Scape:

Dave Wilson Nursery who grows Flavor Queen for the Western U.S. lists it at 5-600 hours chill. See link below.

I grow it in So. Calif. Sunset zone 20 and USDA zone 10. My tree is four years old and has borne fruit for the last three years - increasing yield year by year as the tree matures. We get somewhere between 300 to 500 hours of chill.

My experience is that wonky weather results in wonky blooming. However, blooming can be fairly normal for me in some years even though there was wonky weather. There are many factors involved so there's no hard and fast rules on this from me. An example of wonky weather here would be a hot December followed by cold January followed by a hot February.

We've got a regular poster here goes by the moniker "fruitnut." He's in SW Texas, z7, @4500ft. and probably knows much more about your weather than I do. If he sees your question, he'll probably respond.

With all the opinions and all the methods of calculation of chill hours, even pros take the numbers with a grain of salt. I believe in: "You don't know it till you grow it."

Inquire with other locals who might grow FQ. Other factors such as sunlight, irrigation, drainage, nutrients and pest pressures being reasonably good in your dirt, give it 5 years. If doesn't produce, kiss it goodbye.

juniorpilot

Here is a link that might be useful: DWN Pluots

scape:

I'm thinking you are out of luck this yr. But as juniorpilot says there's always next yr. Our weather in Alpine was very warm all winter. Next yr will be way different. If the tree leafs out, don't give up on it yet.

Mine blooms very early, as early as anything. It sets fairly well. I have a full crop with only a handfull of fruits removed from clusters.

The Fruitnut

Thanks guys. Great advice. I'm afraid your right about missing out this year. I wont give up for a few more years yet for sure as it isnt in a place were its a problem. The tree will definatley leaf out as it is starting to open up now. For several weeks it looked like it was going to bloom at the same time as santa rosa plum and I was happy to think they might be a pollination match here. Then the santa rosa exploded in a full roaring bloom and the fq just sits there. Oh well, it will be interesting to see if more flowers open at all this year. I think the pictures I have seen of the fq pluot look beautiful and deliciuos. By the way fruitnut, are you getting the recent "refrigerator" weather right now. It has been almost a constant 38 degrees for three straight days here. Almost no fluctuation of temp at all.

Ya Scape, where was this when we needed it?!!! We have been 30 to 50 the last three days. Yesterday the high was about 38. I thought it would get colder than the 34 they predicted last night, but it didn't.

Flavor Queen is not my favorite pluot. A little short on the flavor but not short on sweet. The last two yrs I've left more fruit on the tree. That seemed to dampen the excess sweetness. Last yr the fruit hung on the tree a very long time, 6-8 wks in good eating condition. But maybe I just started picking them before they were ripe.

Santa Rosa is a pretty low chill tree. Bay Laurel lists SR at 300 hrs but they have FQ at only 400 hrs. The plums and pluots I like that they list at 400 hrs or less are: Laroda, Emerald Drop, Flavor Grenade, and Splash.

The Fruitnut

Thanks for the recommendations fruitnut I appreciate that. I am planning on trying a flavor grenade for sure and possible one or two others so I really appreciate the advice. I was thinking the same thing earlier today in regards to the weather, were was all of this when I needed it. If I had had this weather in January I would be able to look forward to a crop of Ayers and Seckle pears, my two favorite, but I'm sure its going to be a strike out on those two this year also. Oh well, as you say theirs always next year.

Thanks again,
Scape

Scape,

Don't get discouraged if your Flavor Queen doesn't set fruit even when it blooms with other plums or Pluots. It can be picky about setting fruit.

Thanks Carolync1,
I appreciate the reply. I definately wont get frustrated by it. I am stricktly looking at the pluots as an experimental thing. I am actually as interested to find out what doesnt work as I am to find out what will. I will definately give fq its fair shot though and I really appreciate all the great pluot advice. Please keep it comming!

My absolute favorite pluot is the Flavor Supreme. Tangy, red flesh inside a mottled green skin.

Well guys,
I may have jumped the gun a bit. After a week of sunshine the flavor queen has shot out a bunch of flowers. The blooms are still somewhat scattered which I expect for a young tree I guess but are still pretty plentiful. I suppose it may just be a late bloomer. I certainly wont complain about that. Now we'll see if it sets fruit.

Scaper

Funny how different varieties respond to weather. Flavor Queen blooms early here. Mine bloomed with other Pluots and with Burgundy plum (a known pollenizer) here this year, when the bees were out, but I still didn't get good fruit set. I think intermittent cold, rainy weather just as fruit was setting may have contributed. Same story with Dapple Dandy. The Burgundy plum next to them set fruit fine.

You will need to have blooms of a Japanese plum or one of the other Pluots (not all of them work with FQ) nearby for cross-pollination. Put some branches in a vase or bucket with water and lemon-lime soda in the bottom if there are no other varieties nearby..

No Scaper, it's not a late bloomer, you didn't get enough chilling for it to flower properly. Are there any other plums blooming? Let us know if it sets fruit. If there are no other plums blooming and it still sets fruit that will be great. I'd bet it won't set much if any but hopefully I'll be wrong.

The Fruitnut

Thanks again guys. I appreciate the comming info. Carolync1 I think I had a similar problem last year with this flavor queen. It bloomed and then appeared to set a fruit and then a hail storm hit and it fell off. Carolync1, do you have any varieties of pluot that are setting good fruit for you? Fruitnut, all my other plums have long since finnished blooming and I dont know of others in the area. This will be a true test of self pollination though I dont have high hopes. We'll see and it will be interesting either way.

Thanks,
Scape

Dapple Dandy usually sets quite a lot of fruit. With Flavor Queen, last year was the first year I got a good fruit set, and the tree is the same age as the Dapple Dandy. Flavor Supreme usually sets some fruit, but I have never had a really heavy fruit set. Flavor King blooms a little later, and I often get a pretty good fruit set. My other Pluots are too young to judge yet.

My experiences with two Flavor Supreme pluots (don't know if this is applicable to yours) is that they do not hold the fruit for the first couple years after planting.

They do a great job of "self thinning", and drop all fruit when it is tiny, shortly after pollination. Once the tree is larger it will start holding the fruit through to ripeness, but will still drop excess fruit shortly after pollination.

The one good thing is you don't usually need to thin this tree.