I'm wondering if you are under a common misconception. Trees being loaded are not necessarily a sign of good pollination - if fact loaded trees could be a sign of inadequate pollination of the king bloom.
The only way to truly evaluate pollination is by seed count. Slice the fruit crossways and count the seeds. Low seed counts indicate a pollination problem - and the fruit will not be top quality. If the king bloom is not well pollinated (and that's the one we want fruit from), oftentimes the fruit will then set in clusters of three - which may or may not be well pollinated. It's a complex thing with a lot of variables - bee populations/rain/cold/wind/pollenizer availability, etc. but it's important to rely on accurate evaluations by seed counts rather than simplistic assumptions. A lot of people think like computer scientists - that pollination is a binary act - an on/off switch. Pollination with multi-seeded fruits is progressive. The more grains of viable pollen carried into the blossom the better, and that usually means many bee visits, not just one. Dave (Retired pollination contractor) ----- Original Message ----- From: Dave Meyer Both trees got a great pollination this year - they are loaded.
