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Red Delicious Apple Tree
Malus domestica 'Red Delicious'
The Red Delicious Apple Tree is one of the world's most widely planted apple trees today and is one of the easiest and best producing apple trees available.
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Share:Dormancy Notice: This plant, like many others, enters dormancy or semi-dormancy in the late fall through early spring. *THIS PLANT IS NOT DEAD. It is completely healthy but upon receiving the plant, you may notice it exhibits fewer leaves, discoloration, or complete leaf drop. This is normal and essential to the plant's health. In fact, planting during dormancy promotes root growth, giving your plant a better start for spring, when new foliage will begin to grow.
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Red Delicious Apple Trees for Sale Online
The Red Delicious Apple Tree is the most popular apple tree planted in the U.S. They produce large, red apples with juicy white flesh. The juicy red delicious apple is perfect for eating fresh off the tree or used in baking.
The Red Delicious apple has a very distinctive flavor. The taste is mild and sweet with very little acidity. The apples ripen from September to October and are an easy choice for your home orchard.
| Hardiness Zone: | 5-9 |
|---|---|
| Mature Height: | 20 to 25 feet |
| Mature Width: | 15 to 20 feet |
| Classification: | Broad leaved deciduous tree, spring flowering |
| Sunlight: | Full sun |
| Habit: | Spreading, umbrella shaped canopy |
| Foliage: | Dark green |
| Fruit Color: | Red |
| Pruning Season: | Late winter |
| Soil Condition: | Any well drained soil |
| Water Requirement: | Water well until established |
| Uses: | One of the best apples for eating fresh or storing |
How to Care for Red Delicious Apple Tree
Before you buy a Red Delicious Apple Tree, make sure to read about the recommended care instructions to keep this plant healthy and thriving.
How do I plant my Red Delicious Apple Tree?
We suggest when planting your newly purchased Red Delicious Apple Tree that you dig a hole twice as wide as the root system but not deeper. Depending on the quality of your existing soil you may need to add a locally sourced compost or topsoil to the back-fill soil. We do not recommend using straight topsoil or compost as a back-fill soil because more times than not these products will retain entirely to much moisture and will cause the root system to rot. Adding compost or topsoil will help the young feeder roots of Red Delicious Apple Tree to spread through the loose, nutrient rich soil, much easier than if you used solely the existing soil which more times than not will be hard and compacted. The most common cause of plant death after transplanting is planting the new plant to deep. That is why we do not recommend planting in a hole any deeper than the soil line of the plant in the pot. A good rule is that you should still be able to see the soil the plant was grown in after back-filling the hole.
How often do I water my Red Delicious Apple Trees?
After back filling and lightly compacting the 50/50 mix of existing soil and compost give the Red Delicious Apple Tree a good deep watering. This is not to be rushed. Most of the water you put on the plant at first will run away from the plant until the soil is soaked. A general rule of thumb is to count to 5 for every one gallon of pot size. For example a one gallon pot would be watered until you count to 5 a three gallon pot would be 15 and so on. Check the plant daily for the first week or so and then every other day there after. Water using the counting method for the first few weeks. Gator Bags are a good investment that will help minimize the watering chore.
How much Fertilizer does a Red Delicious Apple Tree require?
Trees such as Red Delicious Apple Trees grow best if they are fertilized lightly in the spring once frost has passed with a well-balanced, extended-release, fertilizer such as Espoma Tree-tone. Fertilize Red Delicious Apple Trees again 6 to 8 weeks later to encourage heavier fruit set and faster growth of young trees. We recommend Bio-Tone fertilizer when planting as well, to help ensure your young apple tree has everything it needs in its new home orchard when establishing its root system.
What kind of mulch is best for an apple tree?
It's a good idea to provide a layer of mulch over the base of your young tree, to protect the roots from resource-stealing weeds and to help regulate soil temperatures. While any mulch will do, we highly recommend that you mulch your apple tree with either a ground hardwood mulch or a ground cypress mulch depending on your local availability. Cypress or hardwood mulch will be of a higher quality and provide better nutrition overall as they breakdown. Mulching helps to keep weeds away which will compete with your new investment for water and nutrients. A 2 to 3-inch layer of mulch is perfect but take care not to cover any part of the actual trunk of the tree. It's better to leave a small gap between the mulch and the stem or trunk so as to not inhibit growth.
