Apples Black Prince and Jonaprince: variety description and characteristics with photo

A new promising variety - the Black Prince - is considered one of the best, therefore, when choosing an apple tree in your garden, you should pay attention to this hybrid. Since ancient times, apple trees have been given dominant attention in horticulture. When planting a territory with fruits, it is sometimes difficult to decide, but by planting at least one Black Prince, the owner of the garden will be pleasantly surprised by the harvest.

The history of the origin of the variety

When purchasing new seedlings for a garden or summer cottage, you should give preference to such a hybrid as Red Jonaprince. On the territory of the Russian Federation, he appeared recently, but managed to win love among gardeners in a short period of time.Seductive fruits of the Black Prince variety of red apples attract a lot of attention and look appetizing on the tree, making them hard to resist.

A variety originated from American Jonagold apples in the middle of the 20th century. Due to the yield and taste of fruits, this hybrid conquered the territory of the United States in a short time, and then Europe.

Worth knowing: due to the popularity of Jonagold, breeders have created many similar apples (more than 100 types).

The clones differ from the original fruits in taste and skin color. The best copy of Jonagold is the Black Prince, bred in Belgium. It appeared on the European market at the end of the 20th century.

Description and main characteristics of the variety

According to the main characteristics, the variety of red appetizing apples - the Black Prince, belongs to the autumn mid-early hybrids.It is considered winter-hardy and can survive even sudden severe cold snaps. Thanks to the progenitor, Red Jonaprince absorbed only the best apple qualities - yield, disease resistance, fruit taste.

According to the description and reliable characteristics, the apple tree gives a harvest for 3-4 years after planting in open ground. Six years later, the harvest promises to be generous. The fruits are harvested from the trees from late September to early October.

Harvesting takes place in one stage, since apples ripen at the same time. Apples reach their bright taste by November, lying down for 2 weeks after picking.

Flowering and pollination

The buds on the Black Prince's trees bloom a few days earlier than its parent variety. Blooming flowers are white with pinkish patches. The most relevant pollinators for the variety are Golden, Gala, Elstar, Junami, Braeburn.Also, when planting, it is worth knowing the feature - Red Jonagold is a triploid hybrid. This means it has:

increased yield;
cold resistance;
good quality fruits;
rarely gets sick, especially scab.

Useful properties

This variety is considered a godsend for those who want to harvest vitamin apples for the winter. The Black Prince has a large amount of trace elements and antioxidants. It is also worth recalling the rich content of potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus in apples. If you eat fruits on a regular basis, you can improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Dietitians recommend Red Jonaprince to people who are overweight because of the high amount of carbohydrates. It turns out that there are 42 kilocalories per 100 grams of apples. Therefore, while on a diet, you can safely eat the fruits of the Black Prince.

Frequency of fruiting

The Black Prince is a winter apple variety. Fruiting at the tree occurs from late September to early October. When planted, the seedling is characterized by active growth, but with age, the tree begins to grow more slowly.

Mature trees are considered medium-sized. Growing them most successfully on dwarf rootstocks. After the seedling has been planted in the ground, it is unlikely to produce a crop in the first year of life. The Black Prince bears fruit only from the third year of life. A large harvest of apples can be expected in the sixth year of the tree's life.

Tasting evaluation

Apples are sweet and sour in taste, have juicy creamy flesh. According to the tasting assessment, we can say that the Black Prince has quality taste standards - 4.8 points on a five-point scale.

The Black Prince is often used in cooking, in the manufacture of pastries, compotes, jams, marmalades. Many connoisseurs of the variety prefer to use it fresh. In terms of the amount of sucrose and glucose, this variety surpasses even Jonagold.

Winter hardiness and disease resistance

Despite the resistance to winter frosts, to make sure, it is worth warming the apple tree. For a successful wintering at the end of October, the last water-charging irrigation is carried out. One tree, on average, takes 80 liters of water. Young seedlings have less liquid - 60 liters.

Before the first frost, the tree trunk is insulated 1 meter from the ground with special heaters. Agrofabric, reeds, paper are used as insulating materials. To protect the roots of the tree, mulch is poured under its trunk. The layer of sawdust and other materials should be at least 25 centimeters.
When the snow falls, they can additionally insulate the trunk - it is enough to shovel the snow mass to the apple tree, the layer height should be 30-40 centimeters. When spring arrives, the mulch and snow are removed.
In rare cases, the Black Prince can become infected with scab, aphids, powdery mildew or bitter rot. If the weather was too wet, then the tree can become infected with scab fungus. Fruits, with such a disease, lose their taste and external characteristics. As a preventive measure, the soil near the tree must be kept clean.
If an apple tree is sick with powdery mildew, then a gray coating appears on its leaves and stems. As a preventive measure, trees are sprayed three times in one season with Bordeaux concentrate.

Yields

Red Jonaprince has a high yield, and its fruits are well preserved. The apple tree gives a harvest every year if the seedling is more than three years old. The yield is directly related to pollination. More than 70 kilograms of apples can be harvested from one mature tree.

Fruit sizes

The fruits of the Black Prince have a rounded conical shape. Apples - up to 200 grams. The diameter can be about 10 centimeters. The skin has a smooth smooth surface of dark red color. In bright light, apples take on a bright black and red color.

After ripening, the fruits begin to acquire a red tint from June. The pulp inside the fruit is soft, fine-grained with a creamy tint. The fruit itself is sweet, has a slight sourness. According to experts, the taste of the Black Prince is highly appreciated.

Collecting, storing and using crops

Proper storage of representatives of the red apple variety Black Prince plays an important role - because they can be stored for the whole winter.

Attention: apples can be stored in a special storage for up to 9 months.

You need to collect fruits at the end of September or in the first decade of October. If this is done earlier, the fruits may lose almost 40% of the taste.
Due to the hard skin and strong flesh, apples endure transportation.
You can save the harvest for 3 months if you keep it at room temperature. In the refrigerator, the fruits will last for six months.
It is advisable to store apples at home in wooden boxes with a small layer of hay or paper at the bottom.
Red Jonaprince can be eaten fresh, cooked with the addition of fruit vitamin salads. It also produces compotes, jams and jams for the winter.

Conclusion

The Black Prince variety outperforms other apple varieties. By planting them in the garden, you can expect a high yield, winter hardiness and ease of care. Growing such a tree is within the power of experienced gardeners and beginners.