Bare Root Pluots, Plumcots, Pluerries, Etc.

Interspecific hybrids are an entirely new fruit type. They are complex hybrids of plums, apricots, cherries, peaches and nectarines.  They will delight your taste buds with their rich, intense flavor. The plum/apricot crosses have a higher sugar content than either plums or apricots, without the tartness of some plums, which gives them an incredible sweetness. The different varieties all have flavors, aromas and textures that are sensationally distinctive and unique within the fruit world.

Pluots and plumcots have the same cultural requirements as plums; pruning, fertilizing, disease and insect control will be similar.  Interspecifics are not recommended for areas that get extremely cold or that are subject to late frosts.  If you live in such an area and want to try anyway, Flavor King, Flavor Grenade and Dapple Dandy Pluots are your best choices.

Recipes for pluots should be interchangeable with plums and possibly even apricots. We are including a recipe for a pluot tart below.

• More About Pluots And Plumcots...

  
  

  New varieties are being developed almost every year. Some are being offered commercially although most fruit at the supermarket is of poor quality, probably due to premature harvesting. It’s possible to have a very long season of pluots – Flavor Supreme ripens in mid June and Flavor Finale will stay on the tree into October! For those of you with limited garden space, we have the popular 4N1 Pluot. This grafted tree includes Flavor Supreme, Flavor King, Flavor Queen and Dapple Dandy – four delicious varieties all on one tree and they pollenize each other.  The same is true of the 4N1 Zee Sweet Nuggets tree which has Emerald Drop, Flavor Grenade, Geo Pride and Splash.  All of the pluots require a pollenizer, either another pluot or a Japanese plum such as Santa Rosa or Burgundy.

  Pluot Tart This tart has a free-form crust, so it is often referred to as a “rustic” tart. You can use many different fillings for the tart. Tart Dough 1 ½ cups flour 2 tablespoons sugar 1/3 cup walnut or canola oil ½ teaspoon salt 6 tablespoons ice water Combine the flour, sugar and salt.  Slowly stir in the oil until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the ice water until the mixture holds together. Press into a disc between two sheets of plastic and then roll out into a circle about 14” in diameter. Refrigerate for about 1 hour. In a food processor, combine: ¼ cup of flour, ½ cup sugar 3 tablespoons of oat bran ¼ cup of chopped walnuts, toasted Spread this mixture over the dough, leaving 1 ½“ border. Pit and quarter 2 pounds of pluots. Arrange them on the dough. They can be arranged casually or carefully in concentric circles. Sprinkle ¼ cup sugar over the top. Fold over the edges of the crust. Brush the edges with milk or water. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 min.

• Pluot Rootstocks...

  
  

  CITATION (Cit.) Peaches and nectarines dwarfed to 8-14 ft.; apricots and plums dwarfed to 12-18 ft. Very tolerant of wet soil; not drought tolerant (induces early dormancy in dry soil) so needs very regular water in hot climates. A top dressing of mulch can help maintain soil moisture. Resists root knot nematodes. Induces heavy bearing at a young age. Very winter hardy. Strong and well anchored. Pat. No. 5112 (Zaiger). MARIANNA 26-24 (Mari.) Standard rootstock for apricots, plums, prunes, most almonds. Mature trees comparatively small, 15-20 ft. if unpruned; can be kept smaller with summer pruning. Shallow root system, much more tolerant of wet soils than Lovell or Nemaguard; is not tolerant of hot soils. Has tendency to sucker. Resistant to oak root fungus, root knot nematodes, root rot.

  MYROBALAN 29C (Myro.) Excellent, all-around rootstock for apricots, plums, almonds. Shallow but vigorous root system tolerates wet soils and is widely adapted; is more deeply rooted than Marianna. Resistant to root knot nematodes and has some resistance to oak root fungus. Unpruned tree height of standard varieties 15-25 ft., but can control size further with summer pruning. Winter hardy in Michigan.