City Fruit | Grow: Pollination

This information is based on the following sources:
Pollination is Essential in Home Orchard, B. Rosie Lerner
The 2009 Raintree Nursery Catalog

In most cases, pollinating fruit trees requires at least two trees, and they should be different varieties, as discussed below. As a rule, the trees should be within about 50 feet of each other. This is because pollen is too heavy and sticky for the wind to carry, so bees must do the job.

Self-fruitful (or self-fertile) trees vs. cross-pollination

Self-fruitful (or self-fertile) trees are those that produce fruit with their own pollen or with pollen from the same cultivar (or cultivated variety). Self-fruitful trees don’t necessarily require another tree for pollination, although they may produce better if there is more than one tree in the area.

Most fruit trees require cross-pollination: that is, they need pollen from another tree—and this other tree must be a different cultivar. Triploids are cultivars that will not pollinate other varieties—or themselves: they must be pollinated by another variety.

Finding the appropriate pollinator for your fruit tree requires a little research. In general, early blooming trees can pollinate each other, and mid- and late-blooming trees can pollinate each other. (Early and late-blooming trees can’t pollinate each other because their bloom times are too far apart: the early bloomers will be finished blooming before the late-bloomers start.) The Raintree Nursery catalog provides pollination charts showing which varieties can pollinate each other for each type of fruit—apples, European pears, Asian pears and plums.

Bottomline: In order to ensure that your fruit tree is pollinated, choose a self-fruitful variety or be sure that there is another compatible tree nearby (that is, a pollinator that blooms when your tree blooms).

Apple

Apples don’t pollinate themselves. You must have two different varieties. In addition, apples don’t pollinate other fruits. The following apple varieties are triploids—that is, they don’t pollinate any other apples: Gravenstein, Jonagold, Red Boskoop, Shizuka, Karmijn, King and Bramley.

European pears

European pears need a pollinator. Because pear blossoms are relatively unattractive to bees, plant pear trees near each other to promote pollination.

Asian pears

All varieties are good pollinators, but each tree needs to be pollinated by a different variety. Asian pears bloom before European pears, but late-blooming Asian pears may pollinate early-blooming European pears. The Shinseiki may be partly self-fertile.

Plums

The following European plums are self-fruitful (or self-fertile): Golden Transparent Gage, Purple Gage (partially), Cambridge Gage (partially), Italian Prune, Longjohn (partially), and Stanley. The following Japanese plums are self-fertile: Hollywood, Methley, Shiro (partially).

Cherries

The following sweet cherries are self-fertile: Black Gold, Lapins, Sweetheart, Vandalay. These tart cherries are self-fertile: Almaden Duke, English Morello, Montmorency, and Surefire.

Grow Fruit

Overview
General Care
Pests & Diseases
Planting Fruit Trees
Pollination
Pruning
Fruit Varieties
Thinning
Classes
Quick Reference Guides

Weather, bees

and pollination

Flower buds on fruit trees are formed in autumn for the following year’s crop, so very low temperatures in winter—or a heavy spring frost—can kill or injure the buds. The more developed the bud, the more susceptible it is to damage by cold. Ruined buds decrease the potential for fruit.

Since rain and cold discourage the activity of bees, rain during bloom time has a significant effect on pollination.

The advisability of creating Mason bee colonies in order to promote pollination of fruit flowers is under debatable. Domesticating Mason bees may increase the prevalence of parasitic mites and diseases in both domesticated and will populations of Mason bees.