Pollinating partners

[SMW]

Hi

I just ordered 3 fruit trees – Katy, James Grieve and Blenheim Orange. I picked these due to there disease resistance and to have a longer apple season with the chance of possibly having some cookers too. They are all from flowering group 3 so I just assumed they would be able to pollinate each other. However, I know the Blenheim won’t be able to pollinate the other trees but is Katy and Blenheim Orange able to pollinate each other or are they too closely related?

Thanks

S

[veggiechicken]

This site tells you which pollinating partners to choose

www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/pollinationchecker

[SMW]

That's my worry, the site doesn't state that katy will pollinate james grieve and vice versa. I also doubt the Blenheim will pollinate those. They are from the same flowering group but not listed as pollinaters

big mistake? worth ordering another tree and replacing one of these?

[veggiechicken]

Are there other apple trees near you?

[SMW]

not that I am aware of, though I am in an urban area. If one one my neighbours have just 1 tree would it help or would it still be poor pollination and poor crop?

[Jungle Jane]

Katy is a pollinator so that's good
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/pdfs/a...linationgroups

[SMW]

Thanks. I will need another though wont I? Maybe I should plant the Katy or James Grieve out the front and order another apple from group 3.

[Jungle Jane]

You're good with the trees you've got,they'll all work together James grieve & Katy as pollinators,the bleinham orange needs two pollinators & you've chosen all good trees that will pollinate each other...If you can't resist more trees,you could get a tree from a different group to have earlier or later fruit eg a tree from group 4 can be pollinated by group 3,it's up to you.

[SMW]

Thanks for your respones but I am still concerned. While katy and James Grieve are the same flowering group, are they not sterile to each other as James Grieve is the father of the Katy breed?

[Jungle Jane]

They'll both be ok to pollinate the bleinham orange,james & Katy are self fertile so won't need any help,only the bleinham orange struggles & having those two trees should be alright for pollinating? I think,unless I'm missing something? Hopefully FBs about,he knows apples inside out

[TrialAndError]

Katy is an excellent pollinator of other apple trees because the pollen lasts longer than many others. It will do the job for Blenheim Orange. See here:

Full description and picture of Blenheim Orange apple tree

and here:

https://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/...er.aspx?v=1006

You'll also notice on those two pages that James Grieve will also pollinate Blenheim Orange.

Neither James Grieve or Katy will be much good at pollinating each other because as you say, James Grieve is the direct father of Katy.

However both are partially or fully self-fertile so they should be capable of self-pollination. You say you live in an urban area so it would be extremely unlikely that there are no suitable pollination partners nearby.

I think those three will fine.

[BUFFS]

I have 3 different apples and I use crab apples to help the crop get good pollination, I have bramley, egremont russet and james grieve and even with last years odd weather we used the last of our apples this morning for a crumble, and just a few left for eating, and that's as we eat an apple a night each, that's 14 a week, with young trees (aldi £3 bargains) I reckon we do okay with the crab apples.

[SMW]

Thanks for all the responses folks. They arrived yesterday and I am planting them tomorrow very excited about it, new to growing any kind of fruit or veg!

[burnie]

I have a Howgate Wonder cooker with my James Greive and another unknown variety, work well but prone to Scab

[yummersetter]

Just to point out that, surprisingly, the pollination group doesn't equate to the fruiting time. I haven't grown Katy but read that it's earlier than James Grieve which is about six weeks earlier than Blenheim here, but will keep during the gap. Also to point out that I found that Blenheim took a long time, over eight years, to come into bearing and, being a triploid, makes a comparatively large vigorous tree (on M25 rootstock here)