Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Apr 26, 2008, at 5:55 PM, Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:
> Here's a pome and drupe fruit trick:  One big Granny Smith apple  
> tree lost
> its pollinator in the drought last year.  Without a pollinator it  
> will set on
> exactly no fruit.  I went about the immediate neighborhood and broke  
> off small
> branches of every wild an abandoned apple tree I could find and hung  
> the
> opening blossoms in my GS tree.  As unlikely as his seems, it works.

Great hint. That reminds me, I wanted to report that when the Balaton  
cherry was in full bloom, that there were not only a lot of bees on it  
but also butterflies and various wasp-like critters. So perhaps even  
if the bees suffer huge declines, other insect will help with the  
pollination of certain things.

I just planted a Granny Smith yesterday. I was not aware of the need  
for a pollinator. But no problem, it has three neighbors.