Empire Apple Tree

With the Empire Apple Tree (Malus 'Empire'), you get the best two of the world's most beloved Apple varieties: the Red Delicious and the McIntosh. Because it offers the best characteristics of both of its parents, you know this is an apple that won't remain in your fruit bowl for long. It offers longer-lasting fruit and a super sweet taste with a crisp snap of firm flesh inside.

You'll praise the crimson red skin and its dove white flesh. The taste is the one you remember from your childhood - sweet and desert-like, easily preferable to the snacks that you might reach for in the vending machine.

Nothing is better than the taste of apples picked fresh from the tree. You also get the added benefit of knowing what does or does not go into your apples before they made their way into your family's hands and it's also a great investment in your family's health and culinary pleasure for years or even generations to come.

Planting and Application:

At maturity, this compact tree is sized just right for the suburban or urban garden, but you can keep it even smaller with a simple summer prune. Like most Macintosh offspring, it is happy to set many, many little apples for you if you let it. You'll want to thin out the crop each year to get bigger and better apples.

The early spring white blossoms are fragrant and a favorite of bees, plus the shade producing lush green leaves all growing seasons end the year with some yellow fall color! This all-purpose apple is excellent as a snack for fresh eating, in fruit salads, minced into sauces, ciders, baking and it even freezes well!

• Vivid Red Delicious Fruit
• Bright White Flavorful Flesh
• Fragrant White Blossoms
• Compact-Sized Tree
• Fresh Eating, Baking & Sauces

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Empire is an easy-to-grow tree that remains a steadfast favorite among growers. It requires full sun and cool autumn nights for optimal growth. While it is partially self-fertile, you'll want to give it a pollination partner to increase your fall yield. Hardy USDA zones 4 - 9.

• Full Sun
• Plant in Well-Drained Soil
• Regular Water & Fertility
• ~800 Chill Hours
• Prune When Dormant

Empire Apple Trees are a fan favorite and a reliable producer. Order your own today from NatureHills.com and pick up its pollinator while you're at it!

Empire Apple Tree Frequently Asked Questions

When to Plant Empire 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 Empire 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 Empire 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 Empire 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 Empire 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 Empire 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

Empire Apple Tree Pollinating Info

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

• Gala Apple Tree
• Enterprise® Apple Tree
• Golden Delicious Apple Tree
• Honeycrisp Apple Tree
• Red Jonathan Apple Tree

Harvest Times for Empire Apple Trees

Empire’s are typically ready to harvest in August.

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. Learn which growing zone you are in.

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 Empire Apple Tree for sale here at NatureHills.com!