Jazz™ (Scifresh) Apple
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Jazz (Scifresh) apple pollination requirements, bloom group 3-4 timing, and compatible partners. Complete guide to upright tree vigor and parent exclusions.
Jazz is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Partner)
Braeburn is a direct parent, and Gala is genetically identical to its other parent Royal Gala, so neither is a reliable pollinizer for it. Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Fuji all overlap its bloom and are clean. Jazz™ needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 2–4 to set a reliable crop.
- Chromosome Ploidy
- Diploid (2n)
- Required Companions
- 1 Diploid Partner
- Bloom Group
- Group 3 (Mid-Spring)
- Harvest Timing
- Mid (+15d from Golden Delicious)
Flowering Period & Overlap Window
Apple flowering periods are classified into numbered bloom groups (1 through 6). A variety reliably cross-pollinates with cultivars in its own group or adjacent groups (±1 group).
Any compatible diploid apple flowering within Group 2 to 4 provides matching blossom overlap.
Compatible Pollination Partners (86)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EverCrisp® | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Lady | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±5d delta | Decorative, Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Black Oxford | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±10d delta | All-Purpose, Storage | Test Cross |
Hudson's Golden Gem | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Keepsake | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | Storage, All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Northwest Greening | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | Cooking | Test Cross |
Peck's Pleasant | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Mid ±15d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | All-Purpose, Storage | Test Cross | |
Regent | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Suncrisp | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±15d delta | Fresh Eating, Cider | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±20d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
| Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±20d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Connell Red | Group 3 | Full Overlap | Late ±25d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (20)
These varieties overlap in flowering time with Jazz but cannot fertilise it due to sterile pollen (triploids) or shared genetic incompatibility alleles.
Arkansas Black produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Ashmead's Kernel produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Baldwin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Belle de Boskoop produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Blenheim Orange produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
A direct parent (Braeburn × Royal Gala) — roughly half the pollen is non-functional, so it is not a reliable partner.
Bramley's Seedling produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Fall Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
A direct parent (Braeburn × Royal Gala) — roughly half the pollen is non-functional, so it is not a reliable partner.
Gravenstein produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Jonagold produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Karmijn de Sonnaville produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Mutsu (Crispin) produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Orleans Reinette produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Ribston Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Roxbury Russet produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Spigold produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Stayman Winesap produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Tompkins King produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Zabergau Reinette produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Grower Commentary: Jazz Tree Architecture, Tangy-Sweet Flavor & Management
Jazz™ (cultivar name Scifresh) is a diploid, self-sterile club variety bred in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, by Plant & Food Research from a cross of Braeburn × Royal Gala (released 2000). Flowering in bloom group 3–4 (mid-to-late season), it produces fertile pollen and cross-pollinates readily with compatible companions such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Honeycrisp.
Parentage exclusions: Because Braeburn and Royal Gala are the direct parents of Jazz, neither variety should be planted as an exclusive cross-pollination partner due to shared incompatibility alleles.
Eating quality and storage: Celebrated for its intense, tangy-sweet flavor profile, explosive crunch, and dense flesh that retains firmness through 8+ months of controlled-atmosphere storage without softening.
Vigorous upright growth habit: Jazz trees are exceptionally vigorous with strong apical dominance and vertical shoot growth. Canopy management requires aggressive limb spreading, winter click pruning, and summer deficit irrigation to prevent excessive canopy shading and ensure adequate light penetration for fruit color development.
Key Orchard Considerations for Jazz
Requires aggressive limb tying and horizontal trellis training to suppress excessive vegetative growth and promote spur fruiting.
Do not rely on parent cultivars Braeburn or Gala as solitary cross-pollination partners.
Dense cell structure enables superior multi-month cold storage retention with minimal texture degradation.
Take Jazz from Planning to Planting
Use Kropigo's free browser tools to model your block density, tree counts, and pollinizer rows, then maintain permanent orchard records row by row.
Pollination Checker
Check Jazz against supported cultivars with compatible flowering and pollination data.
Commercial Block Planner
Calculate high-density tree spacing, row geometry, and establishment costs.
Block Record Keeping
Track pruning, chemical thinning, and harvest tallies block by block from the orchard.