(See our links by fruit type at the bottom of this page to find compatible pollinators)

Many fruit trees require a pollinator in order to produce fruit, although there are a number of "self-fruitful" or "self-fertile" fruit trees available.  However, even these self-fruitful varieties (including most sour cherries, peaches and nectarines) will yield a much better harvest with a pollinator close by.  The tag on your new tree will give you valuable information about its needs.  You may also like to check out our article on Caring for Fruit Trees.

How pollination produces fruit: Look at the blooms of a fruiting tree - each flower that is cross pollinated by another tree (through the work of bees, birds, and even wind) will turn into a piece of fruit.  Those that are not successfully pollinated will die off and will not grow into fruit.  Self-pollinators can receive pollen from their own blossoms, while trees that are not self-fruitful require the pollen from another tree in order to produce fruit.

How pollination works: Trees that are not self-fruitful require pollen from specific kinds of trees in order to produce fruit.  As a general rule, two trees of the same cultivar (that is, two MacIntosh apple trees, for example), will not pollinate each other successfully.  The best pollinators are two or more trees of the same type of fruit, but different cultivars, as long as they have the same bloom time (like Red Delicious and Gala, for example).  It's very important that the pollinators have the same bloom time so that they have maximum exposure to each other's pollen.  Pollinators need not be extremely close to each other, but they should be within 100 feet to increase the chances successful pollination. 

Other ways to pollinate without a traditional "companion" tree:

• Take advantage of a neighbor’s fruit tree by planting yours nearby. 
• Crabapple trees will pollinate for most apple trees, so you can use an existing crabapple that is within 100 feet of your intended planting site.
• Flowering plum, flowering pear and flowering cherry trees can also provide pollination for their fruiting counterparts (as long as the bloom time is the same). 
• If a natural source of pollination isn't an option, bouquets of flowering branches from a tree of the same type of fruit (apple & crabapple, pear, plum or cherry) may be cut, placed in buckets of water and hung on the branches of the tree (or close by). 
• It is also possible to graft a pollinating variety of your fruit tree onto one of the middle or higher limbs of your fruit tree.  For obvious reasons, this is the most difficult option. Unless you are an experienced tree gardener, have a professional graft and monitor the tree.

So what pollinates what?

Check out our pages on specific fruiting varieties for more information on successful pollinators.  Keep in mind that these are comprehensive lists and may include cultivars that are not native to our area.  Click here to see a list of zone-appropriate fruiting plants that we typically carry.  Peaches are all self-fruitful and do no require a pollinator.

Apple                    Cherry

Pear                       Plum



All photos except plums courtesy of Wikipedia.
Individual credits: Apple by Fir0002/Flagstaffotos (all rights reserved under the GNU Free Documentation License); Cherry by benjamint4444; Pear by Agyle; Plums by Alessandro Paiva (courtesy of  SXC).