Characteristics of the promising apple variety Red Delicious

Description of the variety

Red Delicious is a hybrid of the classic Delicious line, which has been cultivated for nearly a century. The tree is widely grown worldwide. Today, it is the most popular apple variety in America.

The tree's main distinguishing feature is its undemanding nature regarding growing region, climate, and soil conditions. However, it's worth noting that many gardeners obtain the highest quality and most abundant harvests when growing seedlings in a region with a predominantly dry climate with warm days and cool nights. This variety is considered ideal for planting in the Moscow region.

The apple tree named Red Delicious has the following variety description:

• medium-sized trees that have a rather impressive appearance during the flowering period;
• In young trees, the crown has an inverse pyramidal or oval shape. During the period
• when fruiting, the crown takes on a rounded shape;
• the tree forms medium-sized branches;
• The branches have a large number of rings, on which fruiting occurs.

This description of trees is characteristic, to varying degrees, of all members of the Delicious variety. For example, the Royal Red Delicious apple tree has almost the same characteristics.

The fruits have excellent appearance and are characterized by the following description:

• The skin color is a rich, bright red. Some varieties have a beautiful blush;
• The skin is rough to the touch. This characteristic allows the apples to withstand transportation well and can be stored for quite a long period;
• the color of the pulp is light green;
• The flesh is juicy and crisp. It is characterized by a certain degree of starchiness.

Red Delicious apples have an excellent flavor. This variety has earned numerous positive reviews from gardeners around the world.

Main characteristics

The main characteristics of this variety include the following:

• winter period of fruit ripening (from September to October);
• apples have a characteristic sweet and sour taste;
• the fruits are medium-sized and weigh about 100–300 grams;
  excellent winter hardiness;
• Low disease resistance. Scab causes the most damage to seedlings and apples. The seed chamber is highly susceptible to rot, and the flesh becomes vitreous.

Despite its ambiguous characteristics, Red Delicious can produce an excellent harvest with proper care.

Care and pollinators

This apple tree variety requires standard planting and care techniques. To ensure a high yield, seedlings should be planted alongside the following pollinator varieties:

• Golden Delicious;
• Idared;
• Gloucester;
• Golden Hornet;
• Fuji;
• Everest;
• Elstar;
• Gala.

Once planted in the ground, seedlings require particularly careful care during the first few years of their life. In general, whether you're looking after a young plant or a mature apple tree, care involves the following:

• Regular watering. Pour several buckets of water under the tree each time. Apple trees should be watered especially frequently in the spring and summer during dry, hot weather;
• Loosening the soil around the tree trunk. This procedure is performed immediately after watering;
• Weeding can be done simultaneously with loosening the soil. It's especially important to keep the area around the tree trunk free of weeds during the first 3-5 years after planting.
• Fertilizing. This should be done during the period of ovary formation and fruit filling;
• Pruning. This is done to remove branches damaged by winter, as well as shoots affected by disease. Proper pruning can increase yield, shape the crown, and rejuvenate an older tree.

Because the apple tree has low resistance to some diseases and parasites (for example, the codling moth), the tree needs to be sprayed with special solutions several times during the season for preventative purposes.

Harvesting and storage

Ripe apples are harvested from September to October. It's important to remember that the apples' flavor, as well as the yield, directly depends on the climate in the region where the tree is grown. The maximum yield from this variety is obtained in dry climates.

Since apple skin is quite thick, if the fruit is stored correctly, it can easily last until April.

Pros and cons

Red Delicious has the following positive aspects that have allowed the variety to achieve such popularity:

• worldwide distribution;
• good resistance to any mechanical damage;
• the fruits are able to withstand transportation well even over long distances;
• long storage period of the harvest;
• good taste qualities apples;
• the fruits have excellent appearance;
• Winter hardiness is at an average level.

The disadvantages of this variety include low resistance to scab, bitter spot, vitreous flesh, and rot. However, the apple tree is virtually immune to powdery mildew and fire blight. This species also has poor adaptability. These shortcomings can be overcome with proper tree care.

The Red Delicious apple variety has both its advantages and disadvantages. However, it is the most famous apple variety not only in our country but also worldwide. Therefore, it can be considered one of the best available today.

Video: "Red Delicious Apple Variety"

In this video you will hear the characteristics of the Red Delicious apple variety.