Hodge's Family Nursery Plant Finder

Other Names:  Prunus salicina x armeniaca, Plumcot

Description:

An inter-species, plum-apricot hybrid with showy fragrant white flowers in spring and sweet, deep red fruit in mid to late summer; great for eating fresh and preserves; semi-clinging stone; must have a Japanese plum variety or hybrid as pollinator

Edible Qualities

Flavor King Pluot® is a small tree that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces burgundy oval fruit (technically 'drupes') with plum purple overtones and gold flesh which are usually ready for picking from mid to late summer. Note that the fruits have hard inedible pits inside which must be removed before eating or processing. The fruits have a sweet taste with a crisp texture and a spicy fragrance.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Preserves
• Canning

Features & Attributes

Flavor King Pluot® is clothed in stunning clusters of fragrant white flowers along the branches from early to mid spring before the leaves. It has forest green deciduous foliage. The pointy leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruits are showy burgundy drupes with plum purple overtones, which are carried in abundance from mid to late summer. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.

This is a deciduous tree with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Messy
• Disease

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Flavor King Pluot® is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Flavor King Pluot® will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.

This tree is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.