Content
- Dust the apple tree sufficiently for a better harvest
- Allow different apple varieties in the garden
- Promote and attract insects for pollination
- Even grab a soft brush for pollination
- Tips & Tricks
Dust the apple tree sufficiently for a better harvest
In the case of apple trees, the fruit formation is such that they are self-sterile and always require the pollen of another apple tree for fertilization during the apple blossom for a harvest. This pollination can be ensured by means of various measures.
Allow different apple varieties in the garden
Since apple trees are self-sterile, fertilization can not be done either with pollens from the flowers of the same tree or with trees of the exact same variety. Thus, it makes sense that they plant in their own garden as many different varieties of apples side by side. You can do without it if there are other apple trees in the neighborhood. For example, while the varieties Boskoop, Jonagold and Jakob Fischer are poorly suited as pollen feeders, the following varieties may well serve as pollinator trees:
Promote and attract insects for pollination
Because bees, in contrast to many other insects, are flowering in the blood, they play a special role in the pollination of fruit plants. But you should not underestimate flying insects like bumblebees and wild bees when pollinating your apple trees. The presence of these flying insects on site can help you if you create an ideal living and nesting room in your own garden with a so-called insect hotel. But they also promote the quality of the location and the reproduction of your apple trees, if you use suitable flowering plants all year round to provide a wide range of nectar and pollen in the garden.
Even grab a soft brush for pollination
In some areas of Asian countries, it is already necessary, due to the eradication of various insect species, that apple growers generally pollinate their trees with a brush and apple pollen by hand. If you only have an apple tree in your garden or you can only see a few flying insects, it may be worth trying to pollinate by hand. Determine your own apple varieties and get yourself the branch of another variety at the time of apple blossom. Then transfer the pollen of this branch to the pistils of your apple tree with a soft brush.
Tips & Tricks
If there is enough space in the garden, it is always recommended to combine several varieties for ideal pollination and a longer harvest time. Especially with trellis trees, the alternate arrangement of different varieties is well to realize even in a limited space.