Multi-graft cherry peach plum apricot with simultaneous bloom

General Fruit Growing
#1

I was fortunate to have a generous forum member provide some Adara (Puente) scion wood this year. The grafts are looking good so far, and I’m planning to use it as an interstem to graft cherry, peach, Japanese plum, and apricot onto the same tree. My goal is to have all 4 bloom at the same time. I am hoping the vast knowledge of this forum can help me find 4 cultivars among these that all bloom simultaneously. A few additional details:

(1) I live in zone 8, so low to moderate chill cultivars are ideal, but some higher chill options may also work.
(2) Instead of apricot or Japanese plum, hybrids such as aprium or pluot would also be options.
(3) I’d prefer a sweet cherry.
(4) All varieties should be reliably self-fertile.

I have some ideas based on my personal experience, but I haven’t been able to piece it all together. Please let me know which cultivars among cherry, peach, plum, and apricot bloom together in your yards!

#2

I’m in 5b, so maybe a bit different, but my Japanese Plums, Shiro, Satsuma and Santa Rosa bloom at the same time as my Bing and Stella Cherries.
My Goldcot apricot is already bloomed and gone by the time the plums and cherries bloom.

#3

This may be more difficult that I thought… My Stella cherry blooms 2-3 weeks after my Santa Rosa and Burgundy plums!

#4

You need to find input from someone living close to you. Even in the same zone but different climates, same fruit trees can bloom at different times. I have noticed that in colder zones like zone 5 or 6, fruit trees of the same kinds (plums, peaches, pears) but different varieties tend to bloom about the same time or have overlapping bloom time.

I have 15+ J. plums/pluot varieties, almost all have overlapping blooms. I have about 10 Euro pears, all have overlapping blooms.

Very early and very late apples may not overlap but the majority I have do. I have about 30 varieties/grafts of them.

1 Like
#5

Thanks for the info. I was under the impression that fruits trees had a bloom order they generally followed, and climate would change them all similarly. If that’s not the case, this is going to be more difficult than I thought!

Hopefully some zone 8 growers chime in.

#6

Bumping this to see if anyone else wants to provide some insight!