As promised the pictures of Geo Pride. This is one of the best fruits of the year. I've got plenty of sweet fruit so that's not the story here. I just love the flavor. This is what I think a plum/pluot should taste like.

The fruit ranges from 1.8 to 2.25 inches. The smaller fruit is from the tree with higher brix. One variety on this tree, Splash, got so dry that some of the fruit shriveled up. The other varieties just got very sweet. The Splash that didn't shrivel are very sweet. Small price to pay for superior fruit. The fruit has a very heavy bloom which has been wiped away on the bottom two fruit to better show the range of exterior color.

{{gwi:121877}}

More than one person has commented that the Geo Pride picture on DWN looks wrong, see below.

Here is a link that might be useful: DWN pluot descriptions

Fruit-

I'm pretty sure i'm going to order a 4x1 from Raintree ...u get Flavor Grenade, Splash, Emerald Drop and GeoPride... They also have Flavor King, Queen, Supreme and Dapple Dandy ...both are on Citation.

I'll pot it up. Need more variety and different ripening times of fruit. I can push it early because I can protect in the garage during cold spells.

Frank:

My favorites of those are Geo Pride, Flavor King, and Flavor Grenade. Splash and Emerald Drop are good. I'm cutting down Flavor Queen after harvest this year. It's the only one that cracks every year. No cracking on the others in many years.

I grow Geo Pride, Flavor Grenade, and Dapple Dandy. Not impressed with Dapple Dandy. Sweet, but not rich. Will be getting rid of it. The Geo Pride is sweet even when it's still green. The pluots are good if you like sweet, but I have two plums that I like better. Golden Nectar and Inca. They are just as sweet as the pluots, but much richer.

That looks like a freestone pluot?

I've grown Dapple Dandy both here and in CA. Not outstanding either place but I was amazed how long some hung on the tree last year, Oct or Nov.

Are your Golden Nectar and Inca ripe already? They say August in CA. Wish we could trade some fruit but Houston is 560 miles from here.

I ate the last of my plums about two weeks ago. Part of my problem with obtaining the right plants is that the bloom times and other characteristics are different in different areas than what is published. My Goldrush blooms later than my other apples. Hopefully next year my Wicksons will pollinate the Goldrush.

I just picked the last of my Geo Pride fruits from a young tree. Liked them a lot, but some of them seemed a little on the dry side. Quality may improve as the tree gets a little more growth. We had a cool spring followed by several hot spells this year. My Flavor Queen Pluot had more fruit than it has ever had before, huge and beautiful. No cracking. More sweet than flavorful, but still very, very nice with a honey-like quality. The Dapple Dandies had better flavor than normal, too - and some really big fruit.

On the other hand, Flavor Supreme ripened when it was very hot and the fruit tasted "cooked" on the tree even when not completely ripe. Disappointing, because it is one of my favorites.

I have a Golden Nectar plum tree. It is a gorgeous fruit to look at, very sweet, but I prefer the flavor of Emerald Beaut. Our old dog killed my Emerald Beaut tree during his final months - made a nest under it. Wish I had an Inca, even though the fruits are known to get split pits.

We've had a bad spider mite year here. Flavor Supreme, some of the peaches, apricots and plums have been affected, especially the trees in our sandiest soil.

carolyn:

Thanks for the update. I'm cutting out Flavor Queen. It cracks worse than anything else I have and is lacking flavor.

I'm surprised your Dapple Dandy is ripe already...unless mine is misslabeled. Because my DD isn't ripe yet.

I'm getting another Emerald Beaut because the one I had turned out to be Dapple Dandy or something similar.

Spider mites are my only serious pest. I have them every year in the greenhouse. There are pesticides that are extremely effective and don't hurt anything else that I can tell. If interested I can give you names. They are usually for the commercial guys and may be hard to find.

The names of those pesticides could be useful when the little beasties get out of control. I actually know some people with appropriate licensing to get most of the commercial compounds, too.

The problem I usually have with Flavor Queen is getting it to set fruit. Mine is on Myro rootstock, and it's possible that it just took a long time to get going. Most of the fruits I have this year look ready for premium market, though the stems pop out when you pick them sometimes, so you have to eat them right away. I've had a little minor cracking on a few fruits along the "seam", which has led to small brown spots that have to be cut out. But considering that I have let the fruit get very ripe, I think their performance has been good as far as cracking goes. You have different conditions, I guess.

Several people who have tasted Flavor Queen this year are very impressed. The fruit tastes more honey-like than "fruity" to me, and I would rather have an earlier version of an Emerald Beaut plum. Still, for a fruit that ripens in weather in the 100s, I have been impressed this year. I have let Flavor Queen turn mostly yellow to fully amber-yellow rather than picking green as shown in the Dave Wilson photo.

