Botanists created the Cortland apple tree in 1898 at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York not for sale at that time. The trees are also named for nearby Cortland County, New York. They crossed Macintosh and Ben Davis apple trees to create a new tree (Cortland apple) that quickly grew in popularity as the new variety retained the cold hardiness of the Ben Davis tree and the delicious fruit of the Macintosh tree. New forms of the fruit tree were created by botanists through deliberate cross-pollination. They control the pollination of the tree's flowers to ensure that all flowers are pollinated with pollen from another known tree. When these flowers turn into fruits, the apples are picked and the seeds removed. Then the botanists sow these seeds, and after five to eight years, these seeds will be trees that are ready to bear fruit.
appearance of the fruit The attractiveness of the Cortland apple (Malus domestica) stems primarily from the yield and quality of the fruit rather than its ornamental value. It is the twelfth most produced apple in the United States. When ripe, the apple is bright red with yellow streaks, green spots and possibly a greenish-red tint. Light-colored flashes do not indicate a lack of maturity or quality. Fruit taste and quality Cortland apples benefit from the best qualities of their parent plants. It has a sweet flavor with a slight acidity like a Macintosh, but it's not bland, making it an ideal fruit for baking. The crisp interior holds together well after slicing, and best of all, the white pulp of the fruit slowly turns brown even after slicing or slicing open. crop You can plan to harvest Cortland apples from mid-September to October. Look for the fruit at the same time you're selecting a hybrid, Jonathan. These popular apples will lose their crispness soon after harvest. a plus The most limiting factor for the Cortland apple tree is that it requires 800 to 1,000 cooling hours. Adequate cooling hours, or vernalization, disrupts the hormone that stimulates winter dormancy. When the hormone is completely broken down, the tree germinates and produces white flowers.
The mature size of this tree depends on the version planted. Semi-dwarfs reach 12 to 15 feet in height and 12 to 15 feet in width. The smaller dwarf version reaches 8 to 10 feet in length and width. Regardless of size, the tree is hardy, grows best in zones 4 through 9 and requires full sun. Fruit production should begin within 2 to 5 years. Planting Place Cortland apples in a loamy area with a pH level of 6 to 7. If you are unsure of your soil's pH, inexpensive testing kits are available online and at local nurseries. For more details about your soil properties, you may send a representative sample of your soil to a soil testing facility. Many public universities offer this service for a small fee; It is certainly less expensive than replacing many trees that fail to thrive. When planting, be sure to dig a hole twice the width and depth of the root ball. plant the tree at its original planting depth; You should see a line on the liquor showing how deep the original soil is. Keep in mind that the soil in a new, deeper hole may settle, and your tree may end up deeper than intended. This can be a problem if the graft set sinks below the soil line and begins to germinate another set of roots. The second set of roots will lead to a larger tree.
Fertilize with a low-nitrogen fertilizer. A new Cortland apple tree will need about a gallon of water per week, and the need increases until the tree reaches maturity. At maturity, the tree will tolerate droughts better and require less monitoring. vaccination Cortland apples are only partially self-fertile, which means that similar apple trees must be within 50 feet to produce the best crop. When trees are pollinated, the original tree is fertilized with pollen from another tree. Fruit remains from the original tree. The arrival of another type of pollen will only change the seeds. Similar to other apple treesCortland apples cross-pollinate well with McIntosh, Red Gravenstein, or Honeycrisp trees. tree appearanceThe white flowers appear mid-season starting in April. Before it turns completely white, the bud will turn pink.The bark of the tree is rough and gray.pruning Cortland apple trees bear fruit on the ends of slender branches rather than on large, strong branches. Pruning is especially important for this tree because the weight will cause heavy fruits to fall on the ends of the branches.
Central canopy pruning will increase sunlight to the interior of the tree, which means that fruit indoors will better ripen to its desired bright, lustrous color. winter care In cold regions, Cortland Apples will benefit from a few extra steps to insulate them during the winter. Apply mulch to the base of the tree and the surrounding ground to provide additional insulation for the roots. Wrap tree trunks with a wrap to prevent frostbite, which occurs when the sap warms up during the day and then freezes at night. Pest Prevention mice and deerYoung animals and deer love to eat fruit trees, such as Cortland apples, from bark to leaves and can quickly destroy a new tree overnight. To prevent rabbits or deer from reaching the tree, wrap the trunk tightly and surround it with chicken wire to protect it from bark and rodents. Removing grass and sod from the base and replacing it with mulch can act as a deterrent to rodents by removing their habitat. insects Several pests threaten apple trees, and Cortland apples are not among the pest-resistant varieties. If insects are common in your area or you suspect that your tree has already been attacked, take steps as soon as possible to keep your tree healthy and the harvest. In general, apple scab is not a common disease of Cortland apple trees.