i’ve never had any hybrid fruit before and it’s piqued my interest so i just ordered some bare root trees recently - an aprium, a pluerry and a nectaplum. i hope these do good for my area (FL panhandle) and hope to try these fruits in a few years.
2 Likes
I think you have a shot.
I live in Mandeville, Louisiana which has a similar climate to you.
Our issues surround the heat+humidity and the disease/pest pressure that brings.
My Flavor Grenade Pluot had several hundred fruit before thinning last year-it’s first ever fruiting. It was its third leaf.
My Sweet Treat Pluerry had a few dozen fruit 2 years ago but only a couple last year as a late freeze hurt its fruit set. It currently is absolutely covered in blooms.
My Cot-n-Candy Aprium I am hoping for first fruit this year. It’s in minor bloom now so I’ll need to wait a week or so to see if it set any fruit.
So lower chill hybrids are doable…but I also understand I could lose those same trees to disease this year…or all the fruit from pests.
2 Likes
My Flavor Grenade Pluot last year.
4 Likes
nice! yes, similar climate, i’m also near the coast. i got the same variety of pluerry and aprium. i wanted to make sure i got ones that were 500 or less chill hours. is your pluerry planted next to or close to other plums for cross pollination?
Its about 20 feet from a weeping Santa Rosa plum…which does not bloom much at all but does overlap.
My Flavor Grenade Pluot is just starting to bloom.
I have two branches on two different trees of Shiro plum that are blooming right with the pluerry.
I mention these as I am not sure which can/will cross pollinate with the Sweet Treat.
Its always a bit confusing when you read about cross pollination. Many times the answer is no because they don’t bloom together but there are also some genetic incompatibilities. Because of this I simply take note of what blooms together and if I get fruit then at least I have a good pairing - even if I am not sure which ones did it!
2 Likes
Hi Shibumi, do you spray? What is your spraying schedule? I just start growing Flavor Grenade and Emerald drop this year. Not sure if it will survive because we might not have enough chill hours but still want to push it lol. I live in Kenner!!
Kenna Bra! Where the big planes land (we used to say that back on the day).
I got my first crop of Flavor Grenade last year.
I kept about 60 fruit then. I didn’t spray at all. It probably is because nothing has found the tree yet to establish a population for future years.
The tree was on it’s 3rd leaf and set quite well. This year it set even better though they are not sizing as fast, even after a good thinning.
I also am curious of what spray schedule and product to use for down here.
I’ve only seen some stink bug activity/ damage until now. I lost a few fruit last year from skin damage that led to local rotting.
1 Like
We are Kenner Bruh now haha. So diseases generally are manageable with pluots? I was afraid that fruit rot and other fungal diseases gonna be a big problems. LSUag don’t recommend growing those stone fruits here but I still love to try. I have a Saturn donut peach seems to doing okay now, spray copper fungicide in winter when it went dormant and again in spring before the buds break to prevent leaf curls. The tree is still too small to produce fruits so. I also have a Royal Crimson cherry tree, planted last year. It still too early to see if it will survive the heat here so hopefully I get to see some bloom next year!!
1 Like
I expect to eventually have issues with any stonw fruit. I know it’s risky growing them here. I’m ok with it as it’s fun to try.
I fear once the pests and diseases find mt yars, it will get harder from there on out each year.
1 Like
@Shibumi i had a similar experience and now my plum curicilio is an issue. 2-3 years of pristine stone fruit without spray. Now I need to really get a regiment for it. If I find something which works next year I’ll keep you posted. However pc is my only issue, which should be one I can solve.
1 Like
Thanks for the info @Gkight
Please do follow up when you get there. I would love to simply have a “spray this and that at this and that time” kind of direction eventually.
I make enough decisions at work…sometimes I just want to follow someone else’s rules!
As far as PC goes, don’t know what local trees are hosting any population here…we have really almost no fruit trees besides an occasional satsuma…a few pear trees I’d say, but maybe only half dozen in the nearest mile area?
1 Like
Yeah I had the same thought, people have them sparingly but nothing resembling an orchard anywhere nearby. No one has their yard packed with them such as myself, I guess that’s why I had the “honeymoon period” people on the forum warned me about.
1 Like
Louisiana COOP doesn’t even have a fruit tree horticulturalist on staff! This forum really is my only source of info though only a few here live anywhere close to me.
Please keep us updated. I wanted to plant a variety of pluots but I was worried about bacterial spot in my humid climate. If it does well for you I will definently add some.
The Spring Satin has done very well for me. It is loaded with pea size fruit now. First time it flowered enough to cross pollinate. I have a Burbank 12 feet away that flowers extemely well.
Prior to buying the Spring Satin I read it does well in humid climates. Turned out to be true for my environment.
Tri-Lite peach plum is also a winner for me. I took a chance since it was white fleshed. I prefer white flesh peaches and nectarines. They are less acidic so they taste way sweeter. It is also loaded with fruit. First time it also flowered extremely well.
Please keep us posted.
Oh yea I have a Nadia cherry/plum. That also does very well for my humid climate. It flowered nicely but my pollinator only had one flower so no fruit this year.