It's interesting that your Dapple Dandy isn't ripe yet. Some years, it seems to me that this variety stays hard practically forever. There are several Dapple Dandy look-alikes available commercially, some better than others. But they seem to be earlier than Dapple Dandy according to DWN. Mine is about on-schedule here, as Dapple Dandy is supposed to start ripening in late July in California. Commercial harvest is probably over. Is your Flavor Grenade ripe yet? It's supposed to be later than Dapple Dandy.

My Dapple Dandies are still very firm, but they're sweet and flavorful, and I've had a little fruit drop, so I'm picking them as they soften up even a bit on the tree. Dapple Dandy normally sets a lot of fruit for me, but not last year. These fruits are a little bit picky.

I found another Geo Pride on the tree this morning. It had more flavor than either of the varieties above, and was very sweet. The texture was softer than both of the varieties above. A fruit meant to impress with flavor rather than appearance.

carolyn:

I'm usually 2-3 wks ahead of Fresno. Flavor Grenade and Flavor King are done while Dapple Dandy is still hard. The last I tried still tasted a bit green. The harvest charts say DD should come off before FG or FK, but not for me any year. And last year some DD hung on, barely edible, until Nov.

My Flavor Queen always sets heavily and I usually don't thin quit enough. It still gets big and sweet. But they get that crack down the seam from the stem. So I usually need to pick as they turn from green to yellow. It is my earliest blooming tree every year and still sets heavily.

I use abamectin (Agri-Mek) and bifenazate (Acramite) for spider mite in rotation, alternate years. Both give all year protection when sprayed with good coverage about June 1. If I used an organic like oil I'd be spraying all summer. The mites always show up in late May in the greenhouse.

Thanks for the info. on mites.

Flavor Queen blooms after Flavor Supreme for me, usually. Plum and Pluot bloom times overlapped more this year than usual, apparently due to winter weather. I may be getting better set on Flavor Queen since Geo Pride came became its neighbor. It crosses branches with Burgundy Plum and to Dapple Dandy and there are other plums nearby, but some years I have had zero Flavor Queen fruits. The tiny crack on a few of my fruits this year was at the shoulder - it didn't originate at the stem, and damage was very limited even when the little crack appeared.

Some years, I have had an experience similar to yours with Dapple Dandy: they just don't seem to want to ripen. Maybe they need some really hot weather late in the season, or cool weather early in the season like we had this year.

Looking forward to some of the Pluots and Apriums described at the Dave Wilson site coming over from the commercial to the home garden side. There are some Dapple Dandy types that sound much better than the first look-alikes offered to commercial growers. Maybe a few premium plums would be nice, too. Looking for a good late pollenizer, still.

carolyn:

You are right, Flavor Queen cracks on the shoulder at the suture. Usually for me on about half the fruit.

I wonder if the amount of water early in the season might make a difference in ripening Dapple Dandy? We have friends who got their first fruit from a new tree (probably on Citation - it ripened before mine) and they were wild about the fruit.

I'm still picking Flavor Queen. There are a couple of Dapple Dandies still on the tree, too.

Fruitnut,
Oh my god, I'm drooling... I turned 40 yesterday and my in-laws are wondering what type of botanical specimen(s) I'm gonna get with the $50 they gave me...
Yes, visual images of these sorts are very stimulating and entertaining. I spend countless hours in cold January and February perusing through the multitude of magazines and tempting images of juicy, luscious, sugary, voluptuous fruities. Yes...
hahaha
Noogy

Hi everybody,
I wanted to have some pluot varieties, and I would like to get some scion wood to graft.
If somebody can help me, please email me at: mconde77@gmail.com

Thanks in advance.

Mine got frozen to death when the deep freeze came last winter. Until then, I got a few fruit every year. I planted it about ten years ago before I knew better than to try a Pluto in Z5. Pollinated pretty easily off 'Shiro' (and vice versa, I think). Some splitting.

Not suited to Z5a, but my experience makes me think it might work OK in Z6, certainly Z7.

"My observations indicate that water is once again the difference."

So is it good to under water the tree at a certain point so that sugars develop in the pluots? Does this general rule apply for peaches and plums as well?

I know I have to do that for my cantaloupes. I hold back water when cantaloupes get to softball sizes. I don't hold water back at all for my grapes and blackberries/raspberries and they're still very sweet.

nguy:

My observations indicate that to maximize brix my stone fruit trees need a long time water deficit, several months. I've only watered 3 inches in my greenhouse since December and that's been too much. This is for trees that start to leaf out in January. Part of this is just that water use in the greenhouse is probably only half that outdoors.

Those that think they can cut off water just before harvest and have much effect hold a different view than mine.

I've seen the same thing with watermelon outdoors. Too much water and nitrogen lowers brix.

