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— COMMERCIAL CATALOG —
Plums
The diversity of the plum - black, purple, red or green skin, red or yellow flesh - affords many market opportunities for commercial growers.
Tree fruit varieties offered by Dave Wilson Nursery are selected for their appearance, firmness, good shipping characteristics and desirable flesh quality. Approximate ripening dates (for the Fresno, California area), chilling requirements and patent information are listed for each variety along with any special traits.
Plum & Pluot® Maturity Chart, out-of-state version
Fruit & Nut Maturity Chart 2017 (full chart)
Plum, Plumcot & Pluot® Brief View
Growers: ask your sales rep about new plum varieties and experimentals from Zaiger Genetics.
Symbols: see bottom of page
The heavily planted Angeleno plum is a purple to black fruit that sizes well when thinned. The sweet, yellow flesh is meaty, but can be somewhat dry near the freestone pit. Angeleno is harvested the 1st week of September and requires a mid-season blooming pollenizer. Estimated chilling requirement 400 to 450 hours.
The large, brilliant-red Betty Anne plum ripens in late August, developing a deep, sweet taste. The tree is spreading, very productive and may require a mid-season blooming pollenizer. Estimated chilling requirement 750 to 850 hours.
Exceptional color is the hallmark of the Black Splendor plum. With beet-red flesh and black skin, Black Splendor is unforgettable. The fruit is larger and earlier than the industry standard, Santa Rosa. Harvested in the 1st to 2nd weeks of June, the Black Splendor fruit features a tart flavor. The moderately vigorous tree has a spreading growth habit. This extra-early bloomer requires a pollenizer. Estimated chilling requirement 200 hours.
The Blackamber plum is a firm, dark purple-to-black fruit that resembles the Friar plum. The tree grows rapidly and bears a heavy crop in the 4th week of June. This heavily planted variety blooms in mid-season and requires a pollenizer. Blackamber has an estimated chilling requirement of 400 hours.
In fruit tastings at Dave Wilson Nursery, the Catalina plum scores exceptionally high. Tasters love the sweet, juicy flavor of this black plum that stays firm when fully ripe. The medium-sized fruit ripens from the last week of June to the 1st week of July. Although the spreading tree is partially self-fruitful, growers have noted better fruit set when planted with pollenizers such as Blackamber and Santa Rosa. Estimated chilling requirement 400 hours.
The skin of the Crimson Glo plum is a dark, almost glowing, purple. The light red clingstone flesh is firm and juicy with good texture and an excellent sweet flavor. Crimson Glo matures in the first two weeks of July on a vigorous upright tree (to about 13 feet). A pollenizer is required. Estimated chilling requirement 750 hours. (U.S. Plant Patent No. 12856 )
With an early harvest time and a classic plum flavor, Earliqueen is a popular commercial selection. The fruit matures in the 4th week of May with good size (40 to 50) and attractive deep red skin color. This early-blooming variety requires a pollenizer. The tree is vigorous, spreading and dense with an estimated chilling requirement of 400 to 500 hours.
Emerald Beaut is one of the highest-rated plums in blind fruit tastings at Dave Wilson Nursery. This medium-sized plum begins to ripen in early August, showing a light green skin with a yellow-to-orange freestone flesh. Ripe fruit continues to sweeten, becoming exceptionally sweet while staying crisp and crunchy. Emerald Beaut holds on the tree an incredible two months or more. The light-colored skin makes Emerald Beaut more susceptible to bruising than other plums. The very vigorous, upright tree requires a very late-blooming pollenizer. Estimated chilling requirement 600 to 700 hours. (U.S. Plant Patent No. 9162).
Very popular in California, Fortune is a large, bright red plum that ripens evenly in the last weeks of July. Fortune has uniform shape, aromatic flavor and very good storage potential. The moderately vigorous tree grows upright to slightly spreading and requires a pollenizer such as Friar. Estimated chilling requirement 500 hours.
The prolonged harvest window of the Friar plum makes it an attractive choice for the commercial grower. This large, round plum has dark purple-to-black skin, mild amber flesh and a very small stone. Blooming in mid-season, Friar begins to ripen in the 4th week of July. Friar is self-fruitful, but more productive when mixed with a small percentage of pollenizers such as Santa Rosa or Blackamber. The tree is upright and economical. Estimated chilling requirement 400 hours.
