apple and pear tree?

[stevenk03]

I am going to be planting my first fruit trees, planning on planting 8 apple and 4 pear trees. My question is as far as spacing distance between apple and pears trees, do I need to worry about cross pollination between the two?

 

[Turkey Creek]

There is no hard rule. IMO I would say a maximum of 50 yards between trees that you are wanting to cross pollinate. It is all dependent on the bee activity on your property.

 

[stevenk03]

I have one bee hive 2 boxes high now where I will be planting and am planning on adding a few more this year.

 

[Neahawg]

Just make sure you get multiple varieties of pear and apples to be sure you have plenty of pollination as some will bloom at different times, and some may produce the sterile pollen. With apples there aren't as many self pollinating varieties as with pears but even self pollinating varieties do better with another variety close by.

 

[stevenk03]

What size trees do u recommend dwarf, semi dwarf , or standard size.

 

[Neahawg]

I wouldn't plant dwarf for wildlife I like standard trees but there is a trade off bigger trees take longer to produce, other good options are m111 or b118.

 

[Appleman]

Hello Steve. There has been many post about what is the right rootstock for apple trees. I believe the consensus is to use B118 and is my favorite . It's well anchored free standing and will produce a tree 80 to 85% size of a standard. Having a hive nearby on site is a plus, but if you have a good feral bee and/or bumble bee population in the area should be enough to pollenate your trees. Here in Vermont we have many Malus (crab) varieties growing near by which are great pollinators. Bee populations are crucial in assuring a good fruit set and anything you can do to encourage them to visit your site is a win win situation .