13P26

NOTES:

Spiking a pollinator means to graft a central limb or a side scaffold of the commercial variety with one of the confirmed pollinators.  For difficult setting varieties, the recommended method would be to spike each tree once with a confirmed pollinator throughout the commercial orchard.  The pollinators should be alternated.  For easy to set varieties, spiking about one tree in five has shown to be effective.  Some growers prefer to interplant the pollinator in the same row between two trees of the preferred variety and grow them in a flagpole or very upright V-style, often pulling and tying a limb toward the center of each adjoining tree.

Combination plantings are made of 2 or 3 varieties that benefit the pollination at least one way, and preferably each way.  Alternating 4 rows of each is most common, alternating 2 rows of each gives better pollination, but does not harvest as efficiently.  Also, it is usually beneficial to insert pollinators along the center 2 rows of a 4 row planting.