Is Mirabelle de Nancy plum self-fertile or self-sterile?

Mirabelle de Nancy European Plum is a self-fertile cultivar. It sets a crop with its own pollen and does not strictly require companion pollinizers, though interplanting with overlapping bloom cultivars can enhance fruit set and yield stability.

Can Mirabelle de Nancy act as a pollen donor for other plums?

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

Which bloom group does Mirabelle de Nancy plum belong to?

Mirabelle de Nancy 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 Mirabelle de Nancy belong to?

Mirabelle de Nancy 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

Mirabelle de Nancy European Plum
Pollination & Compatibility Guide

Mirabelle de Nancy pollination guide: self-fertile Pool A status, corrected Group 4 bloom and preserving use.

Pomological Verdict & Botanical Profile

Mirabelle de Nancy is Self-Fertile (Pool A)

Sets Alone · Same-Pool Partners Only

Mirabelle de Nancy (European) will set a crop planted on its own. A nearby partner can still lift fruit set.

Pollination Pool / Ploidy: Pool A · Hexaploid (functional diploid)
Required Companions: 0 (Self-Fertile)
Bloom Group: Group 4 (Mid-Spring)
Harvest Timing: Mid Season

Primary Uses:Fresh EatingBrandy (Eau de Vie)

General Notes: Good for drying

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 Mirabelle de Nancy

Early Overlap

Group 3

Mirabelle de Nancy

Group 4

Late Overlap

Group 5

For Mirabelle de Nancy, 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
Cambridge GageGuide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Mid	Fresh Eating	Test Cross
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
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 Mirabelle de Nancy because of a different plum pollination pool, a documented incompatibility or another exclusion in the source data.

Green Gage (Reine Claude)Guide

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

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: Mirabelle Bloom and Picking

Mirabelle de Nancy is a self-fertile Pool A plum whose corrected pomology record places bloom in Group 4. It can set a crop on its own, while a Group 3 or 4 European plum may add pollen during changeable spring weather. The mirabelle belongs with European plums, gages and damsons for partner selection. A Japanese plum remains outside its pollination pool regardless of proximity.

Small, sweet mirabelle fruit is often destined for preserving and other processing, which changes how a grower should plan picking. Keep fruit from becoming so dense that shaded interior branches produce uneven maturity or that crews must sort a large volume of undersized plums. Assess set after natural drop and thin only where the load threatens quality or wood strength; avoid making a blanket decision from one well-cropped tree.

A semi-dwarf bush on St Julien A or Torinel gives reasonable access to small fruit without forcing the planting into a narrow, heavily supported spindle. Leave air and light through the canopy, and arrange collection or processing before the short picking window arrives. Mirabelle blossom still faces frost and low bee-flight temperatures, so siting above a cold-air trap is more useful than adding an incompatible donor.