fruit trees - Ask Extension
I have have the following fruit trees in my orchard and they are not producing blossoms and producing fruit. I understand they need to be in pairs to...
Knowledgebase
fruit trees #924099
Asked January 31, 2026, 11:44 AM EST
I have have the following fruit trees in my orchard and they are not producing blossoms and producing fruit. I understand they need to be in pairs to produce fruit. It should not make a difference that one is semi dwarf and one is a dwarf. But this could be the issue.
Fuji dwarf
Fuji semi dwarf
Star cherry dwarf
Star cherry semi dwarf
Honey crips semi dwarf
Granny smith semi dwarf
peach semi dwarf
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
About how long have the trees been planted? Tree age sometimes impacts how readily they flower and fruit. One critical factor in flower production is sun exposure...are the trees sited in full summer sun, where they receive a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of direct sun? Another important factor is pruning...are the trees being pruned regularly, and if so, what time of year?
Fruit trees like these do not need to be in pairs per se; it depends on the cultivar, as some can self-pollinate (or develop fruits without pollination) while others cannot. Planting two trees of the same cultivar (like 'Fuji' apple) will not allow them to fruit, because they do not have pollen from a different tree (all individual trees of the same cultivar are genetically identical). An apple variety, for example, that is not capable of self-pollinating needs another apple variety to cross-pollinate with. Another layer of complication is that the pollinator tree needs to bloom at the same time to be effective, and some apple varieties bloom earlier than others. Therefore, one apple variety that is an early-season bloomer needs to be pollinated by a different apple variety that is also an early-season bloomer. A late-blooming apple needs to be pollinated by another late-blooming apple, and so on. Whether a tree is dwarf or semi-dwarf won't impact the pollination compatibility, since it refers to the type of rootstock used that keeps the tree shorter than it would otherwise be at maturity.
There are several strains of some apple cultivars, including 'Fuji'. Some types of 'Fuji', 'Honeycrisp', and 'Granny Smith' all bloom more-or-less mid-season, but 'Granny Smith' is first, then 'Fuji', then 'Honeycrisp' (bordering on late-season for 'Honeycrisp'). Given that span, the earliest ('Granny Smith') and latest ('Honeycrisp') in that trio might not overlap enough to cross-pollinate to the fullest extent.
Peaches, however, are self-pollinating and do not need a second tree or cultivar to cross-pollinate with. (It won't hurt to have one, but it's not needed because a lone tree should be able to fruit by itself.) A lack of fruit after fruit trees flower can be due to several factors, often centered on spring weather preventing good pollination or damaging flowers, but that would not explain a lack of flowers unless the trees are being repeatedly damaged by late winter or early spring cold snaps before the flowers open. If a tree loses the flower buds to damage before they open, it cannot replace them for that season.
We're not familiar with 'Star' as a cherry variety name. Is its full name 'North Star'? If so, 'North Star' should be self-pollinating.
Miri
Fruit trees like these do not need to be in pairs per se; it depends on the cultivar, as some can self-pollinate (or develop fruits without pollination) while others cannot. Planting two trees of the same cultivar (like 'Fuji' apple) will not allow them to fruit, because they do not have pollen from a different tree (all individual trees of the same cultivar are genetically identical). An apple variety, for example, that is not capable of self-pollinating needs another apple variety to cross-pollinate with. Another layer of complication is that the pollinator tree needs to bloom at the same time to be effective, and some apple varieties bloom earlier than others. Therefore, one apple variety that is an early-season bloomer needs to be pollinated by a different apple variety that is also an early-season bloomer. A late-blooming apple needs to be pollinated by another late-blooming apple, and so on. Whether a tree is dwarf or semi-dwarf won't impact the pollination compatibility, since it refers to the type of rootstock used that keeps the tree shorter than it would otherwise be at maturity.
There are several strains of some apple cultivars, including 'Fuji'. Some types of 'Fuji', 'Honeycrisp', and 'Granny Smith' all bloom more-or-less mid-season, but 'Granny Smith' is first, then 'Fuji', then 'Honeycrisp' (bordering on late-season for 'Honeycrisp'). Given that span, the earliest ('Granny Smith') and latest ('Honeycrisp') in that trio might not overlap enough to cross-pollinate to the fullest extent.
Peaches, however, are self-pollinating and do not need a second tree or cultivar to cross-pollinate with. (It won't hurt to have one, but it's not needed because a lone tree should be able to fruit by itself.) A lack of fruit after fruit trees flower can be due to several factors, often centered on spring weather preventing good pollination or damaging flowers, but that would not explain a lack of flowers unless the trees are being repeatedly damaged by late winter or early spring cold snaps before the flowers open. If a tree loses the flower buds to damage before they open, it cannot replace them for that season.
We're not familiar with 'Star' as a cherry variety name. Is its full name 'North Star'? If so, 'North Star' should be self-pollinating.
Miri