If I actually get any stone fruit, then, it ought to be great, with the near-drought we've been in throughout the season.

Excellent, Fruitnut. Sure wish I had room to squeeze in another pluot, they sound fantastic. I am hoping my fruit will be sweet this year. I have not adjusted my water as temps rise (and rain disappears). And, I only fertilized in the early spring, I plan on waiting until after harvest to fertilize, again. So far, my Arctic Pride necatarine and Flordapride peach are ripening. Both are good, but not spectacular. Going to give them both another week to see. I'll give everything another season (barring any weird weather issues), then the shovel comes out.

Patty S.

Researching for purchase this is one info packed pluot tutorial 101. May have to change my order to geo pride & crimson royale. fruitnut do you work for DW? you should.

Greenorchardmom:

I won't recommend any pluot for the SE, even the cooler parts. There are much better adapted fruits. Remember mine are grown with no rain and lower humidity than GA.

Fruitnut and Carolyn, you both are having difficulty with Dapple Dandy in ideal pluot growing conditions. The fruit doesn't ripen and the quality is not great. My third Dapple Dandy crop was last season and they were really good and on a young tree. I had two much smaller crops and the first I wasn't sure if DD was adapted to my climate then the second was improved and I saw the potential. Dapple Dandy may be the east coast's best adapted pluot. I'll graft in Superior plum, it has a ridiculous amount of flowers, a great pollinator.
I've ordered 3 in 1 Geo pride, Emerald drop, Splash, and the new Pluerry, Sweet Treat. Maybe another winner for east coast growers.

theaceofspades your input that DD may be the best adapted eastern climate pluot is so valuable.
scottsmith's advice about flavor grenade is good too
I grow both. DD is on the famous 4X1 courtesy of DW with Flvr King, Flvr Queen & Flvr Supreme doing very well
only a yr old, I am now ordering more
theaceofspades whats your method for choosing cultivars to trial?
mine are based on taste as DW has no disease resistant info which is why I pay close attention to this thread
fruitnut I have little of the typical brown rot issues since my orchard is on a SE hill with particularly good air circulation
but thanks for the heads up & I still wish I had your brix loving greenhouse

"theaceofspades whats your method for choosing cultivars to trial?"

I try them all, LOL. I graft and buy a dozen or more new varieties each year. Most of the modern west coast bred stone fruits do very poorly in humid climates and they will get cut off. I am cutting down Emerald Beaut and will plant the 3 in 1 pluot there.

Flavor King has a complex fruit punch flavor but I am lucky to get a small bowl full due to pollination issues. I keep the tree because it is off patent and I trial the seedlings grafted back onto the mother tree. This season I have several FK seedlings which will bloom and hopefully grow fruit. This close relation may improve FK fruit set and may produce a new more reliable pluot. Time will tell.

Dapple Dandy, Flavor Grenade and Flavor Supreme are the pluots most adapted for east coast growers that I have trialed. Pollination is the biggest issue with pluots. I have a feeling Geo Pride will be another winner.

Right On! Wish I could try them all...
your zeal for experimenting & grafting is the way to go
thats why I will buy a 4x1 tree
trial then graft to any lesser desirable cultivar
pollination is always a problem with early fruits the bees aren't back
but I hand pollinate when necessary to get something even a small bowl
Most of the modern WC bred stn fruts are sticky sensitive to be sure BUT are extra tasty!
ordered crimson royale, honey punch & bella gold will see how they do
since I have what you suggest, wonder why do you feel Geo Pride is such the contender?
DW told me they are waiting to hear what we east coast growers have to say.
yeah right not me but maybe you

Really Crimson Royale and Honey Punch are on commercial sales only. Hope you do get them but double check with the supplier.(don't name) I found out my order could not be shipped for this reason.

Geo Pride pluot is written as a heavy setter and a good pollinizer. It ripens in mid August to get the best ripening time in my area. The 3 in 1 tree has two other varieties that ripen in mid season as well.

A plum called Ruby Queen was bred in Byron, Georgia USDA and is rated excellent in Plums of N. America. I have one branch they are very good.

I'd say a great plum has a rich good single flavor and a good pluot has a complex flavor. Really good plums are just ok now. Not that a really good plum is not great it just seems boring. I grow Flavor Heart pluot and it doesn't have a complex flavor, just mild pleasant flavor. The grower says FH can get a sweet pocket but the axe will be soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ruby Queen

While this may ruin our budding friendship...I really don't much like plums
Ruby Queen is good but nothing I would grow
Pluots on the other hand are very cool
They are big sellers in the fresh market
Everyone wants to taste them
My friends ask me to bring them back when I drive down to ATL
& I favor a complex flavor over staight up sweet anyday
Texture is a big thing for me too
How exactly did you find out Geo pride is a heavy setter?
thats a crucial detail in fruit tree purchases