Pollinating the Blooms of Pristine Apple Trees

Pollination

• Pollination is the transfer of male pollen grains to the stigma of the female flower. Though some apples are self-pollinating, most varieties, Pristine included, require pollination from a different species. In both domestic and commercial orchards, honeybees are responsible for ensuring that pollination occurs. If you are concerned about honeybee presence, install a beehive, though this is usally not necessary for home orchards. Simply planting compatible species in the vicinity of a Pristine apple tree should encourage adequate natural bee activity, resulting in cross-pollination and a quality fruit set.

Compatible Species

• You may plant most apple species nearby Pristine for cross-pollination, since it can overlap with the bloom period of most species. Pristine flowers mid-season and can usually cross-pollinate with early, mid- and late-blooming varieties. Some good cross-pollinators include Empire, Honeycrisp, Red Fuji, Wealthy, Red Delicious, York, Enterprise and Indian Summer Crabapple. Plant these species adjacent to the apple tree, with at least 16 feet of spacing between trees. NuRed WineSap can't pollinate Pristine.

Other Pollination Methods

• If the apple tree is growing on its own, without different species nearby, there are a few alternative methods for cross-pollinating. Take flowering branches of a different apple species, and set them in buckets of water hung from the tree limbs. Or graft short branches of a different species into terminal branches of the apple tree. This second option takes a little more expertise. If your tree is not too faraway from another apple tree, such as a neighbor's tree, there is still a reasonable chance for cross-pollination.

Growth Conditions

• For apples of a large and desirable size, remove some of the fruit as they are maturing. The apples of Pristine turn yellow as they mature in July and August. They can store for extended periods, up to five weeks in a refrigerator. Pristine apples are commonly used for dessert apples or for making apple sauce. This species is moderately productive, but cross-pollination ensures highest productivity levels.