How hard is to grow zestar?

I know honey crisp can be a bit of a pain in the neck to grow. How is zestar?

they grow well here. a local u pick orchard has them . dont know about disease or growth parameters but they are a tasty large apple.

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They’re a good apple, kind of like a Honeycrisp, but not as sweet. We’ve had one for 5 years, it’s produced a few fruit, could have more, but freezes have got them the last couple years. It’s been a vigorous grower, it’s about 15ft high.

One problem is they are usually the first to bloom, so they don’t get pollinated properly, and don’t set a lot of fruit. Our tree has maybe a dozen on it this year, tho.

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Love the apple, but the trees are shy bearers here in our Zone 3b/4a area … also, they seem to be especially prone to sunscald.

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Yes, I put some stock in that cultivar in my small orchard. They bloom very early and I have lost them to frost several times. This is the first year that I did not. They are probably 5 year old trees and I didn’t let them set the first 2 years. They are doing well and twice the size of any apple in my orchard.

One problem that I have is that they need sprayed for Plum Curculio while all of the others are still in full bloom.

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I had that problem with Redfield last year. Earliest fruit, and it got the plum curculio pretty bad.

I grafted this guy onto a bacatta rootstock. Hopefully it being born and raised here it will know how to cope with our schizophrenic seasons.

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Easier than HC for sure

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Zestar took a few years before it decided to really produce. For me it is the first apple to come to full bloom. It is a looker. Early and beautiful it really attracts the birds… ugh.
Crisp, juicy and not too sweet. However, it is a poor keeper unlike Honeycrisp which we are still eating :blush:
Zestar is reliable, early, good tasting and for us not problematic. That being said my favorite early apple is Wynochee. It is not a pretty-boy like Zestar but an amazing keeper for an early apple. I planted another one this spring.

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I wanted another prairie magic but neither of the three grafts I did took :’( I’m not great at grafting but I have heard that bacatta is not compatible with certain varieties and prairie magic could be one of them.

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