This is my multi-graft plum. It has Santa Rosa, Satsuma, and Shiro. I had it for three nlooming seasons. Despite of having plenty of pollinators, pluerries, pluots, and plums, all three grafts only produced a maximum of seven fruits. So this year, since it’s in a pot, I placed it next to my apricot and it appears that shiro has the most fruit set, which has never happened. This means it crossed pollinated with the apricot.
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I like it!
Shiro is a champion here and apricots are really difficult here in the PNwet. Way easier on the dry side. I like apricots but pluot is as close as I would try, unless this one works out well. Thanks for posting about that.
John S
PDX OR
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My apricots are not near Shiro. My Satsuma is next to Shiro. Several years ago, I only had two J plums, Shiro and Satsuma. They have cross pollinated each other.
A few seasons ago, when Satsuma flower buds were killed by late freeze, Shiro bloomed profusely, set tons of fruitlets. Then, all fruitlets turned yellow and dropped. Not a single Shiro reached maturity due to lack of cross pollination from Satsuma.
I would be happy for you if your apricots actually cross pollinated Shiro.
Does your Satsuma blooms at the same time, too? I know neither of those varieties set fruit for you last year. Maybe, they did not have pollinizers last year?
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That will be interesting Shiro (P. angustifolia x P.cerasifera x P. salicina x P. simonii) x (P. armeniaca)
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All three grafts bloomed at the same time last year along with pluots, pluerries, and plums.
In my experience Shiro self pollinates . Hope it works .
My Shiro is 100% not self pollinate.
That is not a problem I breed raspberries and they self pollinate too. You just have to emasculate the flower. (Ulises knows how to do this already) Before the flower opens take a razor to the base of the pedals. Depth of cut come with experience. Pollen is immature until flower opens. The stamens are right behind the pedals so cutting deep enough removes them. Be careful, you can remove after pedals are gone too. The ovaries are mature before the flower opens, a good time to add pollen is right now. or bag it. A second pass with pollen won’t hurt either.
Keep it bagged at all times, I use organza bags, very cheap!
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I decided to grow out seeds, but boy have I had bad luck. I took seeds from good tatsing pluots and grew them out 2 years ago. I got 8 plants! But a mite infection killed 7 of them. Unreal! So in 2019 I collected more seeds, but left them in their shells. When I got around to them, all the kernels were dried out. Darn an S with a hit!!! So I had this one plant that recovered from the mites. No clue what it is? What pluot? It was stunted from the mite infection. I put it in my garage for the winter to avoid winter extremes to this baby tree!
I’m now setting it out and bringing it in at night until it warms up. It’s still a baby!
Here it is now. Dead leaves are from last year.
It’s starting to leaf out a little early from being kept in the garage.
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Since it’s one of the top sweetests plums, I expect the plumcots to be even sweeter.
Shiro plum has a flavor similar to sweet tea.
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That’s interesting! It’s about the only yellow I don’t grow. I have Vermont, Flavor Queen, and Inca (from Burbank).I only tasted Flavor Queen, I should have fruit of the other two this year.
Flavor Queen, the skin is not tart, and has a tropical flavor. I think it’s excellent but many dog it. One needs to decide themselves. I love Flavor Queen. I could eat them all day.
I decided instead of making intentional crosses I would let mother nature decide what to pollenate each fruit. I figure the offspring will be more compatible. I only have one, but I will be doing it more. @RichSV I would love to try your hybrids of you have scion next year?
Just for my own use of course. I’ll report on mine and others I plan to do as the years go by…
If every flower was pollinated by the apricot pollen, I’m going to have a lot of apricot x plum seedlings.
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You could call the new fruit a, Shirocot.
I hope it works out
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