Fruit Tree Pollination Guide

How Pollination Works

Pollen is produced in stamens, or the male part of the flowers, and must be transported to the pistils, or female part. After fertilisation, the ovary begins to ripen into fruit. For successful pollination, blossoms on compatible tree varieties must appear at the same time. Wind and insects then transfer the pollen, with bees being the most effective method.

Apples

Choose an apple from the same flowering time to pollinate.

*Triploid trees cannot pollinate other trees. Other trees in the same flowering group will pollinate them. If you need the other tree pollinated, a third tree is needed.

For example: Apple Belle de Boskoop is triploid. Any other tree from the mid season flowering group will pollinate it. Belle de Boskoop will not pollinate this other tree. A third is required. Belle de Boskoop + Red Fuji + Cox's Orange Pippin combination means all 3 will be pollinated and will produce fruit.

EARLY FLOWERING	HAVEST TIME
Braeburn	March - April
Bramley (cooking)*	April onwards
Bulmers Norman	January - February
Gravenstein*	January - February
Yarlington Mill (Cider)	April onwards

MID FLOWERING	HAVEST TIME
Belle De Boskoop*	March - April
Cider King David	April onwards
Columnar Bolero	March - April
Columnar Charlotte	March - April
Columnar Cumulus	April onwards
Columnar Flamenco	March - April
Columnar Harmony	March - April
Columnar Herald	February - March
Columnar Polka	March - April
Columnar Pom Pink	March - April
Columnar Waltz	March - April
Cox's Orange Pippin	March - April
Fuji	March - April
Gala	January - February
Golden Delicious	February - March
Granny Smith	April onwards
Jonathan	March - April
King David	April onwards
Leprechaun DWF	April onwards
Magnus Summer	January - February
Pink Lady	March - April
Pinkabelle	March - April
Pomme de Neige	March - April
Red Delicious	March - April
Somerset Red Streak	March - April

LATE FLOWERING	HARVEST TIME
Brown Snout (Cider)	April onwards
Fox Whelp (Cider)	January - February
Michulon (Cider)	March - April
Stoke (Cider)	April onwards

Cherries

CULTIVAR	POLLEN SOURCE
Cherree Trixzie Black Miniature	Self Pollinating
Cherree Trixzie White Miniature	Stella, Partially Self Fertile
Lapins	Self Pollinating
Napoleon white flesh	Stella, Royal Rainier
Royal Rainier white flesh	Stella, Lapins
Simone	Self Pollinating
Sir Don	Self Pollinating
Sour Kentish	Self Pollinating
Sour Morello	Self Pollinating
Starkrimson	Self Pollinating
Stella	Self Pollinating
Sunburst	Self Pollinating

Pears

CULTIVAR	POLLEN SOURCE
Baby Face	B. Bosc, Josephine
Buerre Bosc	Nashi 20th Century, Williams, Sensation, Winter Nelis, Comice
Comice	B. Bosc, Josephine, Williams, Winter Nelis
Corella	Packham's, B. Bosc, Williams, Comice, Winter Nelis
Cool Crisp	Williams, Packham’s or Buerre Bosc
Gold Rush	Williams, Packham’s or Buerre Bosc
Josephine	Packham's, Winter Nelis, Sensation, Williams
Packham	Josephine, Winter Nelis, Sensation
Red Princess	Williams, Packham’s or Buerre Bosc
Sensation	Buerre Bosc, Nashi 20th Cent, Josephine, Packman's, Winter Nelis
Sweet Reward	Williams, Packham’s or Buerre Bosc
Trixzie Pyvert Miniature	Self Pollinating
Williams	Nashi 20th Century, Sensation, Winter Nelis, Comice
Winter Nelis	Burre Bosc, Comice, Sensation, Nashi 20th Century

Pears (Nashi)

CULTIVAR	POLLEN SOURCE
20th Century	Winter Nelis, Williams, Kosui, Shinsui, Corella, Joseph, Packham’s, Chojuro, Shinseiki
Chojuro	20th Century, Williams, Shinsui, Kosui, Packham’s, Shinseiki
Kosui	20th Century, Shinsui, Corella, Joseph, Packham’s, Chorjuro, Shinseiki
Shinseiki	Self Pollinating - Good Pollinator
Shinsui	20th Century, Kosui, Corella, Joseph, Packham, Chorjuro, Shinseiki

Plums (Japanese)

CULTIVAR	POLLEN SOURCE
A-Okay	All Japanese plum varieties will pollinate each other.
Donsworth	All Japanese plum varieties will pollinate each other.
Elephant Heart	All Japanese plum varieties will pollinate each other.
Mariposa	All Japanese plum varieties will pollinate each other.
Narrabeen	All Japanese plum varieties will pollinate each other.
Ruby Blood	All Japanese plum varieties will pollinate each other.
Santa Rosa	All Japanese plum varieties will pollinate each other.
Satsuma	All Japanese plum varieties will pollinate each other.

Plums (European)

CULTIVAR	POLLEN SOURCE
Angelina	President, King Billy, Damson, D'Agen, Coe’s Golden Drop
Coe's Golden Drop	Green Gage, Damson, President, Golden Gage, Robe de Sergeant
Damson	Self Fertile - Good Pollinator
Green Gage	Coe's Golden Drop, Purple Gage, D'Agen, Damson
King Billy	Angelina, President
President	Angelina, King Billy, Green Gage, Golden Gage, Purp. Gage, Sugar Plum, D'Agen, R. de Serg, Coe's Golden Drop
Purple Gage	Green Gage, Coe’s Golden Drop, Damson, President, Robe de Sergeant
Sugar	Damson, Robe de Sergeant

Plums (Plum Prune)

CULTIVAR	POLLEN SOURCE
D'Agen	Robe de Sergeant, Green Gage, Purple Gage, Golden Gage
Stanley	Self Fertile - Good Pollinator
Robe de Sergeant	Coe's Golden Drop, Damson, Green Gage

Hazelnuts

Hazelnut cross-pollination requires a mixture of 3 different varieties for best results. Cosford is a good, universal pollen donor.

CULTIVAR	POLLEN SOURCE
American White	Red Aveline, Cosford
Cosford	Red Aveline, American White
Hall's Giant	Cosford, Barcelona, Wanliss Pride
Lambert	Cosford, Red Aveline, American White
Red Aveline	Cosford, American White
Wanliss Pride	Cosford, Hall’s Giant, Red Aveline

Self-pollinating Fruit Trees

Peach, Nectarine, Apricot and Quince.