I have them together on a tree along with Emerald Drop and Geopride. I can’t seem to get Geopride while ripe, I’ve only tried them under or way over and not interesting. Emerald Drop flowers but doesn’t set fruit. Flavor Grenade is runted on that tree.
I’ve grafted a Flavor Grenade onto a rooted Hollywood cutting that is doing well now. I’m thinking I’d like a dedicated Splash tree too so I don’t have to pay attention to the others when pruning and caring for it.
Splash is earlier than Flavor Grenade with my small sample.
We have very different palate, or more likely the varieties perform differently in our respective conditions. I have little interest in Geo Pride on the same tree as my Splash. Splash gets high brix while still firm flesh. The sugar hits the palate with a little delay that I find very satisfying.
My Geo Pride go from unripe to squishy bland and uninteresting too quickly for me to have had one that was any good in my small sample.
I know you have controlled growing conditions and all of your stone fruit are probably over 20 brix.
Splash supposedly won Dave Wilson taste tests.
I have 9 months like your hottest month.
My FG is being hit with something and I suspect it could be bacterial. I’m seeing branches where skin is completely peeling with vertical fissures. Looks similar to early black knot but not as swollen, and it is more systemic than local. Dapple Dandy also shares same issue. Were you able to find a treatment?
No I never did. I tried a lot things trying to save 5 trees. They all did as you described and died slowly over a of a couple years. Your assessment of this malady being systemic is spot on from my observations. Once it took hold it was a slow certain death. Now I stay ahead of the disease by constancely grafting to various trees around the orchard.
Thanks @jaypeedee . My trees are not fruiting, so I’ve been applying a soap+fungicide (Draconil) spray mix hoping it will slow down (or reverse) the slow decline. I’m still not exactly sure what I have so trying to cover my bases. Fingers crossed.
Steve, my bad. It’s on Myro.
Actually, Flavor Grenade performed a bit better on Citation for me. I had 3 on Citation and 2 on Myro 29c. The trees on Citation grew bigger, fruited earlier, produced more fruits and lived longer. But I must say, Myro 29c has been nothing but a dog for me. Will not purchase that strain again. The regular old Myro has been stellar, producing my longest living trees to date.
Interesting ranking. I count Flavor Supreme out as it requires high chill and still won’t be very productive. Flavor King can be very good, most likely the best. I am coming around to that after tasting home grown ones this season. I would say Flavor Grenade is better than Flavor Finale and Geo Pride for me. That doesn’t mean FF and GP are bad but they share a same flavor profile which is similar to Flavor Treat. Flavor Grenade is the crunchiest pluot I’ve tasted at very high brix. Reminds me of sugar cane without the annoying fibers. Its a great complement to Emerald Beaut ripening at the same time. I would rate EB over FG.
Flavor Grenade is the crunchiest for sure. Flavor Supreme is the best. I don’t care if it doesn’t produce well. All I need is a few. I can easily get the chilling for any pluot or any other stone fruit I’ve tried.
I need to line up a source for Flavor Treat scions but it’s early to worry about that. It and Geo Pride aren’t fabulous but I like them. I’d rather have Flavor Treat than Flavor Finale.
I’m planning on getting Lovell rootstock to have different rootstock from Citation in case I have issues.
Looks like Lovell works for most of what I want to grow, even sweet cherry if I place an interstem.
Hi Richard - I am trying to follow R.S. Martin’s book to train a couple of new trees as test subject. First of all, the book I purchased few months back based on your recommendation was missing a few things importantly it didn’t have the diagram and details for “Training Young Tree” - this week I purchased another copy but from different publisher which coverers the young tree section with the diagram.
Could you please share some knowledge on how you to get the trunk to size up so well in just 3-4 yrs.
@Oregon_Fruit_Grow
For a young Prunus tree in the ground in your location:
averaged over a year, net 1/4 lb N, net 1/8 lb P, and net 1/4 lb K, plus an array of micronutrients. Definitely not all at once. After the tree gets older you can increase up to a max of 4 times those dosages. If you want to fine tune to the seasons, then in the early Spring a bit more of P and less of the others, and likewise with N in early summer, and K in late Summer. Note that a 1 lb jar of 20-10-20 contains net 0.20 lbs of N.
Thank you. If I were to put organic granular, it means 2.5 lbs of feather meal @12% N 1.25lb bone meal @12% P and 1.25lb of Langebinite @22% K. I could substitute feather meal with blood meal but its fast release than the feather meal.
Edit: I am not aware of a good source of organic micro nutrients, there is azomite but it’s questionable on what and how much it contains. Is Kelp Meal or Alfalfa meal an option?
Greensand or Kelp meal maybe for micronutrients?
I recommend Kelp Meal from Ascophyllum nodosum. Neither Azomite nor Greensand contain micronutrients that plants can access.
Those items contain guaranteed amounts of other nutrients. You need to consider the whole picture. How much of N, P, and K are in the feather meal and bone meal?
Feather meal by the way is full of antibiotics.
Feather meal is 12% N, no P & K. Same with bonemeal 10-12% P no N or K. Agree on antibiotics in feather meal, but I am yet to find a better option for an steady release organic N amendment similar to feather meal.
When is your Flavor Grenade ripening ? Set fruit every year Jafar?
Vincent, I think you mean “ripening”. I say that because my Flavor Grenade are much bigger this year and unfortunately, most have split or “ripped”, meaning torn. I haven’t had a ripe one yet. I think they are listed as relatively late.
I’m guessing in the next week or so. It’s supposed to have a big window for picking, they can hang for a long time. I’ll start trying split ones if they aren’t moldy soon.
My Flavor Grenade branck on my 4 in 1 was runted. It’s only made a few fruit before this year. This year it was kind of loaded and I should have thinned it way more than I did. I wouldn’t draw many conclusions from how mine is behaving.
My stand alone tree has 2 fruit, but it is very young, they are the first, and those are probably split too.