The phrase is a little confusing, but it indicates you're looking at a lower chill hour variety, Goyo. It means that even if you have very low chill hours (no one here in California, even at the beach in San Diego has 1 chill hour), it should still produce fruit for you. It doesn't need any more than 500 ch to produce fruit. If it gets more chill hours, that's fine, unless you are in a ridiculously cold area of the country, where you get very, very low temps, and then that particular cultivar may not survive. The Sweet Treat Pluery will do fine in your USDA zone (your Sunset zone isn't showing.) I am zone 10a/Sunset 23 and I also plan on ordering a Sweet Treat this year.

Patty S.

Goyo:

The fruits are rated as needing X or more chill hrs, not X or less. The hours listed are the approximate minimum needed. This is not a hard and fast number but a ballpark number because the timing, quality, and duration of both cool and warm periods affects the results.

Thank you for your quick and clear response. When I saw your thread on the group order I researched the varieties and the pluerry was the most interesting to me so thank you again.

My reference to the 1 chill hour was a hypothetical example to demonstrate that 1 chill hour, at least in the literal sense, does satisfy the requirement of 500 chill hours or less.

Goyo:

I looked at Bay Laurel and see where you are getting confused. For certain varieties they do say X hrs or less. What they don't mention is that the MINIMUM is X or less. So they are saying X will work but that the fruit might be shown to fruit with less than X after more experience. That is confusing!! Hope my explanation isn't.

Fruitnut, first off I think thanks are in order for you since you saved my pomegranate from a slow and horrible death (if you want to see the tree bouncing back check out the thread named Need advice on fruit trees. Photos included).

On this matter: I checked both of their websites and the sweet treat pluerry trees are indeed rated as 500 or less chill hours, whether or not that is accurate or a mistype I don't know.

Thank you for the clarification, disregard the last part of my last post, although I still stand behind the first paragraph of my last post.

So then, the 500 chill hour or less statement is actually a range of hours (X-500 chill hrs)for example 350-500 chill.

Then is 500 hr or less stated simply because they do not know the lower range where the tree will be productive?

Well, the Sweet Treat is brand new, so "time will tell" as to how well this variety will produce in varying chill hour areas. All DWN has to go by right now, is their test grounds and the chill hours associated with that area. This is a "best guess" situation right now. What this statement is actually saying is that DWN right now doesn't believe this variety will need any more than 500 ch to produce, and should produce at less chill hours. How less? We don't know, yet. Growers will provide feedback either via forums like this, back to their nurseries or to DWN. Chill hours often get amended due to grower feedback over the years. And, where are you seeing the info for the Sweet Treat pleury on Bay Laurel's and Grow Organic's sites?

Patty S.

Goyo, here's the description of the Sweet Treat directly from DWN's Facebook page, along with further comments:

Dave Wilson Nursery is proud to announce the addition of a new fruit type, the Pluerry�! A hybrid cross between a plum and a sweet cherry. The first named release is called, "Sweet Treat", tested as 46MB583, you may have tasted it at Alden Lane at Art Under the Oaks, or at the Harvest Festival at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center. Everyone raved about the wonderful new flavor of the cherry-plums, and soon you can grow your own! Look for the Sweet Treat Pluerry on the DWN SOFT order form. It's pollinated by Burgundy plum, and it's from the genius of Floyd Zaiger of course.

(In response to ordering and ch): Sweet Treat can be preordered via our SOFT program at a retail nursery near you. It will hit the stores this winter. Needs further testing to determine chill hours. It is incredibly productive and has one of the longest harvest periods of any fruit, hanging on the tree for nearly two months. We will bring it to a tasting for sure, it's ripe around the end of July all through August. We are evaluating many other Pluerry varieties and there are all tasty.

(I response to cross pollinator options) I'm sure other varieties will pollinate it, it just takes time to discover. Sweet Treat set fruit "under the bag" with Burgundy, which is a very good pollinator, and a popular fruit itself. Which is likely why Burgundy was one of the first tests.

(In response to ch testing and rootstock availability): It's on Myro 29C, so un-pruned trees about 16 feet. It has not been tested at UCI for low chill yet.

And I did finally find the description on GrowOrganic's site. See you can pre-order directly from their site. I have two on order via Bay Laurel, so I'm excited about adding this to my line up.

Patty S.

I don' know if I am allowed to post commercial links so...
This info is what it says on their online ordering page baylaurelnursery.com under the tab pluots,plumcots, etc:

" Sweet Treat Pluerry - Standard
$27.95
Another new fruit from Zaiger! This is a cross between a plum and a sweet cherry. The fruit is about the size of a ping pong ball with red skin and yellow flesh. Extremely sweet when fully ripe. Top fruit at tastings for the last three years. Fruit does not drop when ripe, it just gets sweeter! Burgundy plum is required for pollenization. Ripens from mid July to early August. Estimated chill hours are 500 or less. Pat. pending (Zaiger). Available on Myro."

Grow organic :

"Sweet Treat Pluerry Tree (Standard)...Standard on Myrobalan 29 rootstock.
Zones:
Chill hours: 500 or less
Harvest: July 15 - August 5
Looks: Ping pong ball-sized with red skin and yellow flesh.
Personality: Extremely sweet when fully ripe. Fruit does not drop when ripe, it just gets sweeter.
Facts of note: New Zaiger variety. Top fruit at tastings for the last three years.
Pollination: Pollinated by Burgundy Plum

A hybrid cross between a plum and a sweet cherry."

Thank you for the facebook post it was very helpful. I think I will hold off on the tree until more adventurous growers try these trees at lower chill hours. I cannot afford the space.

Well, I'll let you know how mine fair. I get about 500 ch where I live, despite my Sunset zone of 23, due to a very unusual microclimate we have here in the coastal hills of Vista. I've been able to coax fruit from higher chill hour stone fruits than what this appears to be. And, because I love cherries so much, and this is the first of this cross, I am willing to try to squeeze it in. My concern is getting it close enough to my Burgundy plum for good cross pollination. That area of my yard is pretty packed.

Patty S.