The science (and sometimes the snake-oil) can run deep when it comes to fruit tree pollination.

You could read endless books and research studies on how to optimise your orchard with a diversity of cross-pollinators to achieve a bumper crop.

For most growers, it's actually pretty straightforward to get the right results. This guide should take the confusion out of how best to pollinate your fruit trees.

In the pollination tables below, first find the variety you're interested in. Then, any tree in the same group, or a group either side, will be a good pollination partner. For example, a group D tree is compatible with trees in groups C, D, and E. And where there are important exceptions, we've noted them. Simples!

Jump to:

• Apple trees
• Pear trees
• Cherry trees
• Plum trees (including gage, damson and mirabelle)

We hope this guide helps, and here's to some bumper fruit crops in the future.

Apple tree pollination

Apple trees invariably give heavier crops when they are pollinated by other suitable varieties. Generally, apple trees that flower at about the same time will cross-pollinate one another.

There are, however, some rather selfish exceptions! These are called "triploid" apples, because the minimum number of varieties required (including the triploid itself) so that all bear fruit is three; two pollinators to pollinate one another, either or both of which to pollinate the triploid.

Just nine of our apple varieties are triploid, however they do include favourites such as Bramley, Jupiter and Blenheim Orange.

Confused yet? We hope not, and you need not be... below is a really clear cross pollination chart for apples!

