Is Cambridge Gage plum self-fertile or self-sterile?

Cambridge Gage European Plum is a self sterile cultivar. It is self-sterile and requires 1 compatible pollination partner flowering within Bloom Groups 3–5 to achieve a reliable commercial fruit set.

Can Cambridge Gage act as a pollen donor for other plums?

Yes. Cambridge Gage European Plum produces viable, fertile pollen that readily cross-pollinates other compatible plum varieties flowering across its bloom window.

Which bloom group does Cambridge Gage plum belong to?

Cambridge Gage European Plum flowers in Bloom Group 4 (Mid-Spring). It reliably cross-pollinates with compatible cultivars in its own group or immediately adjacent groups (±1 bloom group).

Which plum pollination pool does Cambridge Gage belong to?

Cambridge Gage European Plum belongs to Pool A (European plum, gage and damson). A compatible pollen partner must flower in the same or an adjacent bloom group and belong to the same pool. European and Japanese plum pools do not cross-pollinate.

Curated Pomology Guide · Bloom Group 4

Cambridge Gage European Plum
Pollination & Compatibility Guide

Cambridge Gage pollination guide: Pool A, corrected Group 4 bloom, required partner and gage orchard management.

Pomological Verdict & Botanical Profile

Cambridge Gage Needs a Compatible Pool A Partner

Same-Pool Pollen Required

Named as one of Victoria's partners despite itself requiring a partner. In Group B with Old Green Gage — a closely related clone group, mutually infertile. Cambridge Gage needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 3–5 to set a reliable crop.

Pollination Pool / Ploidy: Pool A · Hexaploid (functional diploid)
Required Companions: 1 Compatible Partner
Bloom Group: Group 4 (Mid-Spring)
Harvest Timing: Mid Season

Primary Uses:Fresh Eating

General Notes: Reliable cropper

Flowering Period & Overlap Window

Plum bloom groups run from 1 to 5. A useful partner flowers in the same or adjacent group and belongs to the same pollination pool. European plums, gages and damsons are Pool A; Japanese plums and prairie hybrids are Pool B. A tree from one pool cannot pollinate the other.

Flowering Overlap Range for Cambridge Gage

Early Overlap

Group 3

Cambridge Gage

Group 4

Late Overlap

Group 5

For Cambridge Gage, select a compatible plum in the same pollination pool flowering from Group 3 to 5; bloom overlap alone does not bridge Pool A and Pool B.

Compatible Pollination Partners (9)

Test in Checker

Cultivar	Bloom Group	Overlap Type	Harvest	Primary Uses	Interactive Test
President (European)Guide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Late	Fresh Eating, Storage	Test Cross
Damson (Shropshire)Guide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Late	Cooking, Jam, Jelly	Test Cross
Mirabelle de Nancy (European)Guide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Mid	Fresh Eating, Brandy (Eau de Vie)	Test Cross
Victoria (European)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Mid-Late	Fresh Eating, Canning, Jam	Test Cross
Blue DamsonGuide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Mid-Late	Cooking, Preserves	Test Cross
French Prune (Agen)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Late	Drying (Prune), Cooking	Test Cross
Italian Prune (Fellenberg)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Late	Prune, Drying, Canning	Test Cross
Opal (European)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Early	Fresh Eating	Test Cross
Stanley (European)Guide	Group 3	Full Overlap	Mid-Late	Prune, Fresh Eating, Canning	Test Cross

Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (4)

These cultivars cannot serve as pollinizers for Cambridge Gage because of a different plum pollination pool, a documented incompatibility or another exclusion in the source data.

Green Gage (Reine Claude)Guide

Group B — a closely related clone group, mutually infertile (plums.md).

Imperial Epineuse (Prune)

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Imperial Epineuse (Prune) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Moyer Supreme (Prune)

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Moyer Supreme (Prune) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Yellow Egg Plum (European)

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Yellow Egg Plum (European) is not one of them — that is a gap in the data, not evidence it is incompatible.

Grower Commentary: Building a Cambridge Gage Pair

Cambridge Gage is a Pool A European gage that needs a compatible pollen partner. The corrected pomology record places its bloom in Group 4, rather than the Group 3 sometimes copied from catalog notes. Victoria or another verified Pool A donor with overlapping bloom is a better starting point than Old Green Gage: the two gages belong to a documented mutually infertile clone group.

Gages can set less freely than ordinary dessert plums even with bees and suitable pollen in place. Their thin skins and high sugar make rain near harvest a concern for splitting and brown rot, so canopy openness and timely picking matter. Do not interpret a light crop as proof that the chosen donor failed until you have checked bloom overlap, frost injury and the weather during bee flight.

For a block where fruit quality carries the return, St Julien A or Torinel is a more defensible bush stock than Pixy, which can reduce gage fruit size. Leave space to inspect and pick fruit before losses rise after rain. Place both Cambridge Gage and its donor where cold air can drain, and verify the exact nursery cultivar names to avoid planting a renamed clone as its supposed companion.