Pink Lady and Fuji Don't Need Pollenizers Here

Q. I planted a Pink Lady Apple and a Fuji apple together as pollination partners last March. My Fuji died over the summer. I like Fuji apples from the store but I'm wondering if I should try again with another Fuji tree or choose another variety?

A. Whoever told you Pink Lady apple tree needed a “pollination partner” in our climate is wrong. Pink Lady does not need one and neither does a Fuji apple. They are both self-fruitful here.

Fuji apples grown in North Las Vegas

            Stay with the Pink Lady apple. Pick a peach, apricot, plum or pluot to replace the dead Fuji apple. Don’t plant in the same hole but plant it a couple of feet away from the old hole. Amend the soil with compost at planting time.

Pink Lady apples grown in North Las Vegas

            Make sure apples are semi-dwarf. Don’t expect the same apple fruit attributes you have experienced before when fruit is grown in the desert. Different climates, soils and even rootstocks can change the flavor and texture attributes of fruit.

            Depending on the time of year, that Fuji apple you bought in the store was most likely a storage apple and not fresh. I like to smell fruit before buying it. When I walk past apples in the store, I want to be able to smell them as I pass by. I want to pick up a fruit, feel it and smell it before buying. Aroma is one indicator of freshness and not a storage apple. There are others.