How to Plan for Cross-Pollination of Dwarf Fruit Trees
- 1). Calculate how many fruit trees of each species you can fit in the area you want to plant. In a small yard, you may know where each needs to go. In an orchard, calculate how many square feet each dwarf tree will require, then divide the total number of square feet by the square feet for each tree. For example, if you're spacing the trees 10 feet by 10 feet, each tree would take up 100 square feet. If you have a 1,000-square-foot space for apple trees, you could fit 10 trees.
- 2). Consult nursery catalogs and choose a self-fruitful variety, if you only have room for one tree of a species. In some cases, you may not be able to find a self-fruitful variety on a dwarf rootstock that's adapted well to your area. See the "Tips" section for possible solutions. If you have room for more than one tree, choose the variety that you'd most like to grow, based on flavor, yield, time of ripening or other personal preferences.
- 3). Find the variety that you prefer on a chart which shows what other trees will pollinate it. Charts are available online or in nursery catalogs. Look through the list for varieties that bloom at the same time, are compatible pollinators, are available on dwarf rootstocks and grow well in your area. Choose one or more of those varieties as pollinators.
- 4). Draw a plan of your orchard on graph paper and mark locations for the pollinating varieties, so one will be within at least 50 feet of each tree that needs cross-pollination. Twenty feet is even better for dwarf trees.
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