of plums and apricots, you may be thrilled to know there is such a thing as a pluot tree. Pluots are a hybrid of plums and apricot fruit trees that were developed by Floyd Zaiger, a renowned botanist. By crossing other hybrids and hand pollinating various fruit trees, Floyd brought the pluot into existence.

Thanks to Floyd, you can practice gardening pluots in their gardens. Many people eagerly await pluot season to enjoy ‘Flavor King’, ‘Flavor Supreme’, ‘Flavor Queen’, or semi-dwarf ‘Dapple Dandy’ pluot. Most commonly, pluots are grown in areas that have distinct winters, but you will probably find the fruit of pluots in stores while they’re in season.

If you want to have the incredible sweetness of pluots in the early summer, keep reading! Pluots are exceptional, but require the same care as a plum tree. If you have experience with different types of plum trees, you know you can tackle caring for pluot trees. Even with no experience, it’s possible to grow one to fruition.
What is The Pluot Tree?
Pluots grow much like plums, on small trees that reach 16 to 36 feet tall and spread up to 10 feet wide without pruning. They are perennials with shallow roots.

Characteristics
Pluots have oblong green leaves with a pointed tip, while some varieties have purple leaves. In the spring season, clusters of flower buds sprout from tree branches. Then, attractive pink to white four-petaled flowers bloom. In three to four months, trees set fruit in the fall season. Most pluots don’t produce until the third or fourth year of growth, so those who choose to grow them in their garden should know they are in for the long haul.

Pluots do not self-pollinate, and most varieties need a second tree to produce fruit in late summer. Choose trees that have a pollination match for what you want to produce. For instance, a ‘Flavor Grenade’ pollinates with another ‘Flavor Grenade’. Alternately, grow a ‘Flavor Grenade’ with its direct ancestor, ‘Inca Plum’, because it is successful in cross-pollination with the “child” variety. ‘Santa Rosa’ plum plants cross-pollinate with certain pluots as well. With these, you’ll need to grow two trees at once or grow a multi-grafted tree of four varieties that will automatically self-pollinate.

Today, pluots in season are popular at farmer’s markets and grocery stores. The fruit is about the size of a large apricot fruit, plum-like, and has smooth skin. Depending on the variety, the flesh of the fruit is red to yellow. The skin is dark purple, red, or yellow. There are many variations. The taste and flavor of the fruits are intensely sweet and somewhat tangy. People enjoy them fresh, in jams and jellies, and in cobblers and pies during their season.

Interspecific Fruit
The pluot tree is a member of the Prunus genus, hybridized from two other Prunus species. Other fun hybrids include plumcots, apriums, and apriplums.

Floyd Zaiger, a famous botanist who specialized in hand-pollinating and hybridizing stone fruit, crossed a plumcot with a Japanese plum. And voila! We have the delectable pluot with its apricot-tinged, plumlike flesh, and sweet taste. Varieties include ‘Flavor King’, ‘Flavor Queen’, and ‘Flavor Supreme’ which are all remarkable. We also owe our appreciation to him for the semi-dwarf ‘Dapple Dandy’ pluots, which are immensely popular. Other varieties, such as ‘Splash’ pluots, feature yellow skin and a delightful flavor. Many people specifically seek out ‘Splash’ pluots for their use in desserts.

Pluots are just one of many interspecific fruits or hybrids of different fruit tree species. In this case, we’re talking about the stone fruit type, or cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots. Plumcots are a direct mix of an apricot tree and a Japanese plum tree. Japanese plum is often used as the rootstock for grafts of pluot branches as a result, as it’s a well-established species and is resilient to a lot of problems plums and pluots often suffer.

Pluots are more plum-dominant than plumcots. Some pluerries are a hybrid of ‘Burgundy’ plum or ‘Santa Rosa’ plums and cherry trees, as ‘Santa Rosa’ plum trees are known for their sweet and slightly tart flavor. There are many other blends, such as nectaplums, peachcots, and so on. In fact, there are trees that have branches grafted from many different hybridized species to create self-fruitful “fruit cocktail” style trees! The key to hybridizing is to include both grafting and hand-pollination, techniques that enabled Floyd Zaiger to create the pluot varieties we know and love today. And, going forward, new varieties will continue to appear!

Planting
Once you’ve located and acquired bare root fruit trees from a nursery, select a site that is in full sun with well-draining soil. Set your trees in the late winter season or early spring season during dormancy. Ensure the space is out of high winds. Space trees at least 18 feet apart. Soak the root zone of the trees in water for one to two hours before planting.

Dig a hole 18 inches deep and wide, breaking up any compacted soil in the process. Prune the trees back to 30 inches tall at planting, focusing on cutting side branches back to three to four buds. Place the tree in the hole so the root zone sits naturally with the bud union two inches above the soil.

Fill the soil back into the hole, tamping it down as you go to remove any air pockets. Water in the newly planted trees, and ensure the bud union is still two inches above the ground. Mound the soil around the base and add a few inches of mulch, with space between it and the trunk.