Red Delicious Apple Info: Tips For Growing Red Delicious Apples

Red delicious apples, with more than 2,500 cultivated varieties in North America, are heart shaped with bright red striped skin. This apple variety was so named after the commercial nursery owner tasted and exclaimed, "Delicious" in 1892.

Red Delicious Apple Info

If you love and admire the taste of Red Delicious apples, then you must want to learn more about the tree and how to grow it in the landscape. This general information is quite helpful for both growers and consumers. Red Delicious tree size ranges from 10-25 feet (3-8 m.) in height and 12-15 feet (4-5 m.) wide. It becomes more attractive when it bears white-pink colored flowers early in the season. Like other apple trees, it is deciduous, which means that it will shed its leaves in autumn, providing the best time for pruning. The taste of the fruit is sweet and mild. With long storage life, the apples can be used for a variety of purposes but are mostly found great for eating fresh and making desserts.

How to Grow a Red Delicious Apple Tree

Proper Red Delicious apple care is essential for having a healthy tree and fruits. Before planting your Red Delicious tree, make your soil is free from weeds. Dig a hole about 2-3 feet (.60-.91 m.) deep and add some organic manure or compost in the hole. Make sure that your plant is healthy and free from any disease or injury. Loosen the soil around the root ball, as it will help the roots to penetrate into the soil. If you are interested in planting a grafted Red Delicious apple tree, then make sure that the graft union is at least 2 inches (5 cm.) above the soil surface. Before growing Red Delicious apple trees, select pollinating varieties that are compatible, like Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith, and suitable in your area. Red Delicious do not pollinate by themselves but are cross pollinated, mostly with Golden Delicious and Gala. For maximum production, the planting distance must be considered – 12-15 feet (4-5 m.) apart for semi dwarf Red Delicious trees and 10 feet (3 m.) apart for dwarf varieties. Red delicious apple trees are sun loving and need a minimum six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. The tree grows well in acidic, well-drained and humid soils. Generally, the soil must be porous and supplemented with hay or some other organic material to keep it moist and full of nutrients. It’s susceptible to drought stress, so a proper irrigation plan is essential for Red Delicious apples in the orchard. In northern areas, spring planting is suggested while the areas where the weather is mild and moist, fall planting is also successful.