Red Delicious Apple
Malus domestica 'Red Delicious'
America's classic apple variety, instantly recognizable by its deep red skin and distinctive elongated shape with five prominent bumps at the base. While modern tastes have shifted toward newer varieties, Red Delicious remains popular for its beautiful appearance and mild, sweet flavor. This reliable producer has been a staple in American orchards for over a century.
Harvest
120-150d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Zones
4–9
USDA hardiness
Height
15-30 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Red Delicious Apple in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 fruit-tree →Zone Map
Click a state to update dates
Red Delicious Apple · Zones 4–9
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
Complete Growing Guide
Red Delicious apples require careful attention to ripeness timing, as they become mealy and lose flavor when left on the tree too long—harvest when fully colored but still firm, typically in mid-to-late September depending on your zone. This variety thrives in full sun with well-draining soil and moderate chilling hours (typically 900-1000), making it suitable for most regions except the warmest climates. Red Delicious is particularly susceptible to sooty blotch and bitter pit, fungal issues exacerbated by excess moisture, so ensure excellent air circulation and avoid overhead watering. The trees are also prone to biennial bearing, producing heavily one year then sparsely the next; thin fruit aggressively in early summer to encourage consistent annual yields. Plant a compatible pollinator variety nearby, as Red Delicious sets fruit more reliably with cross-pollination.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day), Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours). Soil: Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist, Occasionally Dry. Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 15 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 24-60 feet. Growth rate: Medium. Maintenance: High. Propagation: Grafting, Seed. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Red Delicious apples reach peak harvest readiness when their skin displays a deep, dark red coloration covering at least 75 percent of the fruit surface, and the apples achieve their characteristic full, elongated shape with prominent basal bumps. Gently squeeze the apple—it should yield slightly to pressure without feeling mushy, indicating optimal ripeness. These apples mature unevenly throughout the season, making continuous selective harvesting superior to a single pick; return to the tree every 7-10 days to collect only fully colored fruit, leaving immature apples to develop further. A crucial timing tip: harvest in early morning when apples are coolest and firmest, as this preserves their texture and extends storage life compared to afternoon picking when the fruit is warmer and more prone to bruising.
Large, round, firm fruits that often have a waxy coating. Some varieties ripen late summer and some in the fall.
Color: Gold/Yellow, Green, Red/Burgundy. Type: Pome. Length: > 3 inches. Width: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Edibility: Fruits can be eaten raw and cooked in a variety of dishes.
Storage & Preservation
Red Delicious apples store exceptionally well when handled properly. For short-term storage, keep unwashed apples in the refrigerator crisper drawer at 32-35°F with high humidity. They'll maintain quality for 2-3 months if stored immediately after harvest. Avoid room temperature storage, as Red Delicious becomes mealy quickly—within a week at room temperature.
For longer preservation, Red Delicious excels at freezing for future use in smoothies or baby food. Peel, core, and slice, then treat with lemon juice before freezing in airtight containers. While not ideal for traditional cooking due to their soft texture, they make excellent applesauce when combined with firmer varieties like Granny Smith. Dehydrating works well for sweet apple chips—their high sugar content creates naturally sweet dried fruit without added sugars.
History & Origin
The Red Delicious apple emerged in the 1870s from a chance seedling discovered on Jesse Hiatt's farm in Peru, Iowa, originally called "Hawkeye." Hiatt propagated the variety, and it was subsequently introduced commercially by the Starks Nursery Company in Louisiana, Missouri, around 1895, who renamed it "Red Delicious" for marketing purposes. The variety's deep red coloring and distinctive shape made it ideal for commercial orchards during the early twentieth century, and it became widely distributed across American growing regions. Though specific breeding documentation is limited, Red Delicious represents a naturally occurring mutation rather than a deliberate cross, establishing itself through horticultural selection and commercial promotion rather than formal breeding programs.
