The iconic Red Delicious Apple is perhaps the most instantly recognizable and widely loved fruit in the world. From the deep red glossy skin, to the juicy flesh, to the sweet, traditional Apple flavor, everything about this Apple makes it a fall favorite. Now you can grow this versatile winner in its compact, smaller form with our Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees. The Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Tree grows to a height of 15 feet and a width of 10 feet, so you can plant one in any garden, small or large.
Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees do best in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5 to 8 and these Dwarf Fruit Trees can even be grown in pots. Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees grow fast and can produce fruit in about 3 years. They are adaptable to many soil types, and can cross-pollinate with many other popular varieties including Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Winesap, and McIntosh. Add one of these Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees to your backyard and grow nutritious apples to pick yourself.
When you are ready to plant your Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Tree, choose a location that has well-drained soil and gets at least 6 hours of direct sun per day. Prepare a hole that is two-times as wide as the existing tree’s potted root ball, but of equal depth. Fill the hole with water and allow it to drain. This may deepen the hole a few inches. Backfill the bottom of the hole with compost, then position the root ball so its surface is even with the surface of the ground. Fill the hole with a mixture of soil and compost, water in well, and mulch with wood chips.
Water Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees once per week or any time the soil surface is dry down to 3 inches deep. Reduce watering in times of heavy rainfall, and when the trees are dormant in late winter. You can also grow Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees in pots. Pot trees up every year until the trees are growing in large containers of about 15-gallons. Use pots with drain holes, rich potting soil with added sand, and place in full sun. Water potted Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees when the soil is dry to 2-inches deep and always let the pots drain fully.
Fruit & Harvesting
Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees bloom in midseason and produce medium to large red apples that are crisp, juicy, and sweet with a mild, pleasing apple flavor. Harvest when the apples become deep red and shiny and have tender, juicy flesh. Dwarf Red Delicious Apples are great for eating fresh, canning, making juice, and baking. You can also use Dwarf Red Delicious Apples in fruit salads, green salads, and as an ingredient to sweeten fruit smoothies.
One of the most valuable aspects of the Dwarf Red Delicious Apple is its ability to maintain quality over long storage times. Refrigerated freshly picked Dwarf Red Delicious Apples can last for 3 to 6 months. These Apples can also be stored in a root cellar if they are packed in boxes with good airflow. Dwarf Red Delicious Apples ripen from mid-September through Mid October, making them a fall favorite.
Advice
Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees need 700 to 800 chill hours. A Chill hour, or CU, is any hour that the average temperature is between 32ºF and 45ºF. This cold break stimulates the trees to pause their vegetative growth. The result is a rebound effect, which causes the Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees to grow strong buds in spring, then ample pink-white blooms a few months later. Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees are usually biennial producers, which means that the trees will alternate between heavy yields one year, followed by fewer fruits the next. This is normal and is part of what lets Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees live and bear fruit for many years.
Besides their smaller sizes being easier to manage and maintain, Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees also come with another advantage over their larger, full-sized counterparts. Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees will begin to produce crops within 3 to 4 years, as opposed to 6 years or more for full-sized Red Delicious Apple trees. Fertilize with fruit tree fertilizer in spring and summer and be sure the trees are never subject to drought.
FAQs
Where does the Red Delicious Apple name come from?
The name is an obvious descriptor, but legend has it that the variety was discovered by a rural Iowa grower in 1892. When this farmer presented the fruit to a commercial nursery, the professional tasted the bright red fruit and exclaimed, “delicious,” every time he took another bite.
Should Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees be mulched?
Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees should be mulched with wood chips or shredded tree bark, but do not let mulch rest against the tree trunks at the bases. Pull mulch back 6-inches from the trunks at all times.
Do Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees need pollinators?
Yes. Grow your Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Tree within 50 to 100 feet of another mid-season apple variety.
Are Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Tree blooms fragrant?
Yes. Dwarf Red Delicious Apple Trees bloom pink to pinkish-white flowers that have a sweet, honey-like fragrance. Dwarf Red Delicious Apple blossoms are pollinated by bees and hummingbirds.
What others are saying
There are no contributions yet.