Flavortop Nectarine Fruit Tree

Flavortop is a vigorous, self-fruitful nectarine with fragrant pink spring flowers and large, firm freestone fruit with red skin and sweet yellow flesh. Its crop ripens around mid-July in central California and has scored highly in Dave Wilson Nursery taste tests. ## Fruit and bloom The early-season fruit is yellow-fleshed and freestone, making it useful for fresh eating and kitchen use. Monrovia describes an early-spring display of pink flowers followed by summer fruit, and notes that young fruit can be thinned to improve the size of the remaining crop. Harvest timing and chill accumulation vary by climate. Dave Wilson Nursery reports about 650 chill hours and USDA Zones 6–9; Monrovia lists a mature size of 20–25 feet tall and wide and annual pruning as a way to keep it smaller. [Dave Wilson Nursery](https://www.davewilson.com/nurseries/products/fruit-trees/nectarine-yellow/flavortop/) and [Monrovia](https://www.monrovia.com/flavortop-nectarine.html) profile this exact cultivar. ## Site and placement Plant in full sun and fertile, moist, well-drained soil. The standard mature size is substantial, though annual pruning can keep the canopy more compact. Hardiness guidance varies among sources: Monrovia lists Zones 6–9, while SuperTrees lists Zones 5–9 and reports a smaller mature height and spread. Keep the existing broad zone guidance in context of local climate and rootstock. ## Maintenance Water deeply and regularly during establishment, then water when the upper soil begins to dry. Prune annually to maintain a manageable shape, and thin young fruit after set when branches carry a heavy crop. Remove damaged or crossing growth and keep the canopy open enough for light and air movement.