Zestar!® Apple
Pollination & Compatibility Guide
Zestar apple pollination guide: diploid, early bloom group 2, very hardy early dessert apple. Compatible partners, harvest window and storage notes.
Zestar! is Self-Sterile (Needs 1 Partner)
Zestar!® needs at least one compatible pollinizer from bloom group 1–3 to set a reliable crop.
- Chromosome Ploidy
- self sterile
- Required Companions
- 1 Diploid Partner
- Bloom Group
- Group 2 (Early-Spring)
- Harvest Timing
- Early (-45d from Golden Delicious)
Flowering Period & Overlap Window
Apple flowering periods are classified into numbered bloom groups (1 through 6). A variety reliably cross-pollinates with cultivars in its own group or adjacent groups (±1 group).
Any compatible diploid apple flowering within Group 1 to 3 provides matching blossom overlap.
Compatible Pollination Partners (65)
| Cultivar | Bloom Group | Overlap Type | Harvest | Primary Uses | Interactive Test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jersey Mac | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early Concurrent (±0d) | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Mollie's Delicious | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Sansa | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±5d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±10d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Summerred | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±10d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±10d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Duchess of Oldenburg | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±15d delta | Cooking | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±15d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross | |
Jonamac | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±20d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Mid ±20d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
Lodi | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±25d delta | Cooking | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Mid ±30d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross | |
Macoun | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Mid ±30d delta | Fresh Eating | Test Cross |
Yellow Transparent | Group 2 | Full Overlap | Early ±30d delta | Cooking | Test Cross |
| Group 2 | Full Overlap | Late ±35d delta | All-Purpose | Test Cross |
Incompatible Varieties & Exclusions (12)
These varieties overlap in flowering time with Zestar! but cannot fertilise it due to sterile pollen (triploids) or shared genetic incompatibility alleles.
Baldwin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Belle de Boskoop produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Blenheim Orange produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Bramley's Seedling produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Fall Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Gravenstein produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Karmijn de Sonnaville produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Mutsu (Crispin) produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Ribston Pippin produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Roxbury Russet produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Spigold produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Tompkins King produces no viable pollen, so it cannot serve as a pollinizer.
Grower Commentary: Zestar! Early Harvest in Cold Districts
Zestar! is a diploid, self-sterile dessert apple from the University of Minnesota, a cross of State Fair and the selection MN 1691, and the catalogue lists it as very hardy and early ripening. It flowers early, in bloom group 2, with viable pollen. Partners must open at the same time, and later-flowering mid-season varieties will often miss the window.
Harvest falls about six and a half weeks before Golden Delicious in maritime north-west European conditions, which makes it one of the first dessert apples to market. The fruit is crisp and juicy with a sharp edge, and it does not keep long, so match numbers to what farm gate and local buyers will take in a short summer window.
Early flowers are exposed to spring frost even where winters are mild, so choose air-draining ground and have a frost plan for bloom. Use a hardy rootstock, thin to keep fruit size, and pick in more than one pass as colour develops. Pale fruit shows bruising, so handle gently.
Key Orchard Considerations for Zestar!
Early flowers are frost-exposed; avoid hollows and keep protection ready.
Group 2 partners only; later bloomers often miss the window.
Crisp but short-keeping; sell within weeks through farm gate or local markets.
Take Zestar! from Planning to Planting
Use Kropigo's free browser tools to model your block density, tree counts, and pollinizer rows, then maintain permanent orchard records row by row.
Pollination Checker
Check Zestar! against supported cultivars with compatible flowering and pollination data.
Commercial Block Planner
Calculate high-density tree spacing, row geometry, and establishment costs.
Block Record Keeping
Track pruning, chemical thinning, and harvest tallies block by block from the orchard.