I have a Morden 604? that's dead. I'm going to use it to support a Cup and Saucer vine. It was supposed to be hardy for zone 3a. The previous owner reported that fruiting was spotty. Generally, the problem is early bloom and frost.

In Edmonton there are a couple mature apricots in a boulevard planting that seem completely hardy. My undertanding is that there are good hardy varieties, but as mentioned above they bloom very early so buds are easily lost to a late freeze and they only bear fruit roughly one year out of five in Edmonton.

I have a friend in Lloydminster who says his neighbor has one that does very well. He bought one to try but the dog chewed it down, it is coming back but hasn't bloomed yet.

We had a lady on our garden tour several years ago that had a very healthy apricot tree that produced a lot of fruit. This was in a Winnipeg garden. I can't help you with the name or variety.

I have much information from Bob Purivis the President of the NAFEX apricot interest group that Westcot is zone 3 hardy. That is what I would start with. Manchurian rootstock would help as Manchurians are zone 3 hardy also. I understand rootstock can be the weak link in zone 3 trees grafted onto the widely available zone 4 or less rootstocks and people can't figure out why the tree died but I live in Minnesota so this is all from the word of others.

This is a little tree, grafted to plum root stock, the scion came from the City of Edmonton boulevard planting, Capilano area.

Fruited in the 3rd. season.

{{gwi:58784}}

Konrad

Konard- you are simply amazing!! That looks delicious. Is it near the house for protection? Did the ones (trees) in the city do as well? Did you have to winter protect, stake etc?
Your orchards are so great to see. Wish I lived closer to be able to take them in, and enjoy Take care Lois.

Konrad, what is the fruit quality of that apricot? It definitely looks like a vigorous growing tree!

Terry

Thank you all!

This tree is not around anymore, I have killed it from a transplanting shock.
I live on a slope in Beaumont, on the bottom of the hill it might have gotten frost damage on the buds, the tree was about 20 yards from the house without any protection. Out of town on the acreage it has less of a chance in setting any fruits. The fruits tasted as good as strore bought.

The tree in the city had tons of fruits, but it was a exceptional year, ..about one out of 5 or 7 in average when everything comes together just right....like mild winter with no frost freeze of flower buds etc.
I picked up allot of seeds late in the season from the city tree and now
I have put in about 100 seedling trees, not expecting fruits but hopefully get some early pollen for my honey bees.

Konrad, thanks for your input here,
I tried grafting some apples for the first time last year,
then we got that late snowstorm, and only about 10% took.
It had nothing to do with my technique, it was the snow, honest.
I think I will try chip budding this year.

Apricots - I noticed a new variety in the 2011 T&T catalogue.
They are called 'manchurian apricot select', and are supposed to be quite hardy.
These might be worth a try in your zone.

Nice looking plant Konrad. Sorry it died. I have a Prunus armeniaca var. mandshurica seedling from fruit collected at Olds College in Olds Alberta in 1980 or 81. I started out with 5 or 6 plants but ended up with one survivor. That tree is now about 12 ft tall and partially healthy as it is in a very tough growing area. We have had one batch of fruit enough for jam once. The problem is 3 fold. Early bloom is always an issue since the blossoms can get frozen so easily. The second issue for me is no pollinator nearby. I have an acquaintance in Saskatoon who has a relatively young tree which has given fruit but she has the same problem and we intended to trade blooming branches last spring but did not get it done. I would like to graft from her tree onto mine with one branch and see how that might help. The fruit was of good flavour especially for jam. A little tart and quite unlike the commercials. If you can provide somewhat of a micro climate any of the ones out of the more Northern Nurseries should work. They do take time to get to producing age and you should have 2 for best fruit set. I suspect some kind of early insect control would help as they are so early but the bugs are still there!

t&t? I'm looking for the manchurian apricot select for a (very) protected microclimate.

My grandparents lived in a small town near Brooks, AB, and had a fine grove of apricots that fruited every year. My mother told me that my grandmother grew the plants from pits she had collected from Ontario when she went there on a trip. When their estate was sold, I'd say that the trees were about 40 years old.

Manchurian apricots have a tough time surviving zone 3. I've had them killed by summer flooding, mice, rabbits and plain old winter. It helps to keep rodents away with fencing, dogs, cats and raptors. Try not to water much after August to let growth harden. Provide a windbreak.

Also, Nanking cherries, which are very hardy, can both provide a windbreak and pollination for Manchurian apricot.

T&T Seeds often sells Manchurian apricot seedlings at good prices. If you have the space and some patience you can also grow them from seed or cuttings. That way you can have an orchard for the price of a few seedlings. It takes 4 years to go from seeds to fruit. I've done it both ways on two properties. It's worthwhile. Don't forget to provide nests for the wild bees. They love all kinds of spring-flowering trees and shrubs. https://www.treeshrubseeds.com/mobile/specieslist?id=33&ID2=0

Robert - does " pollination for Manchurian apricot " produce more Manchurian Apricot fruits? Look Like I have to get the seed due to situation I can't find the plant in Canada.

I've read that cross-pollination is better but I haven't asked the bees where they've been. I have a neighbour who has a number of fruit trees but I don't know his inventory. Mine are still young and growing so pollination should be improving. Unfortunately a late frost killed off all of my flowers this year north of Winnipeg. Neither my plums nor apricots are bearing fruit. T&T Seeds is out of stock but Hardy Fruit Trees sells both spring and fall delivery. "The order period runs from August to May of the following year. The best time to place an order is in early August. At checkout, you will have the possibility to select either a Fall or Spring delivery.". A seedling from them could get you fruit a year earlier than starting your own seed. You could obtain seedlings in the fall, chill them a few months and grow indoors under lights early in 2021. See http://hardyfruittrees.ca/catalog/other-fruits/manchurian-apricot-zone-3a

Thanks for the quick reply! I have crimson passion, Romeo Cherry tree, Boreal Beauty, beast Haskap, Thiessen Saskatoon and trying to get Martin Saskatoon. It hard for me to grow two Manchurian Apricots tree do to my back yard size. Can't plant any big tree in front of my house due to so many utility running across. Been driving around Calgary to find the the Plant (most garden store can't pick the phone due to situations) and was told to head west(BC) but there still a small possibility(pandemic paranoia) my tired slash and windows smash due to my Alberta plate. Going to visit last two local garden store today to see if they have it.