Red Duchess Apple Tree

If you’re looking for a gorgeous tree and sweet afternoon snack all in one, the Red Duchess Apple Tree may be the perfect tree for you.

People love using these apples fresh off the tree in pies and sauces. Imagine making a crisp apple pie with home grown experience!

Planting and Application:

The possibilities are endless when it comes to fruit trees. Create your dream orchard or decorate your small yard!

• Create a home orchard with this apple tree! The more, the merrier! Trees will produce more fruit when they have other fruit trees around them.
• You can even prune this tree to grow them low branches for ease of harvest in your yard.
• In the spring there are small white flowers that sprinkle throughout the tree. Bees love them!
• This fruit is ready to harvest early in the season! Enjoy your fun recipes in the beginning of spring and summer rather than waiting for fall.
• The Red Duchess Apple Tree thrives in zones 3-6. Need to find your hardiness zone? Use our map to locate yours!

#ProPlantTips for Care: 

All fruit trees have their needs, but luckily, this one is not too complicated!

• Provide your apple fruit tree with full sun for the most fruit. They love to bask in the sun and the apples look great when the sun hits them!
• This tree likes being in well drained soil. This ensures that the soil is moist, but it doesn’t drown the roots. If you are ever confused on when to water your tree, you can use the finger test. Simply stick your finger into the soil near the base of the tree. If it feels moist, then your tree is happy and fine! However, if it is dry, give it a good soak!
• Many people wonder how to prune an apple tree. Luckily, it is pretty simple and we wrote a blog on it. You can get all your questions answered here.

Red Duchess Apple Tree Frequently Asked Questions

When to Plant Red Duchess Apple Trees

Planting Bareroot trees as soon as you can dig a hole in spring and until hot weather, the earlier the better. Plant container Apple trees throughout the growing season with complete success - that is the benefit of container plants - to extend the planting season. Your County Agricultural Extension Office is a great resource for first and last frost dates in your area.

How to Plant Red Duchess Apple Trees

Dig a large hole only as deep as needed to accommodate the bareroot or container root ball, and twice as wide. Add Nature Hills Root Booster to speed root establishment. Remove the pot or bag and situate it into the hole so the top of the soil (soil line if bareroot), is level with the new location's soil being careful not to plant too deep. Water in again very well and backfill with the same soil you dug up, tamping down gently to ensure there are no air pockets.

Top off with a 3-4 inch thick layer of Arborist mulch. Consider staking your tree to keep its trunk growing straight for the first year to ensure it stands tall against strong winds and drifting snow.

When to Prune Red Duchess Apple Trees

Trim off any broken branches from delivery as soon as you take them out of the box. Prune and trim apple trees while dormant, in late winter or early spring, before you see new growth.

How to Prune Red Duchess Apple Trees

Dormant prune to:

• Remove any double leaders or narrow crotch angles
• Eliminate any crossing branches
• Thin interior branching and leave the fruiting spurs and strong branches in place opening up the canopy
• Branching at least 24-36 inches above the ground

Prune Apple trees in the summer to:

• Control size and shape by reducing the length of longer new growth on vigorous trees
• Remove water sprouts on the main trunk or older branches in the crown
• Remove suckers at the base of the trunk
• Thin fruit during heavy years on established trees

How to Care for Red Duchess Apple Trees

Growing an apple tree is easy when proper soil, good drainage, attention to moisture, and regular fertility are maintained. Once you've chosen an apple tree that works for your climate, in the size you need for your landscape, and its pollinator (if needed), then you've accomplished half the battle!

• Apple trees do best in full sun and well-drained soil
• Water your apple trees when it gets dry - especially during the fruit production stage, and drought periods to keep it stress-free
• Use arborists' wood chips to mulch over the roots of your apples and have your soil tested to see what your soil may be lacking before adding fertilizers
• Maintenance pruning and shaping

Apple trees will tolerate a wide range of soils, so long as water and nutrients are not limited and the pH level is adequate.

How to Fertilize Red Duchess Apple Trees

For the first year, water alone is most important. It is always best to get a soil test to see what your soil is lacking before adding more fertilizers. Once established, a fertilizer routine may be beneficial. We do offer some excellent slow-release organic options, applied according to the package directions.

Fruit trees need more phosphate and it's possible to apply too much nitrogen which affects the soil's pH. Test soil acidity or alkalinity using a pH Tester.

Fertilize in spring when you first see new growth emerging.

• Don't overdo it
• Phosphates are your friends
• Pay attention to pH in areas with extremely high or low soil pH
• Follow the directions

Red Duchess Apple Tree Pollinating Info

Red Duchess is not self-fruiting and needs a pollinating partner. Pair with one of these varieties:

• Cortland Apple Tree
• Granny Smith Apple Tree
• Fuji Apple Tree
• Empire Apple Tree
• Snowsweet® Apple Tree
• Wolf River Apple Tree
• Zestar!® Apple Tree
• Dolgo Crabapple Tree
• Whitney Crabapple Tree

Harvest Times for Red Duchess Apple Trees

Red Duchess's are typically ready to harvest in August.

Early-Season? Mid-Season? Late-Season? The terminology can be confusing for new apple tree growers. Weather, climate and your tree determine when it's ripe.

For Apples:

• Early-season is usually June-July
• Mid-season can be August-September
• Late-season can be from late September-November

The growing season consists of spring, summer, and fall, and varies with climate and weather. Areas with longer growing seasons in the warmer hardiness zones can greatly affect the harvest times for each particular apple variety grown in your area. Learn which growing zone you are in.

What Shipping Options Do You Offer?

NatureHills.com works closely with our growers and nursery professionals to ensure we ship when it is most appropriate for your area. Our goal is to deliver the hardiest plants by avoiding extreme high and low temperatures. Check out our shipping schedule for more information and to learn our wills and won'ts when it comes to shipping plants. Find your Red Duchess Apple Tree for sale here at NatureHills.com!

Rootstocks Explained

Apple trees have been grafted onto different rootstocks since before the mid-1800s. Different rootstocks are used to improve the anchoring of trees, eliminate diseases, and reduce the natural mature size of the tree itself. While there are many different types of rootstock, they are all labeled as being either Dwarf, Semi-Dwarf, or Standard.

The apple descriptions, including flowering, pollination, and apple characteristics are the same whether the plant is grown on a standard rootstock or some varying dwarfing rootstock. The overall size can vary by climate and soil but the understock used is ultimately what affects the mature size.

There will be some variation in sizes but as a guide, we are suggesting the overall mature size of these apple varieties are:

Semi-Dwarf Apples

• Height: 12-18 feet
• Spread: 10 - 15 feet

Standard Apples

• Height 18 - 25 feet
• Spread: 15 - 18 feet

Remember that all fruit tree sizes can easily be altered if needed by simple pruning as the trees grow and develop.