Autumn 2024 planting seasonPre-order now for EU delivery December 2024 - March 2025

Somerset Redstreak cider apple trees

Malus domestica
Somerset Redstreak is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Late
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 5

A traditional English cider apple producing a bittersweet juice. Somerset Redstreak is one of the main commercial cider varieties planted in England.

Bio / Organic  fruit trees

Somerset Redstreak organic cider apple trees for sale


  • 1 yeartree on M116 rootstock23.25€
    Medium tree (2m-3.5m after 10 years) Bare-root
    Sold-out
EU delivery countries
  • Austria
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  • Netherlands
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Growing and Training

Somerset Redstreak is slightly prone to biennial bearing, fruiting more heavily in alternate years. This can be controlled by heavier thinning in the "on" year.

It ripens slightly ahead of the main late-season cider varieties.


History

England, early 20th century.


Somerset Redstreak characteristics

  • Gardening skillAverage
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Flowering group5
  • Disease resistanceAverage
  • Picking seasonLate
  • Season of use2-3 weeks
  • Food usesHard cider
  • Cold hardiness (USDA)Zone 4 (-34C)
  • Summer average maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
  • Country of originUnited Kingdom
  • Period of origin1900 - 1949
  • Fruit colourOrange / RedRed striped

Similar varieties

More about cider apple trees

Cider production in Europe is traditionally associated with three main regions - Asturias in north west Spain, Bretagne and Normandie in north west France, and the "west country" area of south-west England. These regions all face the Atlantic ocean and have cool temperate maritime climates.

Cider can of course be made with any variety of apples, but in these three regions apple varieties have evolved which are specifically intended for cider production - they have high levels of tannins which give "body" to the resulting cider, but which make them very unpalatable to eat fresh.

Good quality cider is almost always made with a blend of different apple varieties, using bitter, sweet, and sharp flavour components. It is quite common to mix in regular cooking and dessert apples to lend extra flavours.

If you are in an area with a hotter continental climate (with average summer maximum temperatures routinely over 30C) then you might want to consider using apple varieties that can withstand warmer temperatures, but still have good juice qualities. In this case rather than using European varieties you might want to seek inspiration from the very different "hard cider" traditions of North America, where dessert and crab-apples are widely used.

We have a good range of traditional English and French cider varieties, as well as a number of mainstream apple varieties with good juice qualities that lend themselves to cider production.


This variety description was researched and written by Orange Pippin staff. Last checked: 2024.