Quote:
Originally Posted by David in Normandy[_7_]
Would I be correct in saying the key thing for pollination
of a bramley apple tree is that there is another (different
variety) apple tree in flower nearby at the same time?
My books made apple tree pollination sound very complex
with lists of what will pollinate what and whether is is in
group one, two or three, but a web site I've just visited
implied that it simply comes down to having apple trees
that flower at the same time - is this the case?
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Not quite. Bramleys are a bit different.
Actually it is all very easy. Most of the time, what you need are two apple trees of different variety in flower at the same time so they pollinate each other. The different pollination groups simply represent flowering time, so two of the same group will do. In fact adjacent group will usually be good enough most years.
But Bramleys are not in that "most of the time" bit. Bramleys need to be cross-pollinated by TWO different apple trees. So you need at least two other different apple trees in flower in the vicinity at the same time to get your Bramley to fruit. This is because they are triploid hybrids (have 3 sets of chromosomes instead of the normal two). Cox is another triploid variety of commercial importance. Also, Bramleys and Cox are no good for pollinating anything else.
But apple trees are commonly grown in many people's gardens. Plenty of people get more fruit than they can deal with off a single apple tree in their garden, even Bramleys, because there are plenty of suitable trees locally. Even crabs will often be OK. But if you are in a remotish location, then you will need several apple trees, and will need to choose the varieties to ensure there is some overlap in their flowering.
Keepers Nursery has an excellent website with information on this kind of thing, and grow a huge number of different apple varieties.