Family
Rosaceae
Botanical Name
Malus domestica 'Red Rome'
Plant Common Name
Apple, Cider Apple, Cooking Apple, Red Eating Apple, Red Rome Apple
General Description
Several mutations of 'Rome Beauty' bear apples of a darker and more solid red than those of their parent. Most of these 'Rome Beauty' sports are known as 'Red Rome.'
Ripening in early fall, the medium to large, spherical fruits have thick yellow skin completely overlaid with deep red. The firm yellowish flesh of this dessert, cooking, or drying apple is crisp, juicy, aromatic, and somewhat bland. The fruits keep well for several months, their flavor weakening after a few weeks in storage. The small, vigorous, spreading trees bear heavily most years, and do well in many regions of the United States including southern California. Plants are moderately cold-hardy. For maximum production, plant 'Red Rome' near another late-blooming apple (such as 'Northern Spy').
There is nothing more satisfying than growing your own apple trees. The domestic apple is most commonly a medium-sized tree with a rounded to oval canopy. It originates from southeastern Europe, Siberia, and southwestern Asia and has been in cultivation for thousands of years. In spring, these trees offer sweet, fragrant flowers of light pink, white or rose, and in fall reward us with crisp, juicy apples.
These fruits have a wide variety of colors, textures and flavors and may be eaten out-of-hand, pressed for cider, frozen, canned or baked in a variety of ways. There are thousands of cultivars available, including many interesting heirlooms as well as fresh new varieties. Different selections vary in height and may bear fruit in late summer or fall.
While the domestic apple prefers full sun and well-drained soil, it will tolerate light shade and bouts of drought. For best fruit production, trees must be vigorously pruned and maintained. Apples are susceptible to many pests and diseases, but resistant varieties are available.
Most apples are grafted onto rootstock that provides a wide range of benefits such as vigor, pest and disease resistance and dwarf stature, depending on the stock.
