Extension ServiceCan a pluot pollinator be plum or apricot?
I have a Flavor Supreme pluot. The year before last it had a lot of fruit. I do not have a pollinator for it, but the neighbor's have a plum. Last year it had only a few fruits. I want to get a pollinator. According to what I read it needs to be another pluot or a plum (there is a list of them). Why can't it be an apricot?
Pluots, like plums, will also need a pollinizer of a different variety to ensure a good fruit set. Most pluot varieties will pollinate another pluot variety. Another option is planting certain varieties of plum to pollinate the pluot. Plant a Japanese plum tree within 100 feet of the pluot for cross-pollination. Although a pluot is part apricot, another apricot will not serve as a pollinator.
Non-productive fruit trees
The most common reasons for non-productive fruit trees are:
- Less than 6 hours of sunlight exposure daily
- Excessive pruning that removes the fruiting wood
- Lack of irrigation during dry months. The general recommendation is at least once a week, applying adequate water to penetrate 8 to 10 inches deep.
Pluots do not grow in alkaline soil, and they require adequate drainage.
These publications will help you review the situation more thoroughly:
- Home Orchards: Why is There No Fruit on My Tree?, Penn State
- Growing Tree Fruits and Nuts in the Home Orchard, OSU Extension
- Training and Pruning Your Home Orchard, OSU Extension