Origin: Central Asia to Afghanistan
Advantages
- +Iconic appearance with deep red skin and distinctive five-bumped base shape
- +Mild, sweet flavor appeals to families and fresh eating markets
- +Reliable, heavy producer established over one hundred years in American orchards
- +Easy to grow with minimal specialized care requirements for home gardeners
Considerations
- -Highly susceptible to apple scab, fire blight, and powdery mildew diseases
- -Soft, mealy texture develops quickly when overripe, limiting storage quality
- -Flesh becomes grainy and loses crispness compared to modern apple varieties
- -Vulnerable to multiple pests including codling moths, apple maggots, and spider mites
Companion Plants
Marigolds, nasturtiums, and chives are the workhorses here. French marigolds (Tagetes patula) emit a root exudate that suppresses nematodes in the soil below your tree's drip line. Nasturtiums pull aphids off the tree and onto themselves — they're a trap crop, not a repellent, so plant them close and actually check them weekly. Chives at the base have documented antifungal properties per NC State Extension, which matters for a variety as scab-prone as Red Delicious. Comfrey is worth a spot in the mulch ring too: its taproot pulls up calcium and potassium from 6 feet down, and the cut leaves break down fast — useful on the heavy clay soils we deal with in zone 7 Georgia.
Keep Black Walnut well outside the orchard — 60 feet minimum. Juglone moves through the soil with water and will slowly kill an apple tree with no dramatic warning signs until it's too late to save. Turf grass directly under the canopy is a subtler problem but a real one: it competes for water and nitrogen in the top 12 inches of soil and shelters voles that gnaw bark at the crown. Clear a mulched circle at least 4 feet out from the trunk and keep it there year-round.
Plant Together
Marigolds
Repel aphids, nematodes, and other pests while attracting beneficial insects
Nasturtiums
Act as trap crops for aphids and cucumber beetles, also repel woolly aphids
Chives
Repel aphids and may help prevent apple scab disease
Comfrey
Deep roots bring nutrients to surface, leaves make excellent mulch and fertilizer
Clover
Fixes nitrogen in soil and provides ground cover to retain moisture
Tansy
Repels ants, mice, and various flying insects that can damage apple trees
Lavender
Attracts pollinators and repels moths and other harmful insects
Dill
Attracts beneficial insects like parasitic wasps that control apple pests
Keep Apart
Black Walnut
Releases juglone toxin that inhibits apple tree growth and can cause stunting or death
Grass
Competes heavily for water and nutrients, especially problematic for young apple trees
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #168171)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Susceptible to scab, fire blight, and bitter pit
Common Pests
Codling moth, apple maggot, aphids, mites
Diseases
Apple scab, fire blight, bitter pit, powdery mildew
Troubleshooting Red Delicious Apple
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Dark, olive-green to black velvety spots on leaves and fruit surface, appearing in early spring or after wet weather
Likely Causes
- Apple scab (Venturia inaequalis) — a fungal disease that overwinters in fallen leaf debris and releases spores during cool, wet spring conditions (temps 55–75°F)
- Poor airflow from crowded or unpruned canopy
What to Do
- 1.Rake and dispose of all fallen leaves in autumn — don't compost them, bag them
- 2.Prune to open the canopy each late winter before bud break, targeting crossing and inward-growing branches
- 3.Apply a copper-based fungicide or lime sulfur at green tip stage and repeat per label through petal fall
Branch tips wilting and turning dark brown or black as if scorched, often curling into a 'shepherd's crook' shape in late spring
Likely Causes
- Fire blight (Erwinia amylovora) — a bacterial disease spread by bees, rain splash, and pruning tools during bloom; warm wet weather above 65°F accelerates it rapidly
- Excessive nitrogen fertilization, which pushes the soft new growth fire blight thrives in
What to Do
- 1.Prune infected wood at least 8–12 inches below visible damage; sterilize your pruners between every cut with 70% isopropyl alcohol or a 10% bleach solution
- 2.Burn or bag the removed wood — do not leave it in the orchard
- 3.Back off on nitrogen; don't side-dress with high-N fertilizer after bloom
Small, dry, brown sunken spots in the flesh just under the skin, visible when you cut or bite into the fruit at harvest
Likely Causes
- Bitter pit — a calcium deficiency disorder in the developing fruit, often tied to inconsistent watering or excessive potassium and magnesium blocking calcium uptake
- Heavy crop load on young trees that can't supply calcium fast enough to all fruit
What to Do
- 1.Apply calcium chloride foliar sprays (0.5% solution) starting 6–8 weeks after petal fall, repeating every 2 weeks through August
- 2.Thin fruit to one apple per cluster (about 6 inches apart) in early June to reduce competition
- 3.Water consistently — 1 to 1.5 inches per week; drought stress is one of the fastest ways to trigger this
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Red Delicious apple take to produce fruit?▼
Can you grow Red Delicious apples in containers?▼
What does Red Delicious apple taste like?▼
When should I plant Red Delicious apple trees?▼
Do Red Delicious apples need a pollinator tree?▼
Why do my Red Delicious apples taste mealy?▼
Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.