HomeFruit TreesApple TreesEmpire Apple Tree
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tree iconWhat size tree should I choose?

Empire Apple Tree

(36 customer reviews)

This product is currently out of stock and unavailable.

Begins shipping mid-April.

Zones 4 - 7

Is my location compatible?

Pollinator required to bear fruit

tree iconWhat size tree should I choose?
(36 customer reviews)

Begins shipping
mid-April

Zones 4 - 7

Is my location compatible?

Pollinator required to bear fruit

Even better than McIntosh? You be the judge!

A disease-resistant apple tree with a reliable crop! 

Originating from New York in 1945 as a Delicious and McIntosh cross, the Empire apple tree is a customer favorite! These apples offer the best of both worlds, the flavor of a McIntosh and the sweetness of a Red Delicious.  

This hardy and productive tree is disease-resistant against fire-blight and cedar apple rust. Empire is an early spring bloomer. Pollinate with another early-mid blooming apple variety and expect a nice-sized harvest of apples come September. Add more fruit to your harvest with this reliable and traditional apple tree! 

Empire is a licensed variety of Cornell University. 

Characteristics

Bloom ColorWhite
Fruit ColorRed
Fruit SizeMedium
Ripens/HarvestSeptember
Soil CompositionLoamy
TasteSweet
TextureFirm
Soil pH Level6-7
Soil MoistureWell Drained
Bloom TimeEarly
Years to Bear2-5
Shade LevelFull Sun
Hardiness Zone Range4-7

Size & Spacing

Mature Size

Dwarf  2.5 – 3 m tall x 2.5 – 3 m wide (8 – 10′ tall x 8 – 10′ wide)

Recommended Spacing

Dwarf 2.5 – 3 m (8 – 10′)

Ship Height

Dwarf, Bare-root Ships 0.9 – 1.2 m tall (3-4′ tall) with a 9.5 mm (3/8″) trunk.

Pollination

This variety requires another one for adequate pollination.

Cross-pollination by a different variety is key to its growing and bearing success. Plant a different variety within 15 meters (50 feet) for best pollination.

Recommended Pollinators: Red Delicious, Wolf River, Zestar, Buckeye Gala, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Liberty, Royal Empire, SnowSweet

How do I find my Hardiness Zone?

Canada’s Plant Hardiness Zones will tell you which plants will do well in your particular climate. Each zone is determined by the lowest average winter temperature recorded in a given area. Hardiness Zone information is included on all tree and plant product pages, so you know instantly whether a certain plant is likely to succeed where you live. Natural Resources Canada provides helpful options to find your zone:

Find your zone by province and municipality »

Find your zone using an interactive map »

36 reviews for Empire Apple Tree

  1. Brandon Rossell –

    Tree came and was in perfect condition and I planted it as soon as I got it and it has been growing wonderfully so far.

  2. Ed Tropp –

    New tree this spring is growing well. It replaced a tree from Stark Brothers they replaced it with no hassles.

  3. Laird Taylor –

    This spring I bought 1 each bare-root* Empire* Liberty* Jonagoldand a crabapple to pollinate the 3 above eating apples. In another 4 seasons I expect fruit. Each has reached 7′ high this spring. Each is inside a wire-mesh cage I built, shortly to be energized by a solar-powered electric fence charger. A large Eastern Red Cedar growing near the orchard will be felled and removed this fall, to forestall Cedar Apple Rust.

  4. Joe Joe –

    One year in, it’s formed a strong leader and several nice scaffold branches. Looking forward to munching on fresh apples in a couple of years.

  5. Mack Summey –

    Doing quote.! Way better than the crab apple tree I also bought that died.

  6. Sarah Wisnoskie –

    Followed all planting instructions to a t and the tree died after only one month.

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About Stark Bro’s

A growing legacy since 1816. For over 200 years, Stark Bro’s has helped people in North America provide delicious home-grown food for their families. We’re proud to now offer many of the same great trees, plants, and gardening products to Canadian growers!

Read about the Stark Bro’s history that spans over 200 years »

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We love to keep in touch with our customers and talk about what’s happening each season at Stark Bro’s. Follow us on your favorite social networks and share what you grow!

Questions or Comments?

