Description

Cortland Apple Trees

Zones 4-6  Click here to find your Zone

Height and Spread: 15′ x 5-7′  (semi-dwarf variety)

Growth Rate:  Medium (13 to 24″ per year)

Bloom Color: White

Fruit Color: Red

Ripening Time:  Mid-September

Wildlife:  The Cortland apple trees can be a food source for many mammals, including deer.  With this in mind, measures may need to be taken to protect the tree from deer especially.  The Cortland apple is a great pollen source for bees in the spring.  Rodents and rabbits often eat the bark off of apple trees.  Tree tubes are a great way to protect the bark from injury.  When the bark is eaten it will often lead to girdling and eventual death of the tree.

History:  Introduced in 1915, the Cortland apple tree produces an apple that is sweet-tart and relatively soft.  It has a creamy white flesh.

Use and Storage:  Fruit from the Cortland apple tree makes a wonderful sauce, but can also be used in pies, preserves, juices and eaten fresh.  The Cortland apple does not easily brown, so it makes a very pretty sliced apple in a salad.

Pollination Requirements:  This semi-dwarf variety requires a pollinator within 50′ to produce fruit.