Ordering trees on line

[Ridgerunner]

Some fruit trees self-pollinate, some require a different variety to be present to set fruit. Usually even the self-pollinating ones produce better if there is a second tree from a different variety around.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thanks, that makes sense! I guess it's not really any extra effort or money if somebody was planting an orchard anyway but for a smaller thing like just a few trees it might be but even then not really. Do you have to use the same type of fruit or can it be another kind? Like do you need an apple for an apple or can you use say a peach, etc?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Just to be clean, by different varieties I mean two different kinds of the fruit trees. maybe a Methley plum and a Santa Rosa plum. Or two different kinds of peach trees or two different kinds of apple trees. An apple and a peach will not pollinate each other. I could see I wasn't really clear on that.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thank you for your help! That makes sense! So if I wanted a peach and/or an apple tree I would need 4 trees?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You need to check the variety you want. A lot of peach trees are self-pollinating. Very few apples are self-pollinating.

 

[lazy gardener]

But, most areas where there are apple trees growing have an abundance of apple trees. They grow wild all over the place here. You could also graft a branch of an other variety onto your apple tree. And an old orchardist trick is to stick some branches of apple blossoms from an other variety into a bucket of water, and set that bucket in the tree canopy, or near by.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Crabapples will pollinate apples also. But the point is that you need to check the specific variety of whatever the fruit tree is to see if it is self-pollinating or needs a pollinator. It doesn't matter if it is apple, peach, pear, plum or anything else.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Thank you for all the help! I'll have to check the different varieties and I think some places list good pollinators for specific varieties? I really don't know what kind of trees or varieties I would want. There are sooo many and I know next to nothing about fruit trees, gardening, any of it really :/

Like for example, I didn't even know grafting was a thing... or that bucket idea. Both excellent ideas.

I don't really eat very much fruit or many vegetables at all but I am trying to be better about it.... starting a vegetable garden this year haha

When I do eat fruit, I usually eat apples, strawberries, blueberries, sometimes raspberries, most melon, bananas, oranges, and I love peaches and pears but I don't eat them as often. But if I had a tree I might. I'm ashamed to admit I mostly eat canned peaches/fruit cups is there a specific type they usually use for those? And I like apricots.

Soooo....

I know that the vast majority of those are not trees.... was just listing all fruit i eat i guess and to see what is a tree and what i could grow? And maybe I could grow the others too?

So apples, peaches, oranges, bananas, pears, and apricots are trees, right??

But I don't think anyone sells or can grow banana trees? And oranges I don't think can grow in Massachusetts?

So that leaves apples, pears, peaches, and apricots. Are there any other fruit varieties I might like? Either to eat or even just for looks/beauty.

And this is a really stupid question I'm sure but do varieties for apples go by what kind of apple it produces or is it just whatever they felt like naming the tree?? So for example, there are granny smith apples, gala, honeycrisp, etc. so then are the trees called granny smith trees too orrr?? I hope I make sense.

And I am very sorry for hijacking your thread

 

[ShrekDawg]

Oh and another stupid question but grafting has me fascinated... so do you like somehow cut off a tree part from one tree and attach it to another tree and it will grow? That is so interesting

 

[Ridgerunner]

Oh and another stupid question but grafting has me fascinated... so do you like somehow cut off a tree part from one tree and attach it to another tree and it will grow? That is so interesting

There are no stupid questions. Not asking the question is stupid. We all have to start somewhere.

There are several different ways to graft, I've had better luck whip grafting, not sure how LG does it. But yes, you take part of one tree and get it to grow on another tree. You cannot do a peach on an apple, but you can grow a Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Gala on the same tree. You can even buy trees where the nursery has done the grafting for you.

I'm not sure what fruit trees will grow in Massachusetts. If you contact your county extension office they should be able to give you a lot of help on that. They should even be able to tell you what varieties of apples or other fruits will grow best for you.