Fruit Tree Planner

Plan compatible pollination partners, compare varieties, and understand flowering compatibility for apples, pears, plums, blueberries, cherries, and more.

Step 1

Choose a fruit type

Fruit type

Start here. The helper uses different rules for apples, plums, blueberries, kiwis, and other fruit groups.

41 options available.

Type to narrow the list.

Selected fruit

Pawpaw

7 tracked varieties

Pawpaws usually need pollen from a different pawpaw cultivar. Flowers can be slow to attract pollinators, so a second cultivar nearby is important and hand pollination can boost fruit set.

Plant pawpaws close enough for beetles, flies, and other blossom visitors to move easily between them. In home orchards, closer is better.

Step 2

Choose what you want to check

Current goal

Single variety

Choose one variety and Willowbottom will show the best pollination partners.

Step 3

Choose your variety

Main variety

Choose one variety to see the strongest pollination partners.

7 options available.

Optional comparison variety

Optional direct pair check.

6 options available.

USDA zone (optional)

Used to sort matches and flag climate cautions.

Pick a variety first, then scroll to Step 4 for ranked partners, warnings, and the optional pair check.

Step 4

See recommendations

Selected variety

Sunflower

Pawpaw

Mid bloom - mid bloom

Needs another compatible varietyPartner guidance included

Bloom timing

Bloom group mid - mid bloom.

What to do

Pawpaws usually need pollen from a different pawpaw cultivar nearby, and hand pollination can improve set.

About this variety

Sunflower is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. Choose it for fresh eating, early harvests, and reliable home plantings, but skip it if you want maximum fruit size or the most intense, complex pawpaw flavor of premium selections. It usually ripens around mid September.

This shows compatible pollinators. Choose based on flavor and harvest timing.

Usually grown in USDA zones 5-9.

Sunflower needs another compatible variety nearby to set fruit. Pawpaws usually need pollen from a different pawpaw cultivar nearby, and hand pollination can improve set. It flowers in mid bloom, so a partner has to be flowering at the same time to be any use. Usually grown in USDA zones 5-9.

No single variety stands out as the obvious partner, but that is not a problem here: Allegheny, Mango, Shenandoah, NC-1, and PA Golden all bloom close enough to work. There are 1 more in the list below. Pick whichever your nursery actually carries. Plant pawpaws close enough for beetles, flies, and other blossom visitors to move easily between them. In home orchards, closer is better.

One thing to keep in mind. Often marketed as unusually easy, but it is still safer to plan on a second pawpaw cultivar.

To put that into practice: at a minimum, plant at least two different pawpaw cultivars. Better still, plant two to three different pawpaw cultivars close together for better overlap and more dependable fruit set. If you already planted one pawpaw, add a second named cultivar nearby rather than waiting to see if the single tree surprises you.

Good backups

These are still useful choices when the very best option is not available at your nursery.

Allegheny

Same fruit type

Mid bloom - mid bloom

Good backup

Blooms in the same window. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownSame bloom window

Why choose this?

Allegheny is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating and dependable backyard pawpaw harvests, but skip it if you want very late harvests or the absolute richest flavor of the named varieties. It usually ripens around late September, earlier than most of the others shown.

Mango

Same fruit type

Mid bloom - mid bloom

Good backup

Blooms in the same window. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownSame bloom window

Why choose this?

Mango is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, freezing pulp, and rich dessert-style uses, but skip it if you want long shipping, crisp texture, or fruit that needs to sit around after picking. It usually ripens around late September, earlier than most of the others shown.

Shenandoah

Same fruit type

Mid bloom - mid bloom

Good backup

Blooms in the same window. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownSame bloom window

Why choose this?

Shenandoah is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, freezing pulp, and rich dessert-style uses, but skip it if you want long shipping, crisp texture, or fruit that needs to sit around after picking. It usually ripens around late September, earlier than most of the others shown.

NC-1

Same fruit type

Early bloom - early-mid bloom

Good backup

Blooms close enough to overlap in many home plantings. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownNearby bloom window

Why choose this?

NC-1 is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating and dependable named-variety pawpaw plantings, but skip it if you want very large show fruit or the very latest ripening season. It usually ripens around late September, earlier than most of the others shown.

PA Golden

Same fruit type

Early bloom - early-mid bloom

Good backup

Blooms close enough to overlap in many home plantings. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownNearby bloom window

Why choose this?

PA Golden is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating and backyard pawpaw harvests with good-sized fruit, but skip it if you want the very richest, most complex flavor of premium selections like Susquehanna. It usually ripens around late September, earlier than most of the others shown.

Susquehanna

Same fruit type

Mid bloom - mid-late bloom

Good backup

Blooms close enough to overlap in many home plantings. Zone fit is unknown or not a major tie-breaker here.

Zone unknownNearby bloom window

Why choose this?

Susquehanna is very sweet with low acidity and real depth, with medium-firm flesh and very large fruit. In this group, this is one of the sweetest and richest picks. Choose it for fresh eating and the finest dessert-quality pawpaw available, but skip it if you want long storage, shipping, or regions where Susquehanna ripens inconsistently. It usually ripens around early October, later than most of the others shown.

Minimum planting guidance

Use the minimum, ideal, and fallback plan to size the planting to your space and goals.

Minimum setup

Plant at least two different pawpaw cultivars.

Ideal setup

Plant two to three different pawpaw cultivars close together for better overlap and more dependable fruit set.

Fallback plan

If you already planted one pawpaw, add a second named cultivar nearby rather than waiting to see if the single tree surprises you.

Important notes

These notes keep the key cautions and practical details easy to scan.

Warnings

Often marketed as unusually easy, but it is still safer to plan on a second pawpaw cultivar.

Helpful notes

Plant pawpaws close enough for beetles, flies, and other blossom visitors to move easily between them. In home orchards, closer is better.

Want to understand why these pairings work? Read the full pollination guide →

New to fruit trees? Start with fruit tree husbandry →

Every fruit and variety we cover

444 varieties across 41 fruit types. Open a crop to see the varieties, or pick one to jump straight to its pollination partners.

Apple25 varieties

Peach17 varieties

Pear22 varieties

Cherry25 varieties

Plum21 varieties

Blueberry31 varieties

Strawberry13 varieties

Raspberry16 varieties

Blackberry13 varieties

Grape14 varieties

Fig8 varieties

Apricot10 varieties

Nectarine8 varieties

Persimmon9 varieties

Pomegranate2 varieties

Mulberry8 varieties

Elderberry10 varieties

Quince7 varieties

Serviceberry8 varieties

Pawpaw7 varieties

Currant9 varieties

Gooseberry7 varieties

Jujube9 varieties

Aronia6 varieties

Honeyberry29 varieties

Hazelnut21 varieties

Cranberry7 varieties

Lingonberry6 varieties

Goji Berry5 varieties

Hardy Kiwi6 varieties

Kiwi5 varieties

Passion Fruit / Maypop4 varieties

Mango14 varieties

Avocado7 varieties

Mandarin5 varieties

Tangerine5 varieties

Kumquat5 varieties

Calamondin4 varieties

Citron4 varieties

Cherimoya6 varieties

Date Palm6 varieties