North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Mauch1@aol.com]

Mark,
Sorry it took so long for me to get back, I hadn't seen the
message.  Note that none of these is fool-proof or even proven.

Some things you can do to delay and or protect blooms:
1) Paint the tree trunk with a diluted indoor latex paint 
(latex to water a 1:1 ratio).  This helps keep the trunk 
cooler and delays the sap rise.
2) Pile snow around the tree.  (This is probably not an 
option for you in Seattle, and rarely for me, plus I'm not 
sure how well it works, (May work in Moscow). Similar concept 
to #1.
3) Plant the tree against a wall (particularly a North Wall)
You already have your tree planted, + would a north wall be 
too cool for Seattle?
4) There's a new commercial product (spray) out that is 
supposed to provide frost protection, but I can't remember 
the name.  Has anyone else out heard of this?
5) I'm testing a homemade frost protection spray, but 
unfortunately, this was my first year trying it and we did not 
get a 'test' winter, so I probably would have gotten fruit set 
anyway.

If the tree is about to bloom or blooming:
6) Miniature Christmas tree lights.  Many times only a degree or 
two will make a difference in fruit set.  However I didn't find 
this effective on a small tree with a 100 light strand.  
7) If you can spare the water, running a sprinkler on the tree
during a frost period may help.  
8) Covering the tree, depending on the tree size and your 
determination, might be an option.

Remember that clear, low humidity nights (do you get these in 
Seattle?) are probably the worst for having frosts.

You could be right about your climate not being right for pluots, 
but hey, that's what fruit exploring is about, right?
Sometimes just delaying the bloom for a few days can make a 
tremendous difference.

Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6
40° 5' N    75° 51'W
~650 ft elevation


>Chris,
>I have a problem with pluots setting fruit.  What "games" are >you referring
>to in order to delay blooms?  My pluot is the first tree to >bloom in early
>March or even late February.  I planted one of these in the >Ballard
>neighborhood of Seattle, and other another about 10 miles >north in Edmonds.
>Although the same age, the one in Ballard sets a modest >amount of fruit each
>year and is somewhat dwarf due to poor growing conditions.  >The other is a
>larger tree but produces 1 or 2 fruits only each year... this >year no fruit
>:-( .  I just don't think pluots are cut out for my climate, >but if you have
>some bloom related tips, I'd like to hear them.
>-Mark Lee, Seattle, zone 7B/8A