Email : Use our email support form »

Phone : 833.898.0600

Mail : PO BOX 1800  Louisiana, MO 63353

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Tree Sizes

It is essential that you choose the right size for your space. Whether you’re planting an acre, a suburban yard or a small urban plot, we’ve got the perfect size tree for you. When they mature, they will be one of three sizes*:

dwarf
dwarf

Dwarf

Grows to be about 2.5-3 m (approximately 8-10′) tall and wide. Provides a bounty of full-sized fruit in a small amount of space.

semi-dwarf
semi-dwarf

Semi-Dwarf

Grows to be about 3.5-4.5 m (approximately 12-15′) tall and wide. Produces the maximum crop per square foot of growing area. The majority of the fruit can be harvested from the ground, with no need for a ladder.

standard

Standard & Unmarked

Grows to be at least 5.5 m (approximately 18′) tall and wide. Standard nectarine and peach trees grow to be 3.5-4.5 m (approximately 12-15′) tall and wide. Standard trees serve two purposes: they provide both fruit and shade.

* Tree sizes may vary by variety.

Potted Trees

potted tree

EZ Start® Potted Trees

Trees that are grown in a bottomless 4x4x10″ pot, which encourages dense feeder-root growth for a quick, strong establishment. When shipped, they are about 1½ – 3′ tall.

Supreme EZ Start® Potted Trees

Top-grade trees are grown in a bottomless 5x5x12″ pot, which creates an advanced root system comparable to that of a three-year-old tree. When shipped to you, they are about 3 – 4′ tall.

Supreme XL Potted Trees

Our biggest and most robust potted trees. Grown in a 9x9x12″ pot filled with high-grade soil, these trees are even larger than our Supreme EZ Start® trees. When shipped to you, they are 4-5′ tall.

Bare-Root Trees

bare-root

Stark Supreme Tree®

This season’s top-grade, bare-root trees that give you a head start on growing. When shipped, they are about 4-5′ tall and/or with a 5/8″ or larger trunk diameter.

Supreme XL Trees

We don’t call them “XL” for nothing! Supreme XL trees are our biggest and most robust bare-root trees: they ship 5-6′ tall and/or with a 1″ or larger trunk diameter.

USDA Certified Organic Trees

organic

If you’re inclined toward organic gardening, browse our selection of non-GMO, certified USDA Organic fruit trees. Our fields and trees undergo annual inspection to maintain their certification, and are grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides on pure pastureland.

Grafted Trees

graft

Grafting is the process of taking cuttings from a single “parent” tree known for its fruit taste, size, bloom period and ripening time, and joining it with the root system and trunk base (rootstock) of another tree also known for its desirable qualities. This process has been used for thousands of years to produce fruit that is consistent in flavor, shape and size.

Most of our trees are grafted, creating this kind of consistency and allowing us to produce different mature tree sizes. While seed-grown fruit trees might give you unpredictable variations or a lack of results, grafted trees will give you the fruit you want and the tree size you expect.

Stark® Custom Graft® Trees

Limited space doesn’t have to mean a limited selection of fruit. Stark® Custom Graft® fruit trees have two (or more) varieties carefully grafted onto one tree. These multi-grafted fruit trees require less space to grow than separate trees, and also provide compatible pollinators — built right in! To ensure success growing multiple varieties on your Stark® Custom Graft® fruit trees, be sure to prune to keep all varieties in balance.

Other Terminology

Professional Pruning

Pruning is one of the most important ways to help ensure that your tree gets off to the right start and has the best chance for success. That’s why Stark Bro’s professionals prune many of our fruit trees before shipment — at no cost to you!

We get you started, but you will need to prune throughout the life of your tree. Doing so will help eliminate extra buds that can slow development and allow your tree to form a strong framework by removing weak, narrow and competing branches. Proper pruning will give your tree the perfect shape and branching structure for maximum fruit production.

Self-pollinating

Indicates tree or plant will pollinate itself and doesn’t need another tree or plant near it in order to bear fruit. In many cases, you may still want to plant pollinating partners to increase the size of your crops, but with self-pollinating varieties doing so is optional. You’ll get fruit with only one tree!

Starkspur®

A Stark patented product since 1952! “Spurs” mean bigger harvests! Starkspur® trees are different from regular trees which bear fruit only on the outside limbs. The spur allows fruit to form on each limb and bear from the trunk out – doubling the amount of fruit.

Stark® Colonnade®

Grow full-sized fruit on narrow columnar-shaped trees. Perfect for growing fruit on a balcony, patio, or sliver of ground – even if you live in an apartment or condo. They make a particularly impressive “living fence” when planted in a row – consider using them to disguise eyesores on your property and grow fruit at the same time!

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