. Unfortunately it also is unproductive, soft, with chewy skin, prone to rot, and the skin gets cat facing/scarring on it most years. I like it enough that I kept it this winter while I chopped out about half of my apricot varieties, but its probably not going to stay around forever.

The NJ folks used Zard in breeding of Jerseycot for the reason it caught your eye. Unfortunately I didn't find Jerseycot as late blooming or high brix (or as tasty for that matter) as Zard.

Scott

Thanks Scott, I knew I could count on you. Where did you get the wood? I'm going to start trying harder to graft stone fruit.

I think I got it from a CRFG swap, they have great stone fruits there. Lets trade in a month or so and I can include some Zard for you if you want. Stone fruits are not that hard to graft if you wait for highs in 70's or low 80's forecast for a stretch and make several grafts of each variety since the % takes is never as good.

Scott

Scott, yeah, I think my problem is I've been grafting at the same time as pears and apples which do much better for me if I get it done just as they first bud out or even a week or so before. The weather is not usually warm at this time.

Apples get really slowed down by leafhoppers when grafted late here unless I'm all over them with pesticide. I also believe the if they start growing during the apples and pears big first growth surge they benefit from the overall vigor of the tree. Peaches and J. plums are indeterminate growers, so it shouldn't be an issue with them. Also leafhoppers pretty much leave them alone.

I usually cut my grafting wood as late as possible, but I will cut some for you any time you want it. At least from trees on my own property.

I should mention that Harrow Sweet made me almost no new graft wood this last season- the best section broke off in our Oct snow and I didn't think to store it. However, I can take some wood off the trees I have coming from Adams if you like, but they won't be coming until the end of March.

I have Harrow Sweet, but ACN sent me a stick last year (with no roots) and it was very slow to grow. It did put on some growth later in summer. Next year I should have a lot of wood.

I absolutely never get good growth from pears the first season from the nursery- whether they have size or not. They have horrible roots for transplanting.

Scott,

I've seen you recommend Zard before.

The article Hman linked states it blooms about the time of peaches. Is that your experience as well?

Also do you know if it requires a pollenizer? If it blooms as late as they say, I assume it would be self-fertile since normal apricots bloom earlier.

Olpea, for me its a week after the other apricots, that I paid pretty close attention to. I don't have good bloom times recorded but my memory is the peaches are about a week after Zard.

Most apricots are self-fertile and I expect Zard is as well, but there are a few that are not.

I think before I was recommending it for flavor and reliability, but it does have all the problems above and may be hard to market since the skin has a tendency to catface.

Scott

Thanks Scott,

It's probably no good for me. I really need something that blooms with peaches or later.

Just curious, what is causing the catfacing on this cultivar?

The stone fruit clearly like the warmer temps while callusing in.
I did a bunch of bench grafts of apricot this spring, and then held them at around 70+ for a week (as advised by another). It seemed terribly wrong to let everything start breaking dormancy, but I got 10 of 10 to take.
I think my hard time with cherries in the past has been grafting too soon...with pear and apple.

Scott, if I understand H-man's comment right your looking for Harrow Sweet?
I am pretty sure I have at least some small caliper and possibly a heavy piece....should I check?
I got mine from Bob Purvis a few years back I am sure he has some as well, but you have to pay a few bucks.

Olpea, I have never understood what causes catfacing. It may be related to something I am spraying but I think it is just an environmental response to fruit water levels changing -- it looks like the outer skin is stretching too much in spots.

Rob, thanks for the offer. I am doubting I have room for that one at this point but I haven't made my final plans yet.

Scott

I got some Zard scions last spring and found them to be rather easy to graft. I'm in Zone 5B. I've found when it comes to stone fruit get a late bloomers and a cold hardy variety. The guy I got the scions from told me it's a very good bet to have fruit . I've got most the the cold hardy and late blooming apricots. We'll see how it goes. I'm trying to figure out the varieties that bloom at the same time so I graft them together.

@Paul Eckerson How would you recommend grafting dormant apricot scions? What did you do? I've successfully grafted a couple dozen other species but my limited attempts with apricots didn't succeed.