DWARF FRUIT TREES
By Kk21
United Kingdom 
We have a smallish garden but I fancy getting 3 or 4 fruit trees to go in pots.
My husband says you need two trees of a type (say two apples) to help with pollination, even if the tree is classed as self fertile. is this right ?
I actually wanted 1 apple, 1 pear and maybe 1 cherry
Would I be better off just getting two apples and two pears
Not really enough room for 6 and I would imagine cherries are less hardy than the others.
I live near Newcastle upon Tyne in the cold NE.
Any advice would be appreciated
28 Apr, 2009
Yes, your hubby is right, the 2 apple trees need to be within 18 metres of each other and need to blossom at the same time. The bees will pollinate each tree. A self fertile tree will produce apples if there are bees in your garden but it won't produce so many if it is on its own.
Also, it is advisable to pull off the first year's blossoms to encourage the trees to produce strong roots and better apples in the following years.
28 Apr, 2009