Description of the variety of apples Black Prince and Johnaprince, useful properties and history
A new promising variety - Black Prince - is considered one of the best, therefore, when choosing an apple tree for your garden, you should pay attention to this hybrid. For a long time, apple trees have been the main focus of gardening. When planting fruit, 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 Johnaprince. On the territory of the Russian Federation, he appeared recently, but in a short period of time he managed to win love among gardeners. The seductive fruits of the Black Prince red apple variety attract a lot of attention and look appetizing on the tree, therefore it is difficult to resist them.
Originated from American Jonagold apples in the middle XX century. Due to the yield and taste of the fruit, this hybrid conquered the United States in a short time, and then Europe.
Worth knowing: thanks to the popularity of Jonagold, breeders have created many similar apples (over 100 species).
The clones differ from the original fruits in taste and color of the skin. The Black Prince, bred in Belgium, is considered the best copy of Jonagold. It appeared on the European market at the end of the 20th century.
Description and main characteristics of the variety
According to its main characteristics, the variety of red appetizing apples - Black Prince, belongs to the autumn mid-early hybrids. It is considered winter hardy and can even survive sudden severe cold snaps. Thanks to the progenitor, Red Johnaprince has absorbed only the best apple qualities - yield, resistance to diseases, fruit taste.
According to the description and reliable characteristics, the apple tree yields already 3-4 years after planting in open ground. Six years later, the harvest promises to be generous. Fruits are harvested from trees from late September to early October.
Harvesting takes place in one stage, as apples ripen at the same time. Apples reach their bright taste by November, after laying for 2 weeks after harvest.
Flowering and pollination
The buds on the Black Prince trees bloom several days earlier than its parent variety. The blossoming flowers have a white tint with pinkish blotches. The most relevant pollinators for the variety are Golden, Gala, Elstar, Junami, Braburn. Also, when planting, it is worth knowing the feature - Red Jonagold triploid hybrid. This means that it has:
- increased productivity;
- resistance to cold;
- good quality fruits;
- rarely gets sick, especially scab.
Beneficial features
This variety is considered a godsend for those who want to harvest vitamin apples for the winter. The Black Prince contains 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 the fruits on a regular basis, you can improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Nutritionists recommend Red Jonaprint for overweight people due to its high carbohydrate content. It turns out that there are 42 kilocalories per 100 grams of apples. Therefore, sitting on a diet, you can safely eat the fruits of the Black Prince.
The frequency of fruiting
The Black Prince belongs to the winter varieties of apples. 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 to be of medium height. Their cultivation is most successful on dwarf rootstocks. After the seedling has been planted in the ground, it is unlikely to yield a crop in the first year of life. The Black Prince bears fruit only from the third year of life. A large apple harvest can be expected in the sixth year of the tree's life.
Tasting assessment
In terms of taste, apples are sweet and sour, have a 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, confitures. Many connoisseurs of the variety prefer to consume 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, in order to hedge, it is worth insulating the apple tree. For a successful wintering, the last water-charging irrigation is carried out at the end of October. One tree, on average, takes 80 liters of water. Young seedlings have less liquid - 60 liters.
- Before the onset of the first frost, the tree trunk is insulated 1 meter from the ground with special heaters. Agro-fabric, 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 must be at least 25 centimeters.
- When 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 comes, the mulch and snow are removed.
- On rare occasions, the Black Prince can become infected with scab, aphids, powdery mildew, or bitter rot. If the weather is too humid, the tree can become infected with scab. Fruits, with such a disease, lose their taste and appearance. 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 bloom appears on its leaves and stems. As a preventive measure, the trees are sprayed three times in one season with Bordeaux concentrate.
Yield
Red Jonaprince has a high yield, and its fruits are well preserved. An apple tree produces a crop every year if the seedling is more than three years old. The amount of the crop directly depends on 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 an even, 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 shade. The fruit itself is sweet, slightly sour. According to experts, the taste of the Black Prince is highly appreciated.
Collection, storage and use of crops
Proper storage of representatives of the Black Prince variety of red apples plays an important role - after all, they can be preserved 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 you do this earlier, then the fruit can lose almost 40% of the taste.
- Thanks to their hard skin and firm pulp, apples can be transported.
- You can save the crop for 3 months if you keep it at room temperature. In the refrigerator, the fruits will remain for six months.
- It is advisable to store apples at home in wooden boxes, at the bottom of which there is a small layer of hay or paper.
- Red Johnaprince can be eaten fresh, fruit vitamin salads can be prepared with its addition. It also makes compotes, jams and confitures for the winter.
Conclusion
Black Prince is superior to other apple varieties. Having planted them in the garden, you can expect a high yield, winter hardiness and ease of care. Experienced gardeners and beginners can grow such a tree.
