All varieties of apple trees require some cross-pollination for fruit set. Even though some varieties are listed as self-fruitful, they will set fruit more heavily and more regularly if they are cross-pollinated. For solid block plantings, select varieties such as spur-type ‘Winter Banana’, spur-type ‘Golden Delicious’, or flowering crabapples such as ‘Manchurian’ and ‘Snodrift’ for pollinizers. Place honeybees in apple orchards when the first blossoms open. For more information on managing fruit trees, see this article on Pollination of Tree …
What are some suggestions for growing apples successfully in Colorado?
Reliable varieties for this area are ‘Cox Orange’, ‘Red Delicious’, ‘Golden Delicious’, ‘McIntosh’, ‘Jonathan’, ‘Fameuse’, ‘Northwest Greening’, ‘Joyce’, ‘Wealthy’, ‘Lodi’, and ‘Haralson’. Select two different varieties for cross pollination and good fruit production. In most cases, planting semi-dwarf varieties rather than standard size trees will allow enough room for at least two different varieties in the landscape. For additional hints for growing apples successfully, see the Colorado PlantTalk script on Apples.…