Red Delicious Apple Tree

The Red Delicious Apple (Malus 'Red Delicious') tree is a deciduous, ornamental tree that produces superior fruit. Red Delicious has deep red skin and conical shape encasing flesh that is white and crisp, with a sweet flavor.

In the spring, clusters of small white flowers with subtle pink hues will adorn its branches with their fragrant elegance. Pollinators adore these blooms as much as you will!

In the summer, dark green leaves adorn a rounded shape which turns a brilliant yellow in autumn, sprinkled with deep red fruit. It is truly a tree for all seasons!

The Red Delicious apple is the most widely grown variety in the world. It's a widely planted, popular apple tree in North America, with a variety of uses. Red Delicious was the single largest variety produced in Washington State in 2005.

Get planting your own apple trees for home-grown goodness and healthy fruit production! This will quickly become your favorite apple as well!

How to Use Red Delicious Apple Tree In The Landscape

Fantastic apples for fresh eating, fruit salads, and desserts, this healthy snack-on-the-go is lunch box-sized and travels great!

Your Red Delicious can grow to 12 feet tall with an equal spread, resulting in a relatively rounded crown and pleasing landscape appearance which can last up to 50 years.

You can grow one as an accent or shade tree for the front yard, or plant several on a side yard for a private orchard.

The fantastic blooms in spring are enough to make this a perfect front yard specimen plant! Edible landscaping and dual-purpose gardening are great for this healthy and ornamental tree!

Harvest in late September or mid-October, plus enjoy a long storage life in cold storage or refrigeration.

#ProPlantTips For Care

Requiring full sun for the most blooms and best crop, be sure to provide at least 6 hours of direct light per day!

Tolerating any type of soil that is well-drained, these trees don’t mind some acidic conditions. However, they do require consistent moisture availability and supplemental watering during drought.

A generous layer of mulch helps retain soil moisture as well as insulate the root system from heat and chill.

Prune your tree to open the canopy for sunlight and air circulation to reach the interior. This prevents disease and mildew issues. Fruit needs to be thinned for larger fruit.

The Red Delicious apple is a lovely ornamental tree that will provide you with a crop of delicious and nutritious fruit each fall. Our apple trees are always in high demand. Quantities are limited and many will sell out soon. Order now from NatureHills.com to avoid disappointment!

Red Delicious Apple Tree Frequently Asked Questions

When to Plant Red Delicious Apple Trees

Planting Bareroot trees as soon as you can dig a hole in spring and until hot weather, the earlier the better. Plant container Apple trees throughout the growing season with complete success - that is the benefit of container plants - to extend the planting season. Your County Agricultural Extension Office is a great resource for first and last frost dates in your area.

How to Plant Red Delicious Apple Trees

Dig a large hole only as deep as needed to accommodate the bareroot or container root ball, and twice as wide. Add Nature Hills Root Booster to speed root establishment. Remove the pot or bag and situate it into the hole so the top of the soil (soil line if bareroot), is level with the new location's soil being careful not to plant too deep. Water in again very well and backfill with the same soil you dug up, tamping down gently to ensure there are no air pockets.

Top off with a 3-4 inch thick layer of Arborist mulch. Consider staking your tree to keep its trunk growing straight for the first year to ensure it stands tall against strong winds and drifting snow.

When to Prune Red Delicious Apple Trees

Trim off any broken branches from delivery as soon as you take them out of the box. Prune and trim apple trees while dormant, in late winter or early spring, before you see new growth.

How to Prune Red Delicious Apple Trees

Dormant prune to:

• Remove any double leaders or narrow crotch angles
• Eliminate any crossing branches
• Thin interior branching and leave the fruiting spurs and strong branches in place opening up the canopy
• Branching at least 24-36 inches above the ground

Prune Apple trees in the summer to:

• Control size and shape by reducing the length of longer new growth on vigorous trees
• Remove water sprouts on the main trunk or older branches in the crown
• Remove suckers at the base of the trunk
• Thin fruit during heavy years on established trees

How to Care for Red Delicious Apple Trees

Growing an apple tree is easy when proper soil, good drainage, attention to moisture, and regular fertility are maintained. Once you've chosen an apple tree that works for your climate, in the size you need for your landscape, and its pollinator (if needed), then you've accomplished half the battle!

• Apple trees do best in full sun and well-drained soil
• Water your apple trees when it gets dry - especially during the fruit production stage, and drought periods to keep it stress-free
• Use arborists' wood chips to mulch over the roots of your apples and have your soil tested to see what your soil may be lacking before adding fertilizers
• Maintenance pruning and shaping

Apple trees will tolerate a wide range of soils, so long as water and nutrients are not limited and the pH level is adequate.

How to Fertilize Red Delicious Apple Trees

For the first year, water alone is most important. It is always best to get a soil test to see what your soil is lacking before adding more fertilizers. Once established, a fertilizer routine may be beneficial. We do offer some excellent slow-release organic options, applied according to the package directions.

Fruit trees need more phosphate and it's possible to apply too much nitrogen which affects the soil's pH. Test soil acidity or alkalinity using a pH Tester.

Fertilize in spring when you first see new growth emerging.

• Don't overdo it
• Phosphates are your friends
• Pay attention to pH in areas with extremely high or low soil pH
• Follow the directions

Red Delicious Apple Tree Pollinating Info

Red Delicious is not self-fruiting and needs a pollinating partner. Pair with one of these varieties:

• Braeburn Apple Tree
• Yellow Delicious Apple Tree
• Red Jonathan Apple Tree
• Fuji Apple Tree
• Gala Apple Tree
• Honeycrisp Apple Tree

Harvest Times for Red Delicious Apple Trees

Red Delicious’s are typically ready to harvest in October.

Early-Season? Mid-Season? Late-Season? The terminology can be confusing for new apple tree growers. Weather, climate and your tree determine when it's ripe.

For Apples:

• Early-season is usually June-July
• Mid-season can be August-September
• Late-season can be from late September-November

The growing season consists of spring, summer, and fall, and varies with climate and weather. Areas with longer growing seasons in the warmer hardiness zones can greatly affect the harvest times for each particular apple variety grown in your area.

What Shipping Options Do You Offer?

NatureHills.com works closely with our growers and nursery professionals to ensure we ship when it is most appropriate for your area. Our goal is to deliver the hardiest plants by avoiding extreme high and low temperatures. Check out our shipping schedule for more information and to learn our wills and won'ts when it comes to shipping plants. Find your Red Delicious Apple Tree for sale here at NatureHills.com!

Rootstocks Explained

Apple trees have been grafted onto different rootstocks since before the mid-1800s. Different rootstocks are used to improve the anchoring of trees, eliminate diseases, and reduce the natural mature size of the tree itself. While there are many different types of rootstock, they are all labeled as being either Dwarf, Semi-Dwarf, or Standard.

The apple descriptions, including flowering, pollination, and apple characteristics are the same whether the plant is grown on a standard rootstock or some varying dwarfing rootstock. The overall size can vary by climate and soil but the understock used is ultimately what affects the mature size.

There will be some variation in sizes but as a guide, we are suggesting the overall mature size of these apple varieties are:

Standard Apples

• Height 18 - 25 feet
• Spread: 15 - 18 feet

Semi-Dwarf Apples

• Height: 12-18 feet
• Spread: 10 - 15 feet

Remember that all fruit tree sizes can easily be altered if needed by simple pruning as the trees grow and develop.