Name (click to view our trees!)	Use	Harvest	Pollination group	Fertility note
Bountiful	Cooker / Eater	Late Sept	A	Long flowering period – will cross pollinate with trees in Groups B & C
Bardsey Island	Eater	Late Sept	B
Christmas Pearmain	Eater	Early Oct	B	Reliably Self fertile
Foxwhelp	Cider	Sept	B
Irish Peach	Eater	Mid Aug	B
Keswick Codlin	Cooker / Eater	Mid Aug - Sept	B	Partially Self fertile
Rosette	Eater	Aug	B
Tremletts Bitter	Cider	Early Oct	B
Egremont Russet	Eater	Late Sept - Early Oct	B	Partially Self fertile
Greensleeves	Eater	Oct	B	Partially Self fertile Incompatible with: Lord Lambourne
Reverend W Wilkes	Cooker	Late Aug - Early Sept	B	Reliably Self fertile
Slack ma Girdle	Cooker / Eater		B
Arthur Turner	Cooker	Late Aug - Nov	C	Partially Self fertile
Lord Lambourne	Eater	Mid Sept	C	Partially Self fertile Incompatible with: Greensleeves
Ribston Pippin	Eater	Late Sept - Early Oct	C	Triploid
Sops in Wine	Eater	Aug-Oct	C
Spartan	Eater	Early Oct	C	Reliably Self fertile
Adams Pearmain	Eater	Early Oct	C
Beauty of Bath	Eater	Early Aug	C
Fortune	Eater	Sept	C	Partially Self fertile
Katy	Eater	Early Sept	C
Yellow Ingestrie	Eater	Early Sept	C
Christmas Pippin	Eater	Late Oct	C
Cobra	Eater / Cooker	Sept-Oct	C
Crispin	Eater	Mid Oct	C	Triploid Incompatible with: Golden Delicious
Early Victoria / Emneth Early	Cooker	Aug	C	Partially Self fertile
James Grieve	Cooker Eater	Early Sept	C	Partially Self fertile
Morgan Sweet	Cooker / Eater	Sept	C	Triploid
Red Windsor	Eater	Late Sept	C
Red Windsor	Eater	Oct	C
Saturn	Eater	Late Sept	C	Reliably Self fertile
Sunset	Eater	Late Sept	C	Reliably Self fertile Incompatible with: Coxs Orange Pippin & Jupiter
Tom Putt	Cooker	Early Sept	C
Catshead	Cooker	Oct	C	Triploid
Charles Ross	Eater / Cooker	Mid Sept	C	Partially Self fertile
Coxs Orange Pippin	Eater	Late Sept - Early Oct	C	Incompatible with: Jupiter & Sunset
Discovery	Eater	Late Aug	C
Falstaff	Eater	Early Oct	C
Grenadier	Cooker	Mid Aug	C	Partially Self fertile
Herefordshire Russet	Eater	Oct	C
Peasgood Nonsuch	Eater Cooker	Mid Sept	C	Partially Self fertile
Red Falstaff	Eater	Early Oct	C	Partially Self fertile
Scotch Bridget	Cooker	Early Oct	C
Scrumptious	Eater	Sept - Oct	C	Reliably Self fertile
Worcester Pearmain	Eater	Mid Sept	C	Partially Self fertile
Blenheim Orange	Eater / Cooker	Late Sept - Early Oct	D	Triploid
Bloody Ploughman	Eater	Mid Sept	D
Bramley	Cooker	Early Oct	D	Triploid
Golden Delicious	Eater	Late Oct	D	Incompatible with: Crispin
Hoary Morning	Eater Cooker	Early Oct	D
Howgate Wonder	Cooker	Early Oct	D	Partially Self fertile
Kidds Orange Red	Eater	Mid Oct	D
Lanes Prince Albert	Cooker	Mid Oct	D	Partially Self fertile
Pitmaston Pineapple	Eater	Early Oct	D
Winter Banana	Eater	Early Oct	D
Ellisons Orange	Eater	Mid Sept	D	Partially Self fertile
Jonagold	Eater	Mid Oct	D	Triploid
King of the Pippins	Eater	Early Oct	D	Partially Self fertile
Laxton Superb	Eater	Early Oct	D	Partially Self fertile
Tydemans Late Orange	Eater	Mid Oct	D
Winter Gem	Eater	Oct	D
Ashmeads Kernel	Eater / Cider	Early - Mid Oct	D	Triploid
Chivers Delight	Eater	Mid Oct	D
Fiesta	Eater	Late Sept	D	Partially Self fertile
Jupiter	Eater	Early Oct	D	Triploid Incompatible with: Coxs Orange Pippin & Sunset
Lord Derby	Cooker	Late Sept	D	Partially Self fertile
Newton Wonder	Cooker	Mid Oct	D	Partially Self fertile
Norfolk Beefing	Eater	Mid Oct	D
Taunton Cross	Eater	Mid Sept	D
Black Dabinett	Cider	Nov	D
Cornish Aromatic	Eater	Dec	D
Court of Wick	Eater	Late Sept	D
Dunkerton's Late	Cider	Early Nov	D
Fair Maid of Devon	Cider		D
Fillbarrel	Cider	Late Sept	D
Harry Masters Jersey	Cider	Oct - Early Nov	D
Michelin	Cider	Oct - Early Nov	D
Somerset Redstreak	Cider	Oct	D
Sweet Alford	Cider	Late Oct - Early Nov	D
Sweet Coppin	Cider	Late Oct - Early Nov	D
Yarlington Mill	Cider	Late Oct	D
Kingston Black	Cider	Early Nov	D
Annie Elizabeth	Cooker	Nov	E	Partially Self fertile
Hereford Redstreak	Cider	?	E
Orleans Reinette	Eater / Cider	Mid Oct	E	Partially Self fertile
Red Pixie	Eater	Mid Oct	E
Braeburn	Eater	Late Oct	E
Browns Apple	Cider	Mid Oct - Early Nov	E
Hangy Down	Cider		E
Isaac Newton's Tree / Flower of Kent	Cooker	Mid Oct	F
Major	Cider	Late Sept - Early Oct	F
Stoke Red	Cider	Late Oct	G
Court Pendu Plat	Eater	Mid - Late Oct	G
Crawley Beauty	Cooker	Mid - Late Oct	H

 

The superstar apple pollinator!

Introducing the superstar pollinator... the crab apple!

If you're already set your heart on varieties that don't pollinate each other, or if you're planting a large number of trees for an orchard, you can make your life simple (and even more beautiful) by planting a crab apple tree. Just one will help pollinate up to 50 apple trees!

Malus John Downie or Malus Golden Hornet are outstanding for this purpose. These flower freely throughout the pollination season and will partner with any apple in an orchard. As a bonus, Golden Hornet also makes lovely, fragrant crab apple jelly.

 

Pear tree pollination

All pear trees need to be cross-pollinated with another pear variety to make fruit.

As with the apples above, to help you choose the right pear trees to pollinate each other, we have put them into a colour coded table below.

