-----Original Message----- 
From: Bill T
That tracks with my experience with "self pollinator" fruit trees, that you
get what you pay for which is the self pollination, but you lose out on
other features like yield, taste, and the like.


There's no such thing as a "self pollinating fruit tree," no matter what 
some nurseries may say. All require pollinators. Some that are self sterile 
need a lot more pollinators. But even the self fertile varieties need bees 
to move the pollen. It doesn't just jump from anther to stigma by itself.

The use of the term "self pollinating," by nurseries is misleading and 
fraudulent. Home fruit growers assume that bees are not needed, thus they 
can spray during bloom.

These are self pollenizing trees, not self pollinating trees.

(Definitions:  To pollenize - to provide viable pollen for pollination 
purposes.  To pollinate: to transfer pollen from anther to stigma.)

The only self pollinating plants I know, are some of the legumes, like 
garden peas, some beans, and peanuts, where the anther and stigma grow into 
contact with each other.

Dave
Retired pollinator

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html