Flavor King Pluot

Prunus salicina × Prunus armeniaca ‘Flavor King’

The best-known pluot, with reddish-purple skin, crimson flesh and a spicy, sweet flavor on a naturally smaller tree. It will not set fruit without a Japanese plum or another pluot, so plant Santa Rosa or Burgundy alongside. At 400 hours or fewer it works in the low desert, where late summer ripening means watching for sunburn, and it suits mid elevation.

Chill hours: 400 chill hours or less
Harvest: Mid July to mid August in the low desert
Pollination: Needs a partner such as Santa Rosa, Burgundy or Late Santa Rosa
Mature size: 12–18 ft on Citation, 20–25 ft on standard rootstock; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning
Cold hardiness: Cover early bloom below 28°F. Rated to USDA zone 6, about -10°F. Pluots are still vulnerable to late frost at bloom, and blossoms are hurt near 28°F.
Heat tolerance: Shade from late-afternoon sun. A late-season fruit that ripens in the heart of summer, so expect fruit sunburn without cover. Give it afternoon shade or shade cloth and paint the trunk white. Its 400 hour chill need is at the top of what Phoenix gets.

Which one

Every pluots & interspecific side by side

Same fruit, different seasons and different jobs. Pick the row that fits your ground and your calendar.

	The best-known pluot, with reddish-purple skin, crimson flesh and a spicy, sweet flavor on a naturally smaller tree. It will not set fruit without a Japanese plum or another pluot, so plant Santa Rosa or Burgundy alongside. At 400 hours or fewer it works in the low desert, where late summer ripening means watching for sunburn, and it suits mid elevation.	A peach, apricot and plum cross with slightly fuzzy yellow skin blushed red and mildly sweet amber flesh under a tart skin. It ripens in early summer. The apricot side means early bloom, so frost can cost you the crop in some years at mid elevation, and Phoenix is short on the 500 hours it wants. Plant it near an apricot or a Flavor Grenade pluot.	A plum and sweet cherry cross with dark speckled red skin, amber and red flesh and a flavor all its own. The fruit hangs well, so the harvest runs long, peaking around mid August. At up to 500 hours it is a mid elevation tree and a gamble in Phoenix. Pair it with Sweet Treat or Burgundy.	A taste-test favorite with creamy white and red freestone flesh and a plum-apricot flavor, on skin that dapples from green-yellow to maroon. It needs a second plum or pluot nearby, such as Santa Rosa or Burgundy. At 400 to 500 hours it is a mid elevation tree and marginal in Phoenix. Thin the crop well.	A low chill pluot bred from Dapple Dandy and Flavor Supreme, with red-dappled skin and sweet red flesh. At about 300 hours it suits the low desert and ripens ahead of the deepest summer heat. It needs another pluot or a Japanese plum nearby, and Santa Rosa or Burgundy are easy choices. A newer variety, so the local record is short.	A Japanese plum and cherry-plum cross with tangy, clingstone fruit and very heavy crops, even in a hard year. It is a good one for tougher spots. Delight and Sprite pollinate each other, so plant them as a pair. At about 400 hours it works in the low desert and at mid elevation.	A late pluot with purplish-red skin, juicy amber-red flesh and a complex flavor, ripening from mid September and edible into October. The upright tree sets large crops. At 500 hours it is a mid elevation tree, best on a warm, low-frost site since it ripens late. Marginal in Phoenix.	Long, green, red-blushed fruit with a crisp texture and a big, punchy flavor, and a taste-test winner. It hangs on the tree for a month or more, so you can pick over several weeks. At 300 to 400 hours it works in the low desert, though it ripens in late summer heat, and it suits mid elevation too. It needs Santa Rosa, Burgundy or another pluot nearby.	A late-ripening pluerry, a plum and cherry cross, with orange skin blushed red, red-orange flesh and an intense flavor. The fruit hangs for weeks into fall. Plant it at mid elevation with a mid to late blooming plum or pluot nearby. In Phoenix, 500 hours is a stretch.	A candy-sweet pluot with greenish-yellow skin and amber-orange flesh and a long harvest through the summer. It needs another plum or pluot for pollination, but Flavor King is not a match, so use Burgundy or Dapple Dandy instead. At 400 to 500 hours it is a mid elevation tree and marginal in Phoenix.	A plum-apricot hybrid with sweet, richly flavored, firm red flesh and greenish-maroon mottled skin, ripening about two weeks ahead of Santa Rosa. It needs real winter chill, 700 to 800 hours, so it is a mid elevation tree and not a Phoenix one. Plant Santa Rosa or another pluot alongside it.	A very heavy-bearing pluot with red skin and yellow flesh, balanced between acid and sugar with a plum-apricot flavor. It ripens in mid summer, just ahead of Flavor Queen, and at about 400 hours it works in the low desert and at mid elevation. It also pollinates other plums and pluots, though it still needs a second tree for its own crop.	