Rising temperatures due to climate change pose challenges for temperate crops hence, understanding soil hydrothermal dynamics is critical for optimizing crop yield. This study hypothesizes that optimum soil conditions, and effective moisture conservation are necessary for high-density apple orchards with M9 dwarfing rootstocks to maximize productivity. The present research investigates the impact of two irrigation levels (100% and 85% crop evapotranspiration (ETc)) and three mulching treatments (plastic mulch, dried grass mulch, and no mulch) on high-density apple plantations within a sub-humid agro-climatic zone in Himachal Pradesh, India, evaluated over two years. The study examines how different mulches affect soil nutrient dynamics and explores the interaction between mulch types and varying irrigation levels (full and deficit) on soil fertility. Beyond soil fertility, the research also investigates the effects of mulching on soil temperature, where it was observed that grass mulch significantly reduced maximum soil temperatures by an average of 2.2 ˚C, increased minimum soil temperatures by 1.3 ˚C compared to no mulch, and improved moisture conservation. The combination of grass mulch and 100% ETc irrigation achieved the highest yield (80.8 and 83.3 Mg ha