Apple pollination is tricky.

It’s not the usual introduction of two flowers.   An apple flower needs to hook up with a flower from another tree.

That means a single apple tree in an otherwise empty orchard is doomed.  The tree is not ‘self fertile’.  It needs a pollination partner.  Isn’t that romantic?

But wait — there’s more.  An apple flower needs to hook up with a flower from another apple of a different variety.   

That  means 2 McIntosh trees in an otherwise empty orchard are doomed, too.   (No kissing cousins.)

Luckily the 2 apple trees in our yard are different varieties.

Unfortunately their bloom times don’t always overlap. The Gravenstein (on the right side of photo) is an early bloomer.  The flowers are often so battered by april showers, few are left when the McIntosh (on the left side of photo) blossoms in May.

What chance do they have for setting fruit?

And here’s another twist. Gravensteins are duds when it comes to pollinating other apple trees.

So our McIntosh helps set fruit on the Gravenstein, but it doesn’t get any love in return.  It needs an additional partner.

Seriously?  Do we really need a threesome in our yard ??

Here’s the good news.  It turns out that apples are sometimes open-minded.  When looking for love, they’ve been known to hook up with crabapple.

The scandal!  Am I prepared for all this complication?  Not sure.

In reviewing the research & looking deeper, I discover there are a few (very few)  exceptions to all this hanky panky.  A Newton Apple is self-fruitful.  Pity there isn’t one in our garden.

I admire a tree that can ‘take care of itself’.

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© SVSeekins, 2014