GoldRush apple tree
- Picking season: Very late
- Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
- Pollination group: 4
GoldRush is a modern disease-resistant apple, like Golden Delicious but with a better tart/sweet balance. It is also one of the best new hard-cider varieties.
GoldRush apple trees for sale
1Small 1-year bare-root tree
$38.95
Mature height: 6ft-9ft after 10 years
G.11
rootstock
2Medium 1-year bare-root tree
$38.95
Mature height: 8ft-12ft after 10 years
G.890, G.935
rootstock
Next deliveries
Our inventory is up to date, you can pre-order now for the spring 2024 planting season.
GoldRush is a modern disease-resistant apple, equally suitable for commercial growers or gardeners and home orchardists. It is widely recognized as one of the best of all modern apples, both in terms of its flavor and its growth characteristics. It makes a fine addition to any backyard orchard.
Its parentage is complex, but it is derived from Golden Delicious and it inherits that variety's excellent crisp texture, sweetness, and long storage capability.
The flavor when freshly-picked is pronounced and distinctly sharper than Golden Delicious, but it sweetens in storage and it has a good balance of sweet and sharp flavors.
The trees grow with a compact and neat habit, and are usually untroubled by diseases, making it an excellent choice for a no-spray orchard. Feedback from customers and posts in online orchard forums suggest GoldRush really does have excellent disease-resistance.
Unusually for a modern variety, GoldRush has rapidly become popular for hard cider production - it is a juicy apple, and the juice is also very characterful, with an intense rich tangy sweetness which makes a great addition to cider blends. It is a good variety for sweet cider too.
How to grow
GoldRush has a tendency to over-crop which if not checked can lead to biennial bearing as the tree gets older. However this is easily remedied by thinning the crop in late spring.
It is very resistant to scab, and fairly resistant to fireblight. However it is susceptible to cedar apple rust in the south and southern mid-west, and may require a basic fungicide in these areas.
GoldRush blossoms quite late, and therefore needs another late-flowering variety nearby for pollination.
GoldRush also ripens quite late and needs a long growing season - this is its only real disadvantage. Harvesting in upstate New York would typically be in late October or even early November. Growers in the northern states should therefore make sure the tree is in a sheltered south-facing location in full sun. Training against a south-facing wall may also be beneficial.
Notwithstanding the above, GoldRush is generally a foolproof apple for most areas - from the north country to the southern states and southern California.
Advice on fruit tree pollination.
History
GoldRush was developed from a joint breeding program between the Indiana, Illinois and New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Stations in the 1990s.
GoldRush characteristics
- Gardening skillBeginner
- Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
- Pollination group4
- Pollinating othersAverage
- PloidyDiploid
- Bearing regularityBiennial tendency
- Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
- WildlifeRHS Plants for Pollinators
- Picking seasonVery late
- UsesEating freshCulinaryHard cider
- CroppingHeavy
- Keeping (of fruit)3 months or more - Will store for 6 months in domestic fridge
- Flavor style (apples)Sweeter - Some sharpness when picked, mellows in storage
- General resistanceGood
- FireblightSome resistance
- ScabVery resistant
- Cedar apple rustSome susceptibility
- MildewVery resistant
- Cold hardiness (USDA)(5) -20F / -29C
- Summer maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)Hot (>30C / 86F)
- Country of originUnited States
- Period of origin1950 - 1999
- Fruit colorYellow / Orange
