Any apple pollination gurus out there that want to help?

General Fruit Growing
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I just planted a bunch of apples that seem to do well in the south. I’ve looked up some of the pollination requirements but don’t know if I’ve left one or more of them uncovered. Can anyone advise whether I need another pollinator?

Bramley’s Seedling
Devonshire Crimson Queen
Blairmont
Liberty
Hunge
Anna
Reverend Morgan
Arkansas Black
Williams Pride
Royal Limbertwig
Swiss Limbertwig
And there is one on a Golden Delicious interstem and there is a branch of that still present.

I know the Bramley’s is a triploid and covered by Hunge and Reverend Morgan.

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2

I would suggest a Yellow Delicious and or Grimes Golden to give them a reliable pollinator. They seem to bloom long enough each spring to help make sure the other apple trees have an opportunity to be pollinated.

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Maybe this will help:

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Thanks Mark. I actually have trouble understanding that chart. Do you need to have a couple in the same group to pollinate each other? And none of the limbertwigs, the blairmont, and the Devonshire are listed and very little information is offered online about them.

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You might also consider adding a crabapple or two. Lots of blossoms and pollen attract lots of pollinators.

I am adding grafts of Chestnut FG3 and Trailman FG4 to my Early Mc FG2 and Novamac FG4 trees this spring.

TNHunter

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Since the validity of the chart seems to be in question maybe I should just steer you to this link:

@Brisco provides some alternatives that you might find more useful. And @TNHunter suggests a crab, which is another good idea.

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My Honeycrisp tree seems to be a good pollinator although it never has apples. :grimacing:

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When we first built our current home… I started an orchard … back in 2002.

2 apples 2 pears 2 peaches 2 plums.

1 of those apples was my early mcintosh.
The other red delicious.

They were abut 20 ft apart.

I also planted a pink flowering crab in the back yard … like 70 yards away.

In year 3 or 4 the red delicious died of fire blight… I planted another variety… and in year 3 or 4 it died of fireblight… and yes… I planted another and it died too.

The only pollinator my early mcintosh ever really had was a crab 70 yards away and it produced lots of nice apples.

The crab that I have starts blooming before my early mcintosh which is in FG2… and it continues to bloom until my Novamac (FG4) has been blooming for a couple of weeks.

It produces a big flush of blossoms early on and after those are done it continues to produce blossoms in the limb tips on new growth for weeks longer. It successfully pollinates a tree in FG2 and in FG4.

TNHunter

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9

With that many varieties you have everything covered. Plus, the bees that work your trees will likely be working other apple trees in the area. I’d be dumbstruck if pollination is an issue. More likely you’ll be like everyone else, spending a lot of time thinning.

There is actually a new technique to limit the amount of fruit set so as to lower the expense of thinning commercial orchards. They net the trees to limit honeybee access. It also controls pests like codling moth. The trees are enclosed in netting after a certain percentage of open king bloom. Then netted the rest of the summer. Also reduces sunburn and hail damage.

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@fruitnut …. That’s good to know! I wondered about the different varieties being enough but then some were diverse enough not to be listed anywhere or it becomes a loop trying to figure out on Orange pippin. So I choose the lazy way and ask those who know a lot more than me about apples. Texas is not apple friendly and my experiment is to find some varieties that might be hardy enough to make it. I may not live long enough……. :face_with_spiral_eyes:

I ordered a Dolgo crab just to make sure and it was fireblight resistant and the apples make good jelly according to the advert.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

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