Matt's 9b field note
“Plum-cherry crosses alongside the pluots. Cultivars unspecified.”
Background
Pluerry is a Dave Wilson Nursery trademark for Zaiger-bred interspecific plum x sweet cherry hybrids (predominantly plum and cherry, some with apricot or peach further back in the parentage). The first was 'Sweet Treat' (US Plant Patent 23,796, tested as 46MB583), followed by Candy Heart, Sugar Twist, and others.
Distinguishing traits
Larger than a cherry, slightly small for a plum; Sweet Treat has maroon skin with yellow flesh and a cherry-sweet, plum-zingy flavor. Fruit hangs on the tree for a month, getting sweeter. Precocious, prolific, and ornamental.
Desert care — zone 9b
- Chill hours
- Sweet Treat: 200-300 hours (Dave Wilson); other pluerries run up to about 500 hours.
- Cold hardiness
- USDA zones 6-9.
- Heat tolerance
- Good in hot-summer climates.
- Water
- Regular deep watering through the season.
- Soil
- Well-drained.
- Sun exposure
- Full sun. Most need a pollinizer: Santa Rosa plum, Burgundy plum, or Flavor King pluot all work.
Where to buy
- Grow Organic
- Bay Laurel Nursery
- Willis Orchard Company