Red Delicious apple trees

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• Picking season: Late
• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Pollination group: 4

Delicious is one of the most popular red apples, productive and easy to grow.

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Red Delicious apple trees for sale

Pre-order for delivery in spring 2027

• Dwarf, 1-year bare-root tree $39.95 Mature height: 6ft-9ft after 10 years
  Dwarf rootstock
  

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All about Red Delicious apple trees

One of the most well-known of all apple varieties, Red Delicious is an attractive easy-to-grow apple with a rich sweet flavor.

The commercial success and widespread availability of Red Delicious apples have tended to make it unpopular with apple enthusiasts. However, when home-grown and picked ripe from the tree it merits its name, and it is also heavy-cropping and has a good reputation for disease-resistance.

The original Delicious is still available, and is known as Hawkeye. It lacks the solid red coloration of Red Delicious, but is considered by some to have a better flavor.

How to grow

Red Delicious became a popular commercial variety because it was easy to grow, cropped heavily, and had good disease resistance - and these are all desirable qualities for the home orchardist too.

It makes a good choice for the backyard orchard in all the warmer climate zones - including the east coast, southern states and southern California.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Delicious was discovered as a seedling tree by farmer Jesse Hiatt of Peru, Iowa in the 1880s. The tree was not growing in a convenient location and it appears Hiatt tried several times to remove it, but it kept growing back - a testament to its resilience. Eventually he let it fruit and was impressed by the apples. He sent samples to the famous Stark Brothers Nursery, who recognised the potential of the new variety and commercialized it under the name Delicious - Hiatt's original name for the variety was Hawkeye. It rapidly established itself as one of the most popular international apple varieties.

Red Delicious is the common name for a number of red-colored sports of the original Delicious apple variety, which is red-flushed rather than solid red.

Red Delicious characteristics

• What level of gardening skill is needed to grow Red Delicious?Beginner
• Is Red Delicious self-fertile?Not self-fertile
• What flowering group is Red Delicious?4
• Is Red Delicious good for pollinating others?Good
• What season do you pick Red Delicious?Late
• UsesEating fresh
• How long can you keep Red Delicious in a fridge?1-2 months
• What is the overall disease resistance of Red Delicious?Good
• How resistant is Red Delicious to fire blight?Some resistance
• Is Red Delicious resistant to scab?Some susceptibility
• Is Red Delicious resistant to cedar apple rust?Very resistant
• Is Red Delicious resistant to powdery mildew?Some resistance
• What is the USDA hardiness zone for Red Delicious?Zone 5 (-29C)
• Summer maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)
• What is the chill requirement of Red Delicious?Low-chill
• Where does Red Delicious originate from?United States
• When was Red Delicious first introduced?1850 - 1899
• Fruit colorRed