| Hi, i just bought a dwarf kieffer pear tree and a dwarf honeycrisp apple tree from homedepot recently and just found out that the keiffer pear needs a pollinator. so my question is: Can my honeycrisp apple tree pollinate my kieffer pear tree or do i need to get another pear tree for pollination? and if i did need another pear tree, does it matter what kind of pear? note: my honeycrisp apple is self-fruitful/self-pollinating my kieffer pear is said to need a pollinator thanks so much |
| Apples and pears are genetically different, so they won't serve as pollinizers for one another. Even fruit trees marketed as self-fruitful will set heavier crops if another variety is in the garden. If you have room, plant another apple tree (such as Lodi, Gala, Liberty, etc.) and you'll get heavier crops on both trees. Most pear varieties are self-unfruitful. However, nearly all pears are suitable pollinizers for other varieties that bloom at the same time. Even though Anjou, Bartlett and Kieffer are partially self-fruitful, they should be cross-pollinated to produce heavy and regular crops. This is because pear flowers produce only a small amount of nectar, which is low in sugar. For this reason, more pollinizers and bees are needed for pears than for any other tree fruit. Plant a Bartlett or Anjou in your garden and you'll get fruit on both trees. Best wishes with your new fruit trees! |
