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How close would a crab apple have to be to pollinate dessert or cooker apples, there is a few crab apples close to me.......about 150 yds away. But there are two lots of houses between them and where I would like my trees.

And.......do plums need a pollinater or are they self fertile?

Also.......can plums be grown succesfully as cordons?

Cheers, I think thats it :D

Hi Star

I've just bought two minarette trees from Ken Muir (arrived last week) - one is a Victoria Plum, the other a damson (yum!!).

I asked the question a while as to whether plums and damsons can be grown as cordons, and the general response was that yes they could.

I opted for minarettes as I don't have much space even for a cordon...alas! I'm sure I could have bought a dwarf tree and pruned it to become a cordon/minarette myself, but I wasn't brave enough to risk making a mess of it as I don't know what I'm doing!!

As for your other questions, I'm afraid I'm not much help, but I'm sure someone else will be along with some answers shortly!

xx

Thanks Oakey ;D

Hopefully if I get sorted we can still do our comparison thing ;)

Plums.....Damsons.........mmmmmm :D

Those crab apples will be plenty close enough, assuming there are some bees or other pollinating insects in the area... if the crabs set fruit then yours will. Plums and especially damsons can be difficult to keep as cordons as they tend to be quite vigerous...  :-\

www.kenmuir.co.uk has some good advice on apples/crabapples and plums

eg http://www.kenmuir.co.uk/resources/articlePDF/Plums,%20Gages,%20Damsons,%20Cherry%20Plums%20&%20Bullace.pdf

He thinks that plums can be cordoned (although you'd want an appropriate rootstock).  Quote: In the more favourable areas of the British Isles plums can be grown as bush, Minarette or pyramid trees but in the colder regions they are best grown as oblique cordons or as a fan on a warm south, south-west or south-east facing wall or fence. The best flavoured and late season plums and gages such as 'Coe's Golden Drop' and 'Cambridge Gage' are best grown as a fan on a warm wall or fence, even in the warmer regions. Minarettes and pyramids are a better form for the garden than bushes since their low angled branches are less liable to break and they are easier to pick, prune, spray and net. They also occupy less space than a bush tree. Damsons make particularly good pyramids.


Ken Muir also lists which plums are self-fertile.  We've just planted a Marjorie plum and a Merryweather damson, both self-fertile.

On the subject of apples, I'm sure that 150 yards is close enough for a crabapple, which is an excellent pollinator, to pollinate your apples.  Provided of course that they flower at the same time!

Thanks for all the info ;D. I cant access Ken Muir's site till hubby downloads macromedia somat or other, but it sounds a good place to look. Others have talked about it too :).

victoriana nursery is a good site, too, lots of varieties  ;D
www.victoriananursery.co.uk

star star star very common crab and Victoria plumb bees can travel several miles in a day so you should have no problems with polonation now brain cells that seems to be a big problem  ;D

Quote from: star on December 10, 2008, 21:46:05
Thanks for all the info ;D. I cant access Ken Muir's site till hubby downloads macromedia somat or other, but it sounds a good place to look. Others have talked about it too :).

their site is good but there catalogue is just as informative try and order it in the mean time.

not sure if this will work but here is the link for a catalogue request -

http://www.kenmuir.co.uk/formCatalogue.php

Brilliant TM, that link worked........thanks hun ;D

Quote from: shaun01 on December 11, 2008, 09:15:45
star star star very common crab and Victoria plumb bees can travel several miles in a day so you should have no problems with polonation now brain cells that seems to be a big problem  ;D

Brain cells? Wot me??? ;D ;D ;D ;D

Now ya mention it.........yer got a flippin good point about bees 8)

They just wouldn't say..... there's 2 'ouses there lets not bother, I can't fly that well ::)

You do make me chuckle, even if its me thats the joke ;D ;D ;D.........good on ya for puttin me straight ;D ;)

you're welcome Star :)

Its probably like asking how long is a piece of string, but what are the advantages disadvantages (if any) in purchasing soft fruit trees (rasp/ black and gooseberries) from a seed merchants on-line as opposed to from a nursery.
Is it fair to say that you are likely to get a better product from a nursery or merchant???

Hello and welcome Ho sey ;D

Im not sure about advantages or disadvantages TBH. I just go after the most reasonable, so bare root from suppliers are cheaper than pot grown nursery ones. We dont have a nursery that sells bare root here......that I know of anyway ;).

I can thoroughly recommend Simpsons nursery of Fordham near Ely
They sell bare root fruit trees from under a tenner for 1 year maidens
We've had around a dozen fruit trees from them over the years (apples pears and plums), and all are thriving ;D
Contact them by phone though, cos their website is crap ::)

Have you got a number for them DnL?

Hiya, Ho sey, welcome to the site.. ;D
we've bought many things on line, most of them bare root and they've grown just as well, in one case, better than the ones from a nursery  :)

Welcome to the site Ho sey... some nurseries have a wider range of varieties, if you want something different...  :)

Star - its  01638 720194

Had 'Katie' and a 'Redsleeves' apples, and 'Sensation' pear off them early December but haven't been able to do more than heel them in so far ::)

Don't count on the distant crab apple as a reliable pollination partner. True, bees can fly for miles, but if there's a remote tree they won't bother with it, but  they are more likely to go for trees in groups (more pollen/nectar, less flying) they ain't daft!! ;)

Quote from: tonybloke on January 10, 2009, 20:55:13
True, bees can fly for miles, but if there's a remote tree they won't bother with it, but  they are more likely to go for trees in groups (more pollen/nectar, less flying) they ain't daft!! ;)

Don't suppose they are collecting the Airmiles   ;D