Ripening in mid-June, Hiromi Red is a large, firm plum with red-over-yellow skin and excellent flavor. The very vigorous tree is upright to spreading with a mid to late bloom. Angeleno, Kelsey, Simka and Emerald Beaut are suggested as pollenizers for Hiromi Red; multiple pollenizers are recommended. Estimated chilling requirement 800 to 900 hours. (U.S. Plant Patent No. 9858)
Joanna Red is a very large plum with red over yellow skin that ripens with Royal Diamond from the last week of July to the first week of August. The tree is vigorous, upright and productive. Joanna Red requires a pollenizer such as Simka or Emerald Beaut. Estimated chilling requirement 750 to 850 hours. (U.S. Plant Patent No. 10385)
The unique Kelsey plum is heart-shaped with green skin that blushes yellow to orange as it ripens in the first two weeks of August. This large, aromatic plum has a rich, sweet, low-acid flavor. Kelsey has firm, pale yellow flesh and a tiny pit that is freestone when ripe. The tree is vigorous and heavy-bearing, and the fruit keeps well. Kelsey requires a pollenizer such as Santa Rosa or Wickson. Estimated chilling requirement 400 hours.
The juicy Laroda plum has received high overall scores in Dave Wilson Nursery tastings for its sweet, excellent flavor. A dark purple plum similar to Santa Rosa, Laroda is larger and ripens about a month later. The long Laroda harvest begins in mid-July and extends to mid-August. The tree is vigorous and upright. This mid-season bloomer requires a pollenizer such as Santa Rosa or Catalina. Estimated chilling requirement 400 hours.
The Owen T plum has blue-black skin with purple highlights and sweet, light-yellow flesh. Owen T is harvested from late June through early July. The tree shows average vigor and an upright growth habit. A mid-season bloomer, Owen T requires a pollenizer such as Santa Rosa. Estimated chilling requirement 400 hours.
One of our earliest varieties, the Red Beaut plum ripens in the 4th week of May providing good quality fruit with a mild flavor. Red Beaut has a smooth, bright red skin that turns reddish-purple when fully ripe. The yellow flesh is fairly firm to slightly soft and very juicy with a pleasantly sweet flavor and slightly tart skin.
Royal Diamond is a medium-large, dark red-to-black plum that is harvested from the last week of July to the first week of August. The tree is vigorous and upright. Royal Diamond requires a late-blooming pollenizer and has an estimated chilling requirement of 500 to 600 hours.
The early-ripening Rubirosa is a beautiful, dark red plum with meaty amber flesh. Rubirosa ripens in the 1st week of June when the medium- to large-sized fruit is very sweet and firm. The tree is vigorous and upright to moderately spreading. This variety requires a pollenizer during its early to mid-season bloom. Estimated chilling requirement 300 hours. (U.S. Plant Patent No. 13506)
The industry standard, Santa Rosa is a purple-skinned plum with tangy, blond flesh that provides the definitive "plum" flavor. Santa Rosa is harvested in the 2nd to 3rd weeks of June. A vigorous, spreading tree, Santa Rosa is self-fruitful, but often used as a pollenizer for other mid-season plums. Estimated chilling requirement 300 hours.
The large, heart-shaped Simka plum has purple skin over firm, golden flesh. Sizing medium to large, the fruit ripens to a pleasantly sweet flavor in late July. The late-blooming tree grows in a spreading form with average vigor. Self-fruitful. Estimated chilling requirement 500-600 hours.
Developed by Luther Burbank, the Wickson plum is a medium-to-large, heart-shaped yellow fruit with moderately sweet, translucent flesh. There is little or no tartness in the skin or near the pit. The mid-season Wickson harvest begins in mid-July, 3 weeks after Santa Rosa. Wickson is a self-fruitful, spreading tree that blooms in mid-season. Estimated chilling requirement 500 hours.
Packing Variety, recommended for new plantings in the Fresno area. Within their harvest season, these varieties have demonstrated superior overall quality with respect to size, color, firmness, flavor, yield, storage and shipping. Used for apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, plum and interspecific fruit types.
Farmers Market Favorite™: varieties that have demonstrated, where adapted, consistent production of especially desirable, high-flavored fruit for local farmers market/fruit stand distributiion.
Zaiger Variety: developed by Zaiger's Inc. Genetics of Modesto, California. Dave Wilson Nursery is the exclusive U.S. licensor and primary propagator.
Note: Fruit and nut varieties in the Commercial Catalog are offered exclusively to commercial growers in commercial quantities for the purpose of commercial fruit and nut production. Products in this catalog are not offered for resale.