Name (click to view our trees!)	Use	Harvest	Pollination group	Fertility note
Conference	Eating	Mid	A
Louise Bonne of Jersey	Eating	Mid	A	Incompatible with: Williams Bon Chretien
Beth	Eating	Early	B
Beurre Hardy	Eating	Mid	B	A poor pollinator for other pears
Brandy	Perry	Mid	B
Glou Morceau	Eating	Mid	B
Merton Pride	Eating	Early	B	Triploid: Cannot pollinate other trees
Williams bon Chretien	Eating	Early	B	Incompatible with: Louise Bonne of Jersey
Winter Nellis	Eating	Late	B
Cannock	Perry	Mid	C
Concorde	Eating	Mid	C
Doyenne du Comice	Eating	Mid	C	Incompatible with: Onward
Humbug	Eating / Cooking	Late	C
Invincible	Eating / Cooking	Mid	C
Onward	Eating	Mid	C	Incompatible with: Doyenne du Comice
Sensation	Eating	Early	C
Hellens Early	Eating / Cooking	Mid	D

It's worth pointing out something quite interesting (as Stephen Fry might say?!) on flowering dates versus harvesting dates – they seem to be all over the place!

Trees that flower early or late in the season tend to harvest mid-season. Whereas those that flower mid-season crop either are the later croppers.

So, although you'll be mostly interested in the flowering season in order to ensure pollination, you will still have choices to make as to when you want to harvest your fruits. It's all part of the fun!

Cherry tree pollination

We grow a good range of self-fertile sweet cherry trees that do not need to be pollinated.

However, more than half of our range, including all of the earliest cropping cherries, will need a suitable pollination partner to bear fruit.

As with apples and pears, cherry trees will cross-pollinate with trees in the same group and one group either side.

Name (click to view our trees!)	Harvest	Pollination group	Fertility note
Early Rivers	Early	A	Self sterile
Knight's Early Black	Mid	B	Self sterile
Merton Glory	Mid	B	Self sterile
Amber Heart	Early	C	Self sterile
Merton Bigarreau	Mid	C	Self sterile
Van	Late	C	Self sterile Excellent pollinator
Colney	Late	D	Self sterile
Lapins Cherokee	Mid	D	Self fertile
Bigarreau Napoleon	Late	D	Self sterile Poor pollinator
Penny	Late	D	Self sterile
Skeena	Late	D	Self fertile
Stella	Late	D	Self fertile Excellent pollinator
Summer Sun	Late	D	Self fertile
Sunburst	Late	D	Self fertile
Sweetheart	V Late	D	Self fertile
Kordia	Mid	E	Self sterile
Morello (Sour Cherry)	Late	F	Self fertile

 

Plum tree pollination (and gages, damsons…)

Plums, gages, damsons, mirabelles and bullaces are all very closely related trees in the Prunus domestica group. They will all happily pollinate each other, provided they are in flower at the same time.

You know the drill…!

Name (click to view our trees!)	Use	Harvest	Pollination group	Fertility note	Colour
Jeffersons	Dessert	Late Aug	B	Self sterile	Green
Mirabelle Golden Sphere	Dual	Mid Aug	B	Partially self fertile	Yellow
Mirabelle Ruby	Dessert	Late Aug	B	Partially self fertile	Red-Purple
Coe's Golden Drop	Dessert	Late Sept	C	Self sterile	Yellow
Dennistons Superb	Dessert	Late Aug	C	Self fertile	Yellow
Rivers Early Prolific	Culinary	Late July	C	Partially self fertile	Blue
Langley Bullace	Culinary	Late Sept	C	Self fertile	Blue-Black
Merryweather (Damson)	Culinary	Early Sept	C	Self fertile	Blue-Black
Opal	Dessert	Early Aug	C	Self fertile	Purple
Victoria	Dual	Late Aug	C	Self fertile	Red
Cambridge Gage	Eat / Cook	Mid August	D	Partially self fertile	Green
Czar	Culinary	Early Aug	D	Self fertile	Blue
King Damson	Culinary	Mid Sept	D	Self fertile	Purple
Old Greengage	Dessert	Early Sept	D	Self sterile	Green-Yellow
Oullins Golden Gage	Dual	Mid Aug	D	Partially self fertile	Yellow
Shropshire Prune (Damson)	Culinary	Early Sept	D	Self fertile	Blue-Black
Marjorie's Seedling	Dual	Late Sept	E	Partially self fertile	Blue

We hope you've found this blog both informative and genuinely useful in helping you choose your fruit trees. We always value your feedback, so please do leave a comment below.

Happy growing!