Hunza Apricots

I live in Las Vegas, NM where the Great Plains meet the Sangre de Cristos.

Apricots grow well here. But they don't fruit well. Late frosts mean that standard apricot varieties will bear fruit maybe one year out of 5.

So I want to try growing a Hunza apricot. I figure if they can make it and be fruitful in the Himalayan foothills, they should do OK here also.

But I am having a rough time finding a source for Hunza apricot saplings. Anyone know of a source?

Raintree Nursery (raintreenursery.com) in Morton, WA, carries Hunza Apricots on Citation rootstock for $26.50 each. The Hunza cultivar is known for its edible kernel, which is a source of vegetable oil for the Hunza people in northern Pakistan, as well as being a strong anti-cancer medicine. According to the Raintree catalog, Hunza is "not likely to produce well in cool maritime summers", but perhaps it will do better in your area. I also have bad luck with my Apricot trees here in Oregon. I'm interested in growing Chinese Sweet Pit (also known as Mormon or Chinese Golden) Apricots from seed, as the same catalog states that this cultivar is late blooming "making it an excellent choice for higher elevations or late frost areas". Anyone out there have any experience or any seeds of this cultivar?

peachlovingman wrote:
Raintree Nursery (raintreenursery.com) in Morton, WA, carries Hunza Apricots on Citation rootstock for $26.50 each. ?

I thought so, but I visited their website and the hunza apricot is no longer listed there. I have e-mailed their customer service department for clarification.

I planted both the Hunza and Chinese Sweet Pit type apricots from Raintree this spring.  Once their stock is out for the season, they don't appear anymore on the website.  It should show back up in the fall as they get ready for the 2012 season.

Raintree's customer service notified me that they're out and won't have more in stock until February 2012.

if you are any good at grafting, I can try and send you some material if my tree takes off.

It's a good size tree, about 5' of growth with a good branching structure so it should have plenty of buds to work with if it likes my soil.