Is Stanley plum self-fertile or self-sterile?

Stanley European Prune 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 Stanley act as a pollen donor for other plums?

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

Which bloom group does Stanley plum belong to?

Stanley European Prune Plum flowers in Bloom Group 3 (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 Stanley belong to?

Stanley European Prune 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 3

Stanley European Prune Plum
Pollination & Compatibility Guide

Stanley prune plum pollination, self-fertile Pool A status, Group 3 bloom and orchard considerations for drying fruit.

Pomological Verdict & Botanical Profile

Stanley is Self-Fertile (Pool A)

Sets Alone · Same-Pool Partners Only

Prune, self-fertile. Partners: Victoria, Bluefre, President.

Pollination Pool / Ploidy: Pool A · Hexaploid (functional diploid)
Required Companions: 0 (Self-Fertile)
Bloom Group: Group 3 (Mid-Spring)
Harvest Timing: Mid-Late Season

Primary Uses:PruneFresh EatingCanning

Disease Resistance: Moderate disease resistance

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 Stanley

Early Overlap

Group 2

Stanley

Group 3

Late Overlap

Group 4

For Stanley, select a compatible plum in the same pollination pool flowering from Group 2 to 4; 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
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
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
Mirabelle de Nancy (European)Guide	Group 4	Full Overlap	Mid	Fresh Eating, Brandy (Eau de Vie)	Test Cross

Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (5)

These cultivars cannot serve as pollinizers for Stanley 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.

Jefferson (European)Guide

plum incompatibility groups are only partly mapped, so only cultivars documented as reliable donors are offered. Jefferson (European) 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: Stanley as a Prune Plum

Stanley is a self-fertile European prune plum in Pool A with Group 3 blossom. It can crop without a companion, though Victoria or another overlapping Pool A donor can improve pollen availability in a mixed block. President is also named as a partner in the source material, but its later Group 4 bloom makes actual overlap worth checking locally. Pool B Japanese plums are not compatible donors.

A prune block is managed for fruit that can be dried or processed, not simply for the appearance expected of dessert plums. Even so, excessive set reduces size and concentrates weight on brittle wood. Walk the rows after natural drop to judge load across individual trees; thin overloaded branches before summer growth and fruit mass make breakage more likely.

Rootstock choice follows the intended harvest method. A bush on St Julien A or Wavit allows closer hand access, while vigorous stocks need a larger frame and machine clearance where fruit is shaken. Confirm any proposed prune-and-rootstock combination with the nursery, especially on Marianna 2624, because compatibility is cultivar specific. Planting healthy material and keeping frost drainage in view matter as much as the pollen plan.