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A ripe, shiny Cortland apple held in hand at the orchard
  • A ripe, shiny Cortland apple held in hand at the orchard
  • Cortland apples ripening on the branch
  • Bins of freshly picked Cortland apples
  • A single Cortland apple on a white background
  • A ripe, shiny Cortland apple held in hand at the orchard
  • Cortland apples ripening on the branch
  • Bins of freshly picked Cortland apples
  • A single Cortland apple on a white background
Cortland Apple (Spring 2027)

Cortland Apple (Spring 2027)

$44.99
Rootstock/Size

Reliable shipping

Flexible returns
Pollination Needs a partner
Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)
See trees that will pollenize it Apple Pollination Map
Ripening

Will it finish before your first hard freeze?

Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)
Disease resistanceNo strong resistance
  • Apple scab : Highly susceptible, 1 of 5
  • Cedar-apple rust : Susceptible, 2 of 5
  • Fire blight : Susceptible, 2 of 5
  • Powdery mildew : Highly susceptible, 1 of 5

Scored 1 to 5. Higher resists better, and ? means no published data yet.

See it on our apple disease chart (opens in a new tab)

At a glance: Cortland Apple is an apple tree rated hardy to zone 3 in our ratings (winters to -40°F), not self-fertile, so it needs a different variety nearby as a pollenizer (bloom group 4 of 7, mid for an apple or crabapple), and it ripens about Sep 19 to Oct 3 in Missoula (our Missoula estimate).

Hardy to Zone 3 to 6. A bare number means the whole of zone 3, colder half included (winters to -40°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator.
Chill hours About 900 hours (800 to 1,200). Well documented. Independent sources agree. Montana winters give it plenty. In milder climates, make sure your winters average at least this much. Check your chill hours or see our sources.
Pollination Needs Cross-Pollination. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), late spring here. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 3 to 5. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Good partners we carry: Otterson Crabapple, Trail Crabapple, Alexander Apple, Burgundy Apple and 103 more. Apple Pollination Map.
Ripens About Sep 19 to Oct 3 in Missoula (estimated for Missoula from published sources). Real years swing about a week either way. See the date for your town.
Rootstock and size Bud 118: semi-dwarf in our dry Montana soils, semi-standard on paper, about 12 to 18 ft tall unpruned. Stands on its own, few suckers. Our rootstock guide.
Good for Salads and slicing (9/10), fresh eating (7/10), sauce and butter (7/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10), pies and baking (6/10), hard cider (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists.
Deer A deer favorite. Fence it or cage it.
Where it came from Read about the Cornell and Geneva breeding programs and what else came out of it.
What you get Bare root, 3-4 ft or 4-6 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.

Origin & Parentage

A cross between McIntosh and Ben Davis, Cortland was developed in 1898 by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. While not widely celebrated in Montana, it is beloved in New York, where Cortland holds near-iconic status with deep regional and cultural roots.

Flavor Profile

Cortland inherits many of McIntosh’s best traits, offering bright, juicy, tangy flavor with the characteristic aromatic notes that make McIntosh-type apples so recognizable.

Growing Tips

Cortland is highly susceptible to sunscald, making it crucial to paint the trunks with white water-based latex paint—an important practice for all fruit trees, but especially vital for this variety.

Montana Growing Considerations

Cortland can be grown successfully across most of Western Montana. In Central and Eastern Montana, choose a protected site or windbreak, as these regions’ strong prevailing winds can stress young trees and reduce long-term performance.

Hardiness: Zone 3

Photos: “Here's a beauty - a shiny cortland” by Kevin Bedell, via Flickr, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0; “75 cortland apples” by apium, via Flickr, licensed CC BY 2.0; “Cortland apples” by Accidental Nomad, via Flickr, licensed CC BY 2.0; “Cortland” by Aron Ambrosiani, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Questions we get about Cortland Apple

Does Cortland Apple need a pollenizer?

Yes. Cortland Apple needs pollen from a different variety that blooms at about the same time. Plant a different apple or crabapple variety that blooms in groups 3 to 5. It has good pollen, so it can also pollenize other apples blooming at the same time. Partners we carry include Otterson Crabapple, Trail Crabapple, Alexander Apple.

How cold hardy is Cortland Apple?

We rate Cortland Apple hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.

How many chill hours does Cortland Apple need?

About 900 hours of winter chill (we count hours at or below 45°F), likely somewhere between 800 and 1,200. That figure is well documented: independent sources agree. Measured among the highest-chill apples in an Oregon study. Great for cold-winter country, a poor pick where winters are mild. Our chill hours guide has a calculator for your winters, and our research page lists the sources.

When does Cortland Apple ripen?

About Sep 19 to Oct 3 in Missoula, Montana (an estimate built from published sources and our climate). Warmer places run earlier and cooler places later; our ripening map converts the date to your town.

How big does Cortland Apple get?

We graft Cortland Apple onto Bud 118 (semi-dwarf in our dry Montana soils, semi-standard on paper), which makes a tree roughly 12 to 18 ft tall if you never prune it.

What is Cortland Apple good for?

Our top use scores for Cortland Apple are salads and slicing (9/10), fresh eating (7/10), sauce and butter (7/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.

Is Cortland Apple disease resistant?

No. It's very prone to apple scab and powdery mildew, and prone to cedar-apple rust and fire blight. Our apple disease resistance chart has every rating, the notes and the sources.

Will deer eat Cortland Apple?

Yes, deer love it. Protect Cortland Apple with a fence or a cage, especially while it is young.

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By Zone

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Bred By

Cornell & Geneva Fruit Varieties

Best For

Best Apples for SaladsHard CiderSalads & Slicing

Pollination, Bloom & Ripening

Mid-Season Apple Trees

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Mid-Blooming Apple Trees

Pollination partners

Trees that will pollenize Cortland Apple

Cortland Apple needs a different apple or crabapple nearby to set fruit. Every tree below blooms at the same time and has pollen that works for it. Plant partners within about 100 feet.

Bloom group 4 of 7 (Mid)
Pollination Needs a partner
Pollen Good pollenizer

107 trees we carry will pollenize it. Showing the best matches, in-stock first.

See every pairing on the Apple Pollination Map

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