A white-fleshed nectarine and plum cross with dark maroon skin that turns pale pink when ripe, and a flavor that carries both parents. It is very productive, and the purplish-pink bloom and red new leaves make it a pretty tree. At 200 to 300 hours it suits the low desert. Early bloom is exposed to frost at elevation.	A Japanese plum and cherry-plum cross, sweet and freestone with no sourness, and refreshing to eat fresh. The ripe fruit holds on the tree for three or four weeks. Sprite and Delight pollinate each other, so plant them as a pair. At about 400 hours it works in the low desert and at mid elevation.	An early pluerry, a plum and cherry cross, with red skin and yellow flesh, ready in mid June in a mild climate. It is a newer variety, so there is little Arizona track record. It needs a mid to late blooming plum or pluot nearby, such as Flavor King. Treat it as a mid elevation tree, since 500 hours is a stretch in Phoenix.	A plum and cherry cross that tastes like a sweet cherry with a bright plum snap. The fruit is bigger than a cherry and a little smaller than a plum, and the colorful tree is almost ornamental. At 200 to 300 hours it is one of the best-fitting pluerries for the low desert. The fruit hangs for over a month.	A plum and cherry cross that tastes like a sweet cherry with a bright plum snap. The fruit is bigger than a cherry and a little smaller than a plum, and the colorful tree is almost ornamental. At 200 to 300 hours it is one of the best-fitting pluerries for the low desert. The fruit hangs for over a month.
Harvest	Mid July to mid August in the low desert	Late June to July at mid elevation	Late July to August at mid elevation	Late July to August at mid elevation	Mid June to early July in the low desert	Late June to July in the low desert	September to October at mid elevation	Mid August to September in the low desert	September to October at mid elevation	Late July to August at mid elevation	Late June to July at mid elevation	Late June to mid July in the low desert	Late June to mid July in the low desert	Late June to July in the low desert	June to early July at mid elevation	Early June to early July in the low desert	Early June to early July in the low desert
Chill hours	400 chill hours or less	500 chill hours	500 chill hours or less	400–500 chill hours	300 chill hours	400 chill hours	500 chill hours	300–400 chill hours	500 chill hours or less	400–500 chill hours	700–800 chill hours	400 chill hours or less	200–300 chill hours	400 chill hours	500 chill hours or less	200–300 chill hours	200–300 chill hours
Pollination	Needs a partner such as Santa Rosa, Burgundy or Late Santa Rosa	Needs a partner such as Blenheim or Gold Kist apricot, or Flavor Grenade pluot	Needs a partner such as Sweet Treat Pluerry or Burgundy plum	Needs a partner such as Santa Rosa, Burgundy or Flavor King pluot	Needs a partner such as Flavorosa pluot, Santa Rosa or Burgundy plum	Needs a partner: Sprite cherry-plum (they pollinate each other)	Needs a partner such as Santa Rosa, Burgundy or Flavor Grenade pluot	Needs a partner such as Santa Rosa, Burgundy or Flavor King pluot	Needs a partner such as Flavor King pluot or Emerald Beaut plum	Needs a partner such as Burgundy plum or Dapple Dandy; not Flavor King	Needs a partner such as Santa Rosa, Late Santa Rosa or Geo Pride	Needs a partner such as Santa Rosa plum or Dapple Dandy pluot	Self-fruitful; a second peach or nectarine boosts the crop	Needs a partner: Delight cherry-plum (they pollinate each other)	Needs a partner such as Flavor King pluot or Emerald Beaut plum	Needs a partner such as Santa Rosa, Burgundy or Flavor King	Needs a partner such as Santa Rosa, Burgundy or Flavor King
Mature size	12–18 ft on Citation, 20–25 ft on standard rootstock; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	10–15 ft unpruned on Citation; easy to hold at 8 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation, 20–25 ft on Myro 29C; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	20–25 ft unpruned on Myro 29C; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	20–25 ft on Myro 29C; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	20–25 ft on Myro 29C; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	15–20 ft unpruned on Nemaguard or Lovell; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	12–18 ft on Citation; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	20–25 ft unpruned on Myro 29C; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning
Cold	Cover early bloom below 28°F	Hardy here	Hardy here	Cover early bloom below 28°F	Cover in a hard freeze	Cover early bloom below 28°F	Hardy here	Cover early bloom below 28°F	Hardy here	Hardy here	Hardy here	Cover early bloom below 28°F	Cover early bloom below 28°F	Cover early bloom below 28°F	Hardy here	Cover in a hard freeze	Cover in a hard freeze
Heat	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun
From	$25	$40	$33	$28	$39	$39	$33	$28	$42	$33	$30	$36	$31	$39	$33	$40	$34

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Flavor King Pluot

Every pluots & interspecific side by side

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