Last spring I came across a vendor at a flea market with all sorts of fruit trees for $5.00 each.
On impulse (and since I had the room to spare for planting them) I bought a Bartlett pear, a Granny
Smith apple (both grafted, each around 6 feet tall). It wasn't until on the way home it crossed my
mind that they might not be self-fertile. I did a bit of web searching and found mixed
information-- some sites listed Bartlett pear and Granny Smith apple as self-fertile varieties, some
didn't. Bee polinators would be present.

So my two questions a

1.) Are these two varieties of fruit tree self-fertile without other varieties of apple or pear
around? (If not, I want to be able to take them up before they get too big).

2.) Are Bartlett pear trees able to fertilize Bradford pear trees, thus causing my troublesome
neighbor's decroative Bradfords to start producing fruit which would be a messy hassle for him to
clean up? (I hadn't thought of that at the time of buying the tree, but I'm really hoping for a
"yes" on this one).

Hi Darren,
Granny Smith is indeed self-fertile. However, as with many other trees of this type, a second apple
tree
(not necesarily of a different variety) will enhance the fruit production.

As for Bartlett pears, my sources say they are self-fertile in the arid West, but need pollination
elsewhere. The Bradford and Bartlett pears are both pyrus varieties, so the former can pollinate
the later. Since the Bradford is a flowering non-fruiting tree, it will not produce any fruit. Your
neighbors tree may be able to pollinate your Bartlett

Sherwin D.

Darren Garrison wrote:

Last spring I came across a vendor at a flea market with all sorts of fruit trees for $5.00 each.
On impulse (and since I had the room to spare for planting them) I bought a Bartlett pear, a Granny
Smith apple (both grafted, each around 6 feet tall). It wasn't until on the way home it crossed my
mind that they might not be self-fertile. I did a bit of web searching and found mixed
information-- some sites listed Bartlett pear and Granny Smith apple as self-fertile varieties, some
didn't. Bee polinators would be present.

So my two questions a

1.) Are these two varieties of fruit tree self-fertile without other varieties of apple or pear
around? (If not, I want to be able to take them up before they get too big).

2.) Are Bartlett pear trees able to fertilize Bradford pear trees, thus causing my troublesome
neighbor's decroative Bradfords to start producing fruit which would be a messy hassle for him to
clean up? (I hadn't thought of that at the time of buying the tree, but I'm really hoping for a
"yes" on this one).