Summer 2021 - important noticeWe are now accepting pre-orders for delivery from late August for pot grown trees and December for bare-rooted trees. More>
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Red Falstaff® apple trees

Red Falstaff

Red Falstaff is one of the best garden apple varieties for the UK. For a start, the flavour is extremely good - you will never have problems giving away a surplus of these apples.

And you almost certainly will have a surplus because Falstaff is also one of the heaviest-cropping of all apple varieties - fortunately the apples keep fairly well, they will last in a fridge until Christmas. It is also easy to grow and generally disease-free, and grows in a neat and tidy fashion.

Red Falstaff is an excellent crunchy juicy apple, with light cream-coloured flesh and an orange / red flushed skin. The flavour is a well-balanced combination of sweetness and acidity, and exactly what you expect an apple to taste like.

Red Falstaff is a sport (natural genetic mutation) of Falstaff, which is a cross between James Grieve and Golden Delicious. 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.

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.

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Red Falstaff apple trees for sale

Pot-grown

All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.

  • PG1Step-over 12L pot-grown tree M27 rootstock £45.00
    Very small tree (< 1.7m after 10 years)
  • PG22-year 11.5L pot-grown tree M27 rootstock £42.50
    Very small tree (< 1.7m after 10 years)
  • PG32-year 12L pot-grown tree M9 rootstock £40.00
    Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  • PG4Premium cordon 12L pot-grown tree M9 rootstock £43.50
    Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  • PG52-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree M26 rootstock £40.00
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • PG62-year bush-trained 12L pot-grown tree MM106 rootstock £40.00
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)
  • PG7Premium half-standard 12L pot-grown tree MM106 rootstock £45.00
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)

Bare-root

  • BR11-year bare-root tree M9 rootstock £24.95
    Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  • BR22-year bush-trained bare-root tree M9 rootstock £30.95
    Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  • BR3Spindlebush bare-root tree M9 rootstock £32.50
    Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  • BR4Cordon-trained bare-root tree M9 rootstock £33.95
    Small tree (1.5m-2.5m after 10 years)
  • BR51-year bare-root tree M26 rootstock £23.95
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR62-year bush-trained bare-root tree M26 rootstock £30.95
    Medium tree (2m-3m after 10 years)
  • BR71-year bare-root tree M116 rootstock £24.50
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)
  • BR81-year bare-root tree MM106 rootstock £23.95
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)
  • BR92-year bush-trained bare-root tree MM106 rootstock £30.95
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)
  • BR102-year half-standard bare-root tree MM106 rootstock £35.00
    Large tree (3m-4m after 10 years)
Pre-ordering

You can pre-order now for delivery from late August / early September 2021 for pot grown trees (or late November / early December for bare-root). You do not need to pay at this stage - just add items to the basket and checkout as usual.

How to grow

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. However it tends to do better in drier areas than wetter areas.

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.

Please note, if you are planning to train a 1-year bare-root Red Falstaff tree as a fan or espalier, the tree supplied will almost certainly be a "feathered maiden", not a "maiden whip". Red Falstaff is one of a number of varieties (Cox is another) which has a strong tendency to produce feathers (side shoots) in its first year of growth. This should be an advantage for fan or espalier training as it gives you a bit of a headstart, but does mean you will probably need to use some of these existing lower shoots rather than cutting back to a bud as is usually suggested in gardening books.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

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

Red Falstaff characteristics

Growing

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
  • Flowering group3
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
  • Climate suitabilityTemperate climates

Using

  • Picking seasonLate
  • CroppingHeavy
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-2 months
  • Food usesEating freshJuice
  • Flavour style (apples)Sweet/Sharp

Problems

  • Disease resistanceAverage
  • ScabSome susceptibility

Climate

    Identification

    • Country of originUnited Kingdom
    • Period of origin1950 - 1999
    • Fruit colourRed