Is Jefferson plum self-fertile or self-sterile?

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

Can Jefferson act as a pollen donor for other plums?

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

Which bloom group does Jefferson plum belong to?

Jefferson European Plum flowers in Bloom Group 2 (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 Jefferson belong to?

Jefferson 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 2

Jefferson European Plum
Pollination & Compatibility Guide

Jefferson European plum pollination guide: corrected Group 2 bloom, Pool A donors and documented incompatibility group.

Pomological Verdict & Botanical Profile

Jefferson Needs a Compatible Pool A Partner

Same-Pool Pollen Required

In documented Group A with Coe's Golden Drop and Allgrove's Superb (well established, UK). Jefferson (European) needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 1–3 to set a reliable crop.

Pollination Pool / Ploidy: Pool A · Hexaploid (functional diploid)
Required Companions: 1 Compatible Partner
Bloom Group: Group 2 (Mid-Spring)
Harvest Timing: Mid Season

Primary Uses:Fresh Eating

General Notes: Susceptible to black knot

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 Jefferson

Early Overlap

Group 1

Jefferson

Group 2

Late Overlap

Group 3

For Jefferson, select a compatible plum in the same pollination pool flowering from Group 1 to 3; bloom overlap alone does not bridge Pool A and Pool B.

Compatible Pollination Partners (6)

Test in Checker

Cultivar	Bloom Group	Overlap Type	Harvest	Primary Uses	Interactive Test
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 (3)

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

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: Jefferson's Early Pool A Window

Jefferson is a cross-required European dessert plum in Pool A. Its corrected bloom group is 2, making early flowering overlap the first partner test. It belongs to a documented incompatibility group with Coe's Golden Drop and Allgrove's Superb, so those names should not be treated as interchangeable pollinizers. Neither is presently a catalogued partner in this directory; choose an independently compatible, early Pool A donor instead.

An early Group 2 window exposes open blossom to cold nights and short periods of bee activity. When reviewing a light set, compare actual flower dates in both rows and check for frost injury before changing a pollinizer plan. A Group 3 donor can be useful if its bloom genuinely overlaps, but calendar labels from another district are weaker evidence than observations in the intended block.

Keep a dessert block accessible for selective picking and avoid a crowded, shaded framework that reduces fruit quality. St Julien A or Wavit can hold tree size below vigorous Myrobalan without forcing the very narrow spacing that plum wood handles poorly. Confirm the donor's identity and propagation source at ordering, because an incompatible gage or a Pool B Japanese plum can leave Jefferson with blossom but little usable pollen.