Apple Cortland: variety description and characteristics, history and yield with photo

Cultivation of the Cortland apple tree is popular among domestic gardeners. This variety attracts them with its taste and the ability of the fruit to be stored for a long time. The tree itself, due to its compactness, is well suited for growing in summer cottages. But, like any variety, Cortland has its own growing characteristics that must be taken into account if there are plans for a good harvest.

History of variety breeding

The variety was bred by American breeders in 1898. To obtain it, employees of the New York Experimental Breeding Station crossed two varieties popular at that time - Macintosh and Ben Davis. Cortland became world famous after the First World War.

Description and features

To describe this variety, first of all, you should pay attention to two characteristics - the size of the tree and the features of the fruit. This apple tree belongs to both medium-sized and medium-yielding. The fruits are medium in size, but have a pleasant taste and beautiful appearance.

What are the pros and cons of the variety?

The Cortland apple tree is able to boast of the virtues that make many domestic gardeners give preference to it:

• its fruits are stored for a long time;
• have a pronounced taste;
• attractive appearance;
• compact plant with dense crown.

At the same time, it is impossible not to note a number of shortcomings that make some summer residents think about the establishment of this variety:

• medium scab resistance;
• poor resistance to powdery mildew;
• average yield.

Those who care about yields should pay attention to these features.

Main characteristics of Cortland apple tree

The Cortland apple tree has a number of characteristics that distinguish it from other famous varieties. They concern both the tree itself and the fruit.

Tree size

Apple trees of the Cortland variety are distinguished by an average height that does not exceed six meters. Their crown is wide, with a somewhat pronounced pyramidality.

Trees are strong. The gray-burgundy bark on the trunk has no roughness, smooth. A distinctive feature of the shoots is a significant number of small lentils. In addition, they have a burgundy color and a lowered shape. Rarely take any form other than straight.

The edges of the leaves are large-shaped. And their plates are flat. In general, the foliage is dense. At the same time, the underside of the sheet is matte, gray-green, and the upper side is shiny and bright. The development of fruits occurs on their annulus.

Fruit evaluation

Apples of this variety do not differ in size and significant weight - up to 130 grams. The shape of the fruit is somewhat elongated, streamlined. The skin is soft and thin.

The color of unripe fruit is greenish-yellow with barely noticeable red stripes. Good haze. As they mature, they become redder. Another distinguishing feature of apples is a bluish coating.

But these are not the only features of Cortland fruits. Also noted:

• significant size of the cone-shaped notch;
• small cup size that is either slightly open or fully closed;
• the top hole of the fruit is small;
• loose and wide seed chambers;
• pulp with a whitish tinge and redness around the edges;
• rich flavor.

The stalk of this variety is small and green in color, which turns yellow when the apples ripen.

Winter hardiness

Cortland is a hardy variety. Bred in North America and able to withstand extremely low temperatures. Due to this, it is suitable for cultivation in most regions of Russia, even with the most severe climate.

Disease resistance

Exceptional resistance to diseases and pests is what makes Cortland apple trees so popular, not least.But this does not mean that they are not affected by them in principle. Unfortunately, there are two diseases that these plants can still suffer from, under certain unfavorable conditions:

• powdery mildew;
• scab.

The main symptom of powdery mildew is a gray-white coating on the leaves. Over time, the foliage, which is affected by the disease, turns brown and falls off. The raid also appears on the shoots. Later, they lose their shape and die.

Does not bypass the disease and inflorescences, as well as fruits. The symptoms are the same as with the defeat of the shoots. A rusty mesh forms on the fruit.

The main condition for the development (that powdery mildew, that scab) is called cool summer nights combined with high humidity. Morning dewdrops play their part.

Fruiting frequency

The variety belongs to those that start fruiting quickly. If it is grafted onto a dwarf stock, then the first crop is obtained in the third year.

The tree blooms from around mid-May. In the Middle Strip, during a cool spring, the beginning of the process is delayed until the beginning of June. By the time of fruit ripening, it is classified as pre-winter - fruits are harvested in mid-October.

Fruiting is equally regular, that of grafted apple trees, that of those grown from seedlings. The latter, by the way, begin to produce crops in the sixth year. The overall yield is average.

Yields

This variety of apples has an average yield, which, under favorable conditions, turns into a large one. It bears fruit regularly. Bad years are rare for him.

Regions of distribution

This variety is distributed in almost all regions of Russia, except for the Far North. Often found in the Volgograd and Saratov regions, where the conditions for growing apples are suitable.

Conclusion

The Cortland apple tree is loved for many things - for its pleasant taste and beautiful appearance, for its durability and ability to survive various climatic features. Does not require constant care when growing.

The main thing is to prevent infection with scab and powdery mildew. To do this, avoid damp places and use preventive drugs in wet, cool years.

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