Hokuto Apple: Juicy Facts Revealed On The World's Heaviest Apple!

Hokuto apple is a bright red, round, big, and extremely high-sugar apple plant.

This large apple type is widely enjoyed as a snack due to the toe crisp texture and juiciness, which is hard to find in any other variety of apples. Locals enjoy this natural fresh eating delicacy, usually in the late season of October.

Japan's Hokuto apple enjoys the honor of being the world's largest apple by the Guinness World Records. The uncommon apple plant is grown in Japan's Aomori prefecture after being grown as a cross with two of the nation's most famous species. 

The Hokuto apple is one of its kind and was found in Japan in 2005. One can estimate its size by combining an average of ten apples together as the recorded weight of the world's heaviest Hokuto apple turned to be 4 lb (1.8 kg). This excellent quality apple variety is best suited for people with an inclination towards extremely sweet fruits.

Did you know that Japan has other apple varieties, such as the predominantly light green Shizuka apple?

Before learning about the Hokuto apple, learn more about other apple species such as Gala apple tree facts and Granny Smith apple facts to know more about the wide world of apples and their origin. 

Hokuto Apple Origin

Hokuto apple may have found its place in record books in the year 2005 when founded by Chisato Iwasaki in Hirosaki City. Still, its origin dates back to 1983, when it was commercially introduced. The famous heavyweight apple plant results from the hybrid of two of the most popular variety of apples in the world, named Fuji and Mutsu apples.

Compared to its small-sized parent breeds, Hokuto fruit is large, juicy, round, crisp, and contains high sugar making it one of the most enjoyed fruit in the region. This famous apple breed was born in the Aomori prefecture of northern Honshu, Japan, after the arrival of European apples in Japan. As records state, apples were initially brought to Japan by an English missionary named John Ing, who offered these apples to let students enjoy the delicious taste of this rare fruit then. As the prominence of apples started spreading across the nation, so did the cultivation and experimentation, which is when the Hokuto apple was created.

Hokuto Apple Features

Hokuto apple has an uncommon size and weight, but its appearance is not widely different from a regular-sized apple. The fruit has a light pink outer surface with red stripes. These red stripes outside and pale yellow flesh inside reflect freshness. The crisp texture and high water content make it extremely juicy and tempting to bite into, while its perfect shape is why Hokuto is so popular among people.

Hokuto apples are not only big but extremely sweet and carry a distinctive fragrance that is hard to curb. Hokuto apple plants have exceptionally sweet-smelling flowers, tempting birds and bugs to promote pollination during the growth stage. Hokuto apple can be an excellent part of your fresh eating routine. Japanese people enjoy the pale yellow flesh of apples and try incorporating these in their routine as much as possible in different forms such as jam, wine, pie, and many such delicacies.

Hokuto Apple Planting, Growth and Care Tips

The Fuji and Mutsu apple hybrid plants require as much care as any apple tree does; still, there are several ways one must take care of the Hokuto apple plant to grow it in stable conditions. Hokuto apple plants are best grown in cool temperatures. However, excessive snowfall is unfavorable. The Aomori Prefecture is the perfect place for its growth. The site hardly receives any snow through the years but has a stable rainfall level to maintain the average water demand of the Hokuto tree planted in the garden. Hokuto apples can get damaged due to overwater.

The Hokuto trees require pruning once in a while to maintain their shape. This species of apples can be kept safe and suitable for eating for a span of two months if maintained with care. Hokuto trees are usually planted during the spring season and harvested in the late mid-season of fall or winter.

Difference Between Hokuto Apple and Other Apple Species

The high sugar apple hybrid of Fuji and Mutsu widely differs from other apple species, and the most significant difference between these two is evident in their appearance. Hokuto apples are round, large, pale yellow, and contain an extra crispy texture not found as much in the regularly consumed apples.

The standard tree size of regular apple trees is 18-25 ft (5.5-7.6 m), but the Hokuto apple tree is considerably larger than the standard size, following a height of 30+ ft (9+ m). Hokuto apples are rare and can only be found in Japan. Meanwhile, another Japanese apple species called Fuji is imported and loved worldwide. The difference in taste and texture can also be why the Hokuto apple varies in color. Standard apples' exterior color and shape differ widely from the Hokuto ones. The mixture of two different trees offers equally different individual tastes to create an exceptional variety that is hard to find anywhere else.

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