Kidd's Orange Red

An excellent dessert apple similar to Cox but redder in colour and sweeter in taste.

Origin: New Zealand, 1924

Pollination: Kidd's Orange Red is self-sterile and would require a pollinator to produce a crop.Find pollination partners >

British-grown All our bare-root trees are personally hand-grafted by our Nursery Manager and grown on at our nursery in Kent. We have Defra and Plant Healthy certification. More ...

We are now closed for the season. Ordering for winter 2025/26 will be enabled from Thursday 1st May 2025.

Try these similar varieties

History and description of Kidd's Orange Red

Kidd's Orange Red was raised from Cox's Orange Pippin x Red Delicious by J H Kidd, Greytown, Wairarapa, New Zealand in 1924. Introduced to the UK in 1932. Received the RHS Award of Merit in 1973. Grown commercially in New Zealand and to a small extent in the UK.

Medium sized, round-conical fruit. Crimson flush over a green skin ripening to yellow. Variable amounts of ochre russet patches. Creamy white, firm, juicy flesh. Excellent aromatic flavour not unlike Cox but sweeter. Should be left on the tree for as long as possible for the flavour to develop. Subject to coarse russetting. Stores well holding both its texture and flavour.

Moderately vigorous, free spurring tree. Good cropper but fruit may need to be thinned to avoid small size. Attractive blossom. Prone to canker and not suitable for wet locations.

Characteristics of Kidd's Orange Red apple trees

Use	Dessert
Colour	Flushed
Flavour	Aromatic
Fruit size	Medium
Picking time	Mid Oct
Season of use	Nov-Jan
Tree vigour	Moderate
Tree habit	Upright-spreading
Fruit-bearing	Spur-bearer
Cropping	Good
Disease resistance	Canker - Very susceptible Scab - Resistant Mildew - Resistant
Suitable for	Northern Britain
Special features	Attractive Blossom
Pollination date	12
Pollination group	D
Self-fertility	Self-sterile
Pollinators	Pollination partners
Parentage	Cox's Orange Pippin Red Delicious
Progeny	Gala
Sports	Captain Kidd