Flavor Supreme Pluot pollination experiment (pics)

General Fruit Growing
#1

I decide to do an experiment this year with Flavor Supreme. I have one FS tree and one FS branch that was grafted to a Santa Rosa plum a 3 years ago. I left the FS grafted branch alone and let mother nature take care of the pollenating. The FS tree I hand pollenated + whatever mother nature contributed. Here are the pictures:

FS branch grafted to Santa Rosa. Decent fruit set with very few doubles, very little thinning will be necessary

The FS tree. Incredible fruit set but the vast majority are doubles, probably 80%

Is possible that too much pollenating creates so many doubles? I’m going to have to thin all these doubles, I’m beginning to wonder if hand pollenating is worth it and/or necessary? Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

#2

I suppose hand pollinating could increase doubles if it increases set. But if only one of a double sets there should be a small dead dummy fruit attached. It can’t increase % of buds doubled up, that occurs in prior summer.

The 2nd pic looks a little too early to be sure what’s set and what isn’t.

I did notice a little bee activity this yr. But it’s too early for me too know set. I hand pollinated about 20% as much as last yr but didn’t have bees then.