Cortland apple tree: variety description, photos, reviews

Content

1 Features of the variety
2 Features of growing the variety
- 2.1 Planting and fertilizing trees
- 2.2 Apple tree pruning
3 Tree diseases
4 Reviews from gardeners

The apple tree is one of the most popular fruit trees in summer cottages. In order to enjoy a large harvest every season, you need to know the characteristics of the selected varieties: the nuances of planting, the subtleties of cultivation.

The Cortland apple tree belongs to the winter varieties. Most suitable for cultivation in the Volgograd, Kursk regions, areas of the Lower Volga region and others.

Features of the variety

The Cortland apple tree is characterized by the presence of a high trunk and a dense, rounded crown. If the branches are not specifically pruned, the tree can grow to a height of six meters. The trunk is smooth, and the bark is brownish-brown in color.

Apples of rich red color ripen, weighing 90-125 grams, have a round shape and medium size. The pulp has a pleasant aroma and sweet-sour taste. A distinctive feature of the variety is a waxy coating of a blurry grayish tint (as in the photo).

Advantages of Cortland:

long preservation of fruits;
excellent fruit taste;
frost resistance.

The main disadvantage of the Cortland apple tree is its sensitivity to fungal diseases, especially scab and powdery mildew.

Features of growing the variety

Tallness and longevity (up to 70 years) are amazing unusual features of the Cortland variety. If the growth of branches is not controlled, the crown can grow up to six meters.Apple trees have a highly developed root system that grows deep into the soil.

Attention! Such tall varieties, as a rule, do not tolerate an abundance of water well, and this must be taken into account when choosing a place to plant seedlings.

Planting and fertilizing trees

The Cortland apple tree variety prefers fertile, loose soil. It is recommended to purchase one- and two-year-old seedlings for planting.

Planting can be done twice a year:

at the beginning of spring, until the buds of the apple trees swell;
in the autumn, about a month before the expected frost.

To plant a Cortland seedling, dig a hole approximately 70-80 cm deep and 85-95 cm in diameter. If the site has poor soil, then a nutritious soil mixture is first prepared. To do this, peat, 300 g of wood ash, sand, and 250 g of superphosphate are added to the excavated soil. Fill the hole one third with this soil.

Then the seedling is carefully lowered into the hole, the roots of the tree are straightened and buried. A support must be dug in next to the apple tree, to which the Cortland seedling is tied.

This is done so that the tree takes root confidently and does not break under sharp gusts of wind. The apple tree is watered and the area around the trunk is mulched.

Important! The root collar of the tree should be 5-8 cm above ground level.

In the future, for the apple tree to grow fully, it is necessary to fertilize it. For organic fertilizers, you can use a solution of chicken manure/peat, in a ratio of 30 g of material per 10 liters of water.

As soon as the flowering period begins, it is advisable to fertilize the soil with a settled urea solution. To do this, dilute 10 g of fertilizer in 10 liters of water and leave for five days. Moreover, it is recommended to feed young trees three times a season at two-week intervals.

Apple tree pruning

To grow a fertile tree with stable immunity, it is recommended that seedlings undergo formative pruning (before the apple tree reaches five years of age). To ensure that pruning does not cause harm and is done correctly, several requirements must be met.

Spring pruning forms a central conductor for annual/biennial seedlings, which should be 21-25 cm higher than the other branches.
It is recommended to prune during a period when the air temperature does not drop below 10˚C.
For two-year-old seedlings, the length of the lower branches cannot be more than 30 cm.

During sanitary pruning of old apple trees, unnecessary, old and disease-damaged branches are removed. When pruning for the purpose of rejuvenation, skeletal/semi-skeletal branches are shortened.

Tree diseases

The Cortland variety is not highly resistant to scab, therefore, to prevent infection with fungal diseases, it is recommended to carry out regular preventive measures:

fertilizing the tree with potassium-phosphorus mixtures;
mandatory autumn garbage collection (fallen leaves, branches);
spring whitewashing of the trunk and skeletal branches;
spraying the apple tree with copper sulfate in the fall and Bordeaux mixture in the spring.

It would be appropriate to say about the Cortland variety that with proper care, the apple tree will delight you with a tasty harvest for decades.

Reviews from gardeners

Nastasya Filina, Kursk

Our Cortland apple tree is over 10 years old. An exceptional variety - it tolerates frost well and spoils us with a harvest every year. This is exactly what pampers you, since the apples are juicy, stored in the basement until spring and do not change their taste.

Semyon Borisov, Volgograd

My dacha is located near the river and all attempts to introduce the Cortland variety have not been successful.I really like these apples and when they advised me to plant a dwarf variety, I immediately agreed. Now my Cortland has become two meters tall. The first two apples ripened after three years. How juicy and tasty the fruits of this apple tree variety are. I recommend to all.

Svetlana Zueva, Samara

This is my favorite apple variety. I have several trees. Good harvests allow you not only to stock up on fresh apples for the winter, but also to bottle several tens of liters of apple juice (the fruits are very juicy). There is still some left to sell and treat the neighbors. I try to take good care of Cortland trees – I prune and feed them on time.