Category: Apple trees
Collections: UK dessert apple orchard collection, Small orchard selection, Easy apple trees, Apples trees for Cider / Juice, Apple trees suitable for organic culture
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Apple trees

Red Falstaff

Falstaff is a crunchy juicy apple, with light cream-coloured flesh and an orange-flushed skin. The flavour lacks the complexity of some more traditional English apples, but it is a well-balanced combination of sweetness - from Golden Delicious - and acidity - from James Grieve.  This is clearly a case of the offspring out-shining the parents!  (Incidentally, if you are one of the many people who believe Golden Delicious is a poor apple, rest assured that if grown and picked correctly - as opposed to picked early and then put in a supermarket cold-store - Golden Delicious really is a very good apple with a rich sweet flavour and excellent crunchy texture).

We tend to find that the James Grieve parentage probably has the greater impact on Falstaff's flavour, and it is pleasingly sharp when eaten straight from the tree. There is something in the flavour for fans of the older classic English style as well - it is quite likely that one of its grandparents is Cox's Orange Pippin.

The relation to Golden Delicious is much less apparent in the colour or flavour, but is reflected in the very heavy crops which Falstaff can produce, as well as the appealing crunchiness of the apples.  Falstaff also inherits some of the keeping qualities of Golden Delicious - it certainly keeps better than James Grieve, and if kept well-chilled will retain the flavour and crispness for several months.

Like many apple varieties where James Grieve is one of the parents, Falstaff is very juicy and is a great apple for home-juicing.

We usually supply Red Falstaff, a sport of Falstaff with a deeper red coloration.

Fresh fruit for sale of this variety

Red Falstaff apple trees for sale (2010/2011 season)

Deliver to mainland UKDelivery to the mainland UK (price includes delivery)

Mature heightSupplied as*Delivery
period		Price
inc. delivery		Quantity
Very small (1.5m - 2m)1-year - Bare-root - M27 rootstockNov-March£30.00
Very small (1.5m - 2m)2-year - 12L container - M27 rootstockSept-April£36.00
Small (1.8m - 2.5m)1-year - Bare-root - M9 rootstockNov-March£30.00
Small (1.8m - 2.5m)Cordon - Bare-root - M9 rootstockNov-March£36.00
Small (1.8m - 2.5m)Cordon - 12L container - M9 rootstockSept-April£39.00
Medium (2.2m - 3m)1-year - Bare-root - M26 rootstockNov-March£30.00
Medium (2.2m - 3m)2-year - 12L container - M26 rootstockSept-April£36.00
Large (2.5m - 4.5m)1-year - Bare-root - MM106 rootstockNov-March£30.00
Large (2.5m - 4.5m)2-year - Bare-root - MM106 rootstockNov-March£36.15
Large (2.5m - 4.5m)2-year - 12L container - MM106 rootstockSept-April£36.00
Very large (4.5m+)1-year - Bare-root - M25 rootstockNov-March£30.30

Product formats | Bare-root or Container-grown | Delivery | Rootstocks

All prices include delivery. We offer a discount on orders of multiple bare-root trees for delivery at the same time - this will be shown at the checkout.

*Delivery period: Container-grown trees will be delivered from September 2010. Bare-root trees will be delivered from mid-November 2010. You can order now and your items will be reserved for you, but you will not be asked to pay until nearer the time of delivery.



Uses

Growing

  • Cropping - Heavy
    Falstaff is one of the heaviest-cropping varieties available
  • Fertility - Self-fertile
  • Flowering group - 2
  • Gardening skill - Easy

Climate

Pollination partners for Red Falstaff

Red Falstaff is in flowering group 2. It is self-fertile and does not need a pollination partner. The following varieties will pollinate Red Falstaff:

Important: advice about pollination


Horticultural characteristics of Red Falstaff apple trees

From the horticultural perspective Falstaff inherits the best characteristics of its parents.  It crops very heavily, and is generally easy to grow, and not too bothered by diseases.  All in all it is an ideal garden variety for all apple-growing regions.  Whilst its main attributes are of course its fruiting capacity, it is worth noting that Falstaff generally grows into an attractive and fairly symmetrical tree.

Historical details

Falstaff is a late 20th century cross of James Grieve and Golden Delicious, developed at the famous East Malling Research Station in Kent, England.  It is therefore a sibling of Greensleeves.





Example trees as supplied (container-grown only)

This is an illustration of what our products look like as delivered. Please remember that trees are natural products, so this information is for general guidance only. The trees at this stage are 1-2 years old, and will get larger as they grow older, the likely mature heights are indicated in the ordering section above. The trees you receive may differ in some respects from those shown here, for some of the following reasons:

  • Many of these photos were taken in early autumn - trees delivered during winter will not have leaves.
  • There can be a considerable size variation between different varieties of the same species.
  • Some varieties naturally "feather" or produce many side branches at an early age. Others may not feather at all.
  • In some cases we may have to "tip" the tops of trees to fit in our delivery cartons. Please do not be alarmed, as this will be carried out immediately prior to despatch, and is actually good practice when planting a new tree.

For comparison purposes the model in our photos is 5ft 6" / 1m 68cm tall. Click any of the images to view a larger one.




Product photo
2-year pre-trained apple tree in a 12L container on M27 rootstock
Product photo
2-year pre-trained apple tree in a 12L container on M26 rootstock
Product photo
2-year pre-trained apple tree in a 12L container on MM106 rootstock
Product photo
1-year apple tree in a 3L container on M9 rootstock
Product photo
Cordon apple tree in a 12L container on M9 rootstock