Pluot: Planting, Cultivation, Harvest

Description and Botany

The pluot, also nicknamed “apricot-plum”, “plumcot” or even “dinosaur egg”, is a fruit tree from the Rosaceae family, just like the apricot, almond, and peach trees. It is an interspecific species, a new hybrid fruit, resulting from the cross-breeding between a plum (Prunus domestica at 70%) and an apricot (Prunus armeniaca at 30%). Its hybridization was developed in 1988 in the United States by Chris Floyd Zaiger, a Californian breeder and developer of stone fruit varieties. Pluot® is now a registered trademark. Today, it comes in around 25 hybrid varieties such as ‘Flavor Candy‘ or even ‘Flavor Supreme’, which was the first Pluot® variety introduced to the market.

The pluot forms a semi-dwarf tree with an open habit that will not exceed 3.50 m in height at maturity. This makes this fruit tree interesting for small gardens. The silhouette is naturally spreading. The branches bear deciduous foliage. As with the plum tree, the branches of the pluot are quite brittle under the weight of the fruit. The leaves are long, ovate, measuring 8 to 15 cm by 3 to 4 cm wide, with a short petiole. Bright green in colour, they are smooth and have crenate margins.

Flowering occurs in March-April on the previous year’s branches. The pluot is then covered with small pale pink flowers typical of the Rosaceae family, they are cup-shaped and composed of 5 sepals and 5 pedunculate petals. The flowers are hermaphroditic. Most varieties are self-fertile (Pluot® Pink Candy®, Pluot® Pink Candy®, Pluot® Purple Candy®), so it is not necessary to have another apricot or plum tree nearby to ensure good fruiting. The self-sterile varieties will fruit better through cross-pollination by planting a plum tree nearby, which will improve fertility.

Once pollinated by bees, the flowers turn into large fruits: Pluots. They are harvested from June to August, depending on the region. With their smooth skin, Pluots closely resemble plums, but their size brings them closer to peaches. The fruits are round, as large as peaches, about 6 cm in diameter, and retain the typical small crease of the apricot. The epidermis is thin, its colour varies from dark purple to pink-red, sometimes bicoloured and punctate with coloured spots. They are often covered with a bloom that disappears when touched. They contain juicy, sweet flesh, yellow or red, very fragrant, with a tangy flavour and texture similar to that of the apricot. It usually takes about 3 years before the first harvest.

The pluot is a hybrid between the plum and the apricot

Main varieties

Pluot Flavor Candy - Plumcot

This self-fertile variety produces bicolour pluots, yellow and red-purple in July. To improve fertility: Golden Japan is ideal.

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Pluot Flavor Supreme - Plumcot

This was the first Pluot® variety to appear on the market. It is not self-fertile. You will need another peach tree planted nearby.

• Flowering time April
• Height at maturity 3,50 m

See the product sheet

Pluot Pink Candy - Plumcot

A productive, self-fertile variety, very sweet with exotic fruit aromas.

• Flowering time May
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Pluot Purple Candy - Plumcot

This variety is self-fertile. It is compact and productive.

• Flowering time May
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Planting

Where to Plant It?

Perfectly hardy, the pluot can withstand temperatures as low as -35°C, making it suitable for planting in all regions. In colder areas, choose a sheltered spot away from northerly and easterly winds to protect the flowering.

To ensure it produces beautiful fruit, plant it in a sunny location with neutral, light, deep, and well-drained soil, avoiding excess water. It dislikes heavy and compact soils.

As it remains modest in size, this fruit tree is well-suited to small gardens. It can be planted in an orchard or an ornamental garden, where it will brighten up the space with its lovely spring flowering. Self-sterile varieties require the planting of another plum tree (such as ’Golden Japan’) or apricot tree nearby to bear fruit.

Pluots

When to Plant?

Usually sold as bare-root plants, the pluot is best planted between October and December, avoiding frost periods.

How to Plant?

• Dig a hole two to three times wider and deeper than the root ball
• Moisten the root ball by placing it in a basin of water for a few minutes
• Spread gravel at the bottom of the planting hole
• Add a layer of compost
• Place the pluot at the bottom of the hole
• Position the tree in the hole and fill it in, gently firming the soil as you go to remove air pockets, using garden soil enriched with potting compost
• Water thoroughly and regularly to help your pluot establish itself

Maintaining and Pruning the Pluot

After planting, for the first three years, ensure regular watering, as the soil should remain moist throughout the summer. It prefers soils that retain some moisture. In autumn or spring, apply manure by surface raking or use fruit tree fertiliser.

Remove any suckers that have grown at the base of the tree.

The apricot-plum is a fruit tree resistant to fungal diseases and parasitic attacks.

When and how to prune?

Proper pruning leads to good fruiting.

Formative pruning

This is carried out in the spring following planting, outside the frost period, and for the next three years before the tree becomes productive. Use a saw or pruning shears. It involves pruning to remove poorly placed and weak branches, retaining only five branches that will form the tree’s framework. This formative pruning is necessary in the early years.

Fruiting pruning

Fruits appear on one-year-old wood, and branches that have already fruited will not bear pluots again. This pruning encourages good fruit production and is done in winter with a sharp and carefully cleaned pruning shear. Coat pruning wounds with a healing paste to prevent diseases. It is advisable to:

• Prune branches that have already fruited to two buds above the future branching
• Remove suckers growing on the trunk
• Cut away dead or broken wood and crossing branches
• Shorten the longest ones

Multiplication

The Pluot reproduces through grafting, a technique that requires a certain level of skill and is best suited for professional gardeners. It is also possible to take the suckers that develop around the parent plant and replant them further away, but they will only flower many years after planting.

When and how to harvest pluots?

The harvest takes place at ripeness from June to August-September depending on the variety and the region. The fruits are simply picked by hand when they are soft to the touch.

Usage and Storage

Plumcots can be eaten raw or prepared. They are best enjoyed crunchy and raw right after picking. Pluots are also delicious in fruit salads, clafoutis, cakes, crumbles, or tarts. They can also accompany savoury dishes. They are also used to make jams, fruits in syrup, compotes, or juices.

They have a short shelf life, lasting only a few days at room temperature. Once washed, dried, and stoned, they can be frozen.

A pluot contains around 80 calories. The flesh is rich in vitamins C and A, trace elements (potassium), and fibre.

The pluot can be eaten raw or cooked in tarts or clafoutis, for example