Prunus armeniaca 'HARCOT'

Harcot is a Canadian breeding of apricots made by Richard Layne from Harrow in Ontario. It is a very hardy and tasty apricot variety from 1978. The fruit is medium-sized with orange and red skin, ripening from late July. The flesh is sweet and juicy, freestone, and the stones have sweet kernels. Fruit is great for fresh consumption and fresh market sale as well as processing. It cannot be stored and suffers during long transport. It is self-fertile (needs no other tree to pollinate its flowers), disease resistant, and very productive.

Apricot trees are best with no pruning. Still, if you need to cut it do so after flowering when leaves are borne, or immediately after harvest. This way it will have enough time to produce new twigs and flower buds for the following year. Apricot trees often suffer from monilia disease manifesting in black twigs which should be treated without delay, otherwise the whole tree can be infected quickly and die soon.

The tree has strong vigour. It is frost and drought resistant. It needs a sunny and warm place sheltered from strong winds, and good, humus-rich soil. Harcot is very hardy, its flowers withstand -27.6°C (USDA zone 5b) before they show frost damage, and branches are hardy to -34°C (USDA zone 4).

Last update 21-01-2017