Plant at least two different varieties of apple trees within 50 feet of each other for good fruit. You can also increase fruit yield by planting more apple trees for better cross-pollination.
Standard apple trees should be planted between 15 and 18 feet apart. Dwarf varieties can be spaced at roughly half this distance, although neither is an exact measurement. The trees must be close enough to allow pollination between them, but they must be spread out far enough to ensure their roots do not compete with one another.
Some of these will require you to plant more than one tree so they can cross-pollinate and bear fruit. When planting your own fruit trees, it’s important to remember that you’re choosing a self-pollinating fruit tree or buying two cross-pollinated varieties.
Most species of peach trees are self-fertile, so planting a tree is all it takes to produce fruit. Since Honeycrisp apple trees do not self-pollinate, you will need to plant another apple tree of a different variety nearby to make sure your Honeycrisp apple trees are fertilized.
For an apple tree, it is enough to have two trees, each of which belongs to different varieties with the same flowering time, for example, Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious. However, your trees need to bloom at the same time to pollinate each other, so do some research before making your choice.
Precautions to Take Before Planting Fruit Trees
You can plant a tree that blooms at the same time as your tree to get more fruit, or a tree that blooms at different times to pick fresh apples at different times of the year. Before planting multiple fruit trees together, make sure they are compatible in your hardiness zone and that their flower windows overlap for better pollination.
The distance between the fruit trees to be planted depends in part on whether they are lattice trained or need to be cross-pollinated. The distance between plantings depends on many factors, and the space requirements of fruit trees should only be used as a guide. Although you can plant trees further apart, don’t plant them any shorter than the minimum required distance.
If you have strong soil, you should give it extra space as the tree will grow wider. This distance provides sufficient space for root and crown growth, but not too far from other tree colors and the effects of pollination. 15-50 feet ensures that the roots and crowns of the trees do not compete, but are still close enough together to encourage more pollination from nearby dwarf flower varieties. This distance then allows enough light to reach the ground so that guild species can be planted in subsequent years (herbs, berries) if desired.
How to Prepare Trees for Pollination
Pollination will still occur if the trees are planted closer together, it can also occur between trees planted further apart than the plant, but for ideal pollination it is best to aim 50 feet between the trees. If possible, plant several trees to encourage pollination, allowing them about 50 feet of space between trees. Cross-pollinated varieties such as apples, pears, many plums, and most walnuts should be planted closely together using the proper and recommended spacing, but no trees should be more than 50 feet apart for proper pollination.
Planting apple or pear trees close together will benefit the trees and won’t take up too much space in your garden. Therefore, whether more apple trees need to be planted to harvest fruit depends on whether there are other apple trees or apple trees nearby.
Another type of apple tree that blooms at the same time should be planted at least 2,000 feet away, preferably closer. Most apples require not only a second apple tree for pollination, but also a second tree of a different variety (for example, a Pink Lady apple must be paired with a Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, or McIntosh apple to produce fruit). Keep in mind that some fruit trees have their own special requirements – there may be slight differences between how to plant an apple tree and another type of fruit, so check the instructions that came with your tree.
Can All Trees be Planted from Seeds?
Unfortunately no, some tree species should not be attempted from seed, although you or your children may be tempted to try. The chance that neighboring trees of other fruit varieties (peach, plum, cherry) may not be as high, so check with your neighbors or be careful and plant a pair.
Peach, plum, and apricot trees are not grown on undersized rootstocks and should be planted about 18 to 20 feet apart. Full-sized apricot trees (Prunus armeniaca) can grow 20 to 25 feet tall and wide, so it’s best to leave them 20 to 25 feet of space between each plant. Make sure the trees are spaced the same size as a mature tree so they don’t shade each other (see the Rootstock and Planting sections of this post). As a general rule, standard size fruit trees should be planted 25 to 50 feet apart, and dwarf varieties 15 to 50 feet apart.
Citrus trees need about 8 feet (2 m) between them, and figs should be planted in a sunny spot 20-30 feet (6-9 m) apart. Due to the wider distribution of trees, experts recommend planting high-density cherry trees 16-19 meters apart. Trees need to be spaced apart so they get plenty of sun and allow air to circulate to prevent fungus problems.
Make sure at least one other apple or crab tree is within 100 feet to allow cross-pollination. If you want to plant compatible trees or pair your new tree with another tree in your area, see the cross-pollination chart.
If you grow your apple tree in a climate that provides longer than necessary cold time, your tree will still grow and bear fruit as expected, possibly even keeping leaves longer than other deciduous trees in the area. If you plant a tree that needs more cold time than your climate provides, it won’t bear fruit until winter weather returns at the end of the growing season. Most trees arrive at hardware stores in late winter/early spring, and the spring catalog is full of various fruit trees, and growers can plant most fruit trees when the soil is not frozen and daytime temperatures are above freezing and below 90 degrees. .
