Sunday, June 02, 2013

Apricot Nectarine Peach Fruit Cocktail Tree

We planted the Apricot/Nectarine/Peach Fruit Cocktail tree yesterday June 1, 2013. It's about 4 feet tall:


It's originally from Dave Wilson Nursery but bought from Tropica Mango Nursery. This fruit cocktail tree holds a Blenheim (Royal) Apricot, a Babcock Peach, and a Fantasia Nectarine on a Nemaguard Peach Rootstock:

For nectarines, apricots, plums, peaches, almonds. Vigorous, resistance to root-knot nematode, an excellent rootstock for well-drained soils. In slower draining soils plant on mound or berm. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 15-25 feet. Trees on Nemaguard may be held to any desired height by summer pruning.

For easy care and harvest, the tree may be kept under 10 feet high by summer pruning.

Blenheim (Royal) Apricot


All-purpose freestone, low-acide, sweet, aromatic, flavorful. Long-time No. 1 apricot in CA. Early bloom. Late June harvest in Central CA. 400 hours or less below 45 degrees F. Self-fruitful. USDA Zones 7-8. Used for canning, cooking, drying and fresh-eating. Biggest crops when bloom occurs during mild weather.

The Blenheim and Royal (from France), originally thought to be different varieties, were regarded as practically identical by 1921.

Babcock White Peach


The most popular white-fleshed peach. Medium to large freestone with tantalizing aroma, smooth, mild flavor and juicy, candy-like sweetness. Very attractive fruit with light red blush over creamy white skin.

Low chilling requirement, yet not early blooming - adapted to mild-winter and moderate-winter climates. Estimated winter chilling requirement: 200 hours below 45 degrees. Self-fruitful. Ripens mid-July in Central CA.

The original Babcock was an F2 seedling from a cross of Strawberry and Peento peaches from Berkeley, California. Introduced in 1933.

Fantasia Nectarine


Popular yellow freestone. Very large fruit with full, rich nectarine flavor. Highly regarded at fruit tastings. Tangy when firm-ripe, sweetest when soft-ripe.

Large showy blossoms are pink with red center. Ripens late July early August in CA.

Moderate winter chilling requirement: about 400 hours below 45 degrees. Self-fruitful.

30 September 2014 Update



I'm please that I'm keeping a journal of how the orchard is growing. In the 16 months since this tree was planted I can now see progress. When you watch a tree day to day, week to week, month to month you can't see any changes.

Shortly after planting the tree all the leaves fell off the apricot graft and we thought that we'd lost that graft. In the spring it bounced back and those long branches you can see are from the apricot.

All 3 grafts flowered. Only the peach set fruit and we had about 15 small peaches. Insects or birds got to parts of them. We did get to eat a few of them and they were delicious.


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