And no apple will pollinate a pear or a cherry or a plum, irrespective of variety. There is one important detail: the two trees must be in flower at about the same time. So you can check this, most fruit trees are arranged into "pollination groups".
In general terms each species can only pollinate others of its own kind – apples will only pollinate other apples, pears will only pollinate pears, and so on. Amongst apples there is generally no distinction between crab apples, cider apples, and mainstream apples – they can all potentially cross-pollinate each other.
Apple, sweet cherry and pear trees are generally not self-fruitful and require a compatible variety planted nearby as a pollinizer.
Sweet cherry tree pollination is done primarily through honeybees. Do cherry trees cross-pollinate? Most cherry trees require cross-pollination (the assistance of another of the species). Only a couple, such as the sweet cherries Stella and Compact Stella, have the ability to self-pollinate.
Flowering crabapples are a fabulous pollinator as they are easy to care for, bloom for a long period of time and many varieties are available; or one can select cross varieties of apple that are symbiotic when growing apples.
Do I need to plant more than one cherry tree for pollination and fruit set? … Only one sour cherry tree needs to be planted for pollination and fruit set. Many sweet cherry varieties cannot produce fruit from their own pollen and are considered self-unfruitful. These plants require cross-pollination for fruit set.
Pollination. Sweet cherry trees require cross-pollination, so you need to plant trees close enough that bees can carry pollen. Usually, planting trees within 100 feet is sufficient.
100 foot Since bees fly between trees, it's also important to consider the spacing between your apple trees. Plant them too far apart and bees can't reach the pollinator partners! For pollination purposes, the recommended planting distance for apple trees is within a 100 foot distance.