Conversations with Growers

Pollination: A Grower's Perspective

What happens when cold, wet spring weather keeps bees from flying? Washington apple grower Nestor Garcia explains how supplemental pollination helps growers manage the risk of poor fruit set.

Nestor Garcia Benton City, Washington October 2026 3 mins

Listen to the Conversation

Prefer audio? Listen here or open the episode on Spotify →

About This Conversation

For Washington apple grower Nestor Garcia, pollination is something he takes an active role in managing. His orchard is relatively isolated from other apple blocks, and getting a consistent fruit set isn't always easy.

Spring weather is one of those challenges. When wind, rain, or cold temperatures keep bees from flying, the trees don't stop blooming. Nestor discusses how he uses supplemental pollen to help manage those conditions rather than relying entirely on bee activity.

We also discuss what supplemental pollination might look like for someone growing just a few trees. Nestor has helped backyard growers apply pollen by hand with a simple paintbrush, without the equipment used in commercial orchards.

Key Topics

Apple tree pollination
Supplemental pollination
Weather and bee activity
Commercial orchard equipment

Full Interview Transcript Read transcript ↓

Scott: So, how do you approach pollination in your orchard?

Nestor: Yes. I am extremely proactive and I I discover pollination through the circles that I'm involved as a way to improve uh fruit set. Um a lot of people for example in Cosmic Crisp they always say they always fruit they always set well and that's false. They always set well when they have good cross-pollination.

This block is isolated. the the closest block is several hundred yards away and after that we don't have hardly any apples around and we've struggled with fruit set here and over the years what we found about pollination is um if you if you spray pollen on the trees on the right timing and you're consistent with it and you time it well with the bees you can count on a good production.
And even if you don't have good bees blowing pollen increases the chance of fruit set even there's no good flights because we have had situations where there's windy it's raining and bees are like a union. They if it's not perfect, they don't fly. And so time doesn't wait for us as farmers.

And so I've taken into my own hands some of the things that I can do personally to make sure that I have a crop. And so we we use the pollen blowers. Sometimes we put the the pollen into the bees so they can take it as as they're flying in or out. We've tried everything. We've used drones. um doesn't have to be complicated, honestly.

And and you know, when I was a backyard grower, I always looked with anxiety and hope that I would have a fruit set so I can have my own grown fruit and do whatever I want to do with that fruit. And uh and having another tool to make sure that I have fruit there like like spraying or throwing pollen, it should be one of the key tools to make sure that you have it cuz you can't afford to have a whole hive in your backyard. is too much. Maybe you can if you have a small orchard, but most home growers don't have hives in their in their houses and they rely on natural pollinators.

And if you're in a urban area or suburban area and you don't have good pollinators or there is rain or wind, then you risk not getting a crop. And so manually pollinating the trees would ensure that at least some of the fruit gets pollinated even if there is no pollinators inside.

Um, I've actually helped a couple home grower families that I have because I have extra always. And so what I do is I usually just grab like a paintbrush and I tell them, "Hey, grab this mix, put on the paintbrush, and just sprinkle it on the leaves on sorry, on the flowers." And that's how it works. You don't have to buy a lot. Even if it's a small package, a few grams, it would be plenty to help them set better crops.