I'm glad to announce that the plant patent applied for Flavor Supreme Pluot has already expired. This pluot is one of the best tasting early types of pluot. I would still rank Flavor King as my number 1 choice amongst the various pluots, and soon its patent will also expire.

The Flavor Supreme plant patent was issued in April 25, 1989 and it is now January 2010! More than 20 years. Thanks to Zaiger genetics for contributing this pluot to the rest of us to allow us freedom to graft it to better suited rootstocks for our backyards. The Flavor Supreme scionwood has been widely available from the various scionwood exchanges that do not have quarantine restrictions.

http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=dXQ9AAAAEBAJ&dq=flavor+supreme

Coming next: Flavor King Pluot. Filing date: Jun 10, 1991. Issue date: Nov 10, 1992. Just a couple more years and I can assemble my dream prunus tree on rootstocks that are way better than what you can get from those nurseries with exclusive licensing agreements.

i just bought a 4x1 plout tree with those varieties. experimental in my yard/area. i also got a aprum.

can apricots, plums and their hybrids be grafted onto the same type of rootstock?

Cots and Plums will both be compatible with the rootstocks used for Pluots, In our area we use Mar 2624, Nemaguard will also preform. I dont know the soils in your area so I can't say which is best for you.

thanks Selkirik,

I was concerned about the chill hours required said to be ~500-600 i am hoping to be in an area that just reaches this threshold. i too figured i could graft onto them. i also ordered an aprum but picked one that has ~300 chill hours and that is easily reached.

haven't heard of anyone growing/selling them locally so when ordered assumed experimental for the area.

The main problem with pluots compared to other stone fruits is really not due to the lack of chilling hours. I've seen them bloom with as little as 200 chilling hours during warm wet winters.

The main problem is their early blooming and the lack of attraction to pollinators when there are other blooms in competition.

The early blooming often coincides with the late rains that wreck havoc on fruit sets. It is also affected by late frosts because of early blooms and can cause damage to the flowers or delay in the pollination. That is why they are problematic in the east, and over here, some years you get lousy crops.

I have solved the problem with pollinators by grafting Burgundy plums and other more pollinator attractive plums that bloom at the same time in between the branches of the pluots. By having the pollenizing cultivars within the pluot, the bee doesn't have to tarry to and fro from between trees, rather conveniently visit between flowers within the same tree.

Try smelling the flowers of Burgundy plums and any of the pluots. You should be able to detect the major difference. The pluots will often have very faint almost undetectable smells.

Not enough chilling hours would be the least of my problems.

I just got some scions for the flavor supreme pluots so hopefully when I graft them they'll take.

Does anyone have any flavor supreme scions (also looking for flavor queen) they'd be willing to trade for apples or pears or send for postage.

Thanks

Jesse

Well there are a lot more of plant patents that just expired. John V. has done a ton of legwork on getting this document together:
http://www.crfg.org/chapters/golden_gate/Expired%20Plant%20Patents%20allowed%202011.pdf

I have a 4x1 pluot tree and Flavor King pluot. Both are from Dave Wilson. I'm looking forward to them starting to produce. I already have blossoms on them and January isn't even over.

Phillip