Question:
What cultivar of apple should I plant to ensure good pollination?Answer:
Apples are considered self-unfruitful. While a few cultivars, like Gold Delicious, set a good crop without cross-pollination, most apple cultivars will not produce a good crop without a different cultivar nearby to provide pollen.
For best production, plant two or more apple cultivars to ensure cross-pollination and fruit set.
See the chart below to determine which apple cultivars are suitable pollinators.
Apple Pollination Partners
To use this chart:
Start with the cultivar to be used as a pollen source (left side) and move across the row to the column of the cultivar to be pollinated (produce fruit). If square at the intersection is not shaded or dark, it will be a good pollen source for that cultivar and good fruit set can be expected.
Then switch the two cultivars. Look at the other cultivar as a pollen source (left side) and move across the row to the column of the other cultivar to be pollinated (produce fruit). If square at the intersection is not shaded or dark, it will be a good pollen source for that cultivar and good fruit set can be expected on the other cultivar as well.
- If both cultivars are not shaded or dark at their intersection, they are good pollination partners for each other.
- If one or both cultivars show a shaded square at their intersections, some fruit set can be expected. However, a different cultivar or a third cultivar that is not shaded or dark at their intersection should be planted to ensure better pollination and fruit set.
- If one or both cultivars show a dark square at their intersections, no fruit set can be expected on one or both trees. A different cultivar or a third cultivar that is not shaded or dark at their intersection should be planted to ensure good pollination and fruit set.
For example, if Jonagold and Haralson are selected with Jonagold as the pollen source for Haralson, the result is a dark square. When Haralson is the pollen source for Jonagold, the intersection is not shaded or dark. Thus, a third cultivar, such as Jonathan, should be planted with Jonagold and Haralson to provide a pollen source for the Haralson apple tree.