Prunus 'Spring Satin Plumcot'

This variety is a delicious fruit that is a cross between a plum and an apricot. It has a dark-red skin with a satin surface, and yellow flesh that ripens to red. It has a high sugar content when ripe, and the fruit is delicious for eating fresh or for preserves. Fruit ripens between late May and early July, depending on your climate zone, and the fruit stores well in a cool place after picking. This vigorous and easy tree is a great introduction to the joys of growing fruit at home, and highly recommended. Upright spreading tree that is quite compact and ornamental; needs full sun and well-drained soil; requires a pollinator, like the Santa Rosa Plum, is needed for full fruit development.

Edible Qualities

Spring Satin Plumcot is a small tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces burgundy round fruit (technically 'drupes') with powder blue overtones and gold flesh which are usually ready for picking in mid summer. The fruit will often fade to black over time. Note that the fruits have hard inedible pits inside which must be removed before eating or processing. The fruits have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves
• Sauces

Features

Spring Satin Plumcot is smothered in stunning clusters of fragrant white flowers along the branches in early spring before the leaves. It has forest green foliage throughout the season. The pointy leaves turn yellow in fall. The fruits are showy burgundy drupes with powder blue overtones and which fade to black over time, which are carried in abundance from early to mid summer.

This is a deciduous tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration:

• Messy
• Disease

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Spring Satin Plumcot is sutiable for the following landscape applications:

• Accent
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Spring Satin Plumcot will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.

This tree is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.