Ben Davis Apple on G.11 (Spring 2026)
A once widely grown heirloom apple that is a parent of Cortland. Also known as Mortgage Lifter, Baltimore Pippin, New York Pippin, Victoria Pippin, Virginia Pippin, Victoria Red, Kentucky Pippin, Kentucky Redstreak, Carolina Red Streak.
This tree is precocious and productive. It is upright, and spreading, resistant to wooly apple aphid, cedar-apple rust, and mildew, but susceptible to scab and canker.
The apple is medium sized, with a smooth skin washed red over yellow-green. The flesh is coarse, somewhat soft, aromatic, juicy, and subacid. It hangs well on the tree, stores very well, and resists bruising.
Ben Davis is most famous as a parent of Cortland apple (Ben Davis x McIntosh). It got its other common name "Mortgage Lifter" from its productivity and ability to travel without bruising, making it a highly profitable commercial apple in its day. My Dad describes it as like "eating cotton."
The Fruit
Fruit Type
Category: Apple
Subcategory:
Heirloom, Red Flesh
Fruit Uses & Storage
Uses: fresh eating, baking, storage, jelly, sauce
Storage duration: three plus months (approximate, depending on storage conditions)
Fruit Appearance
Skin color: red
Flesh color: off-white
Fruit Origins
Parentage: unknown
Origin: Possibly Kentucky
Introduced in: 1700's
Introduced by: unknown
The Environment
Calendar & Geography
USDA zones: 3 - 7
Chill hours: Not yet determined
Ripening date: Sep 29 (approximate, in New York State) + 14 days after McIntosh
Tree Height & Spacing
glossary
Rootstock: G.11 Rootstock
Rootstock size class: Dwarf (25% of Standard)
Tree spacing (natural spread of tree): 8'
Good for wildlife planting? N
Diseases & Pests
glossary
Woolly Apple Aphid: Resistant
Cedar-Apple Rust: Resistant
Apple Scab: Susceptible
Powdery Mildew: Resistant
Perennial Canker: Susceptible
Pollination
Pollination Factors
glossary
Bloom group: 3
Is it self-fertile? N
Is it fertile? Y
Ploidy: Diploid
Rootstock size class:
Dwarf (25% of Standard)
Pollination Partners
This table shows the first few results from a full search for pollenizers of Ben Davis Apple on G.11. Please see our Pollenizer Search to run other queries and read how the application uses various factors. Also read more about fruit tree pollination.
| Tree | Currently in Stock |
|---|---|
| Blondee™ Apple on G.214 | 233 |
| Enterprise Apple on G.214 | 225 |
| Pixie Crunch™ Apple on G.11 | 178 |
| Newtown Pippin Apple on G.41 | 156 |
| Sansa Apple on G.11 | 143 |
| Golden Russet Apple on G.214 | 141 |
| CrimsonCrisp™ Apple on G.214 | 141 |
| Williams' Pride Apple on G.11 | 135 |
| Porter's Perfection Apple on G.41 | 126 |
| Sweet Sixteen Apple on G.41 | 118 |
| Virginia Crab Apple on G.214 | 117 |
See all pollination matches for Ben Davis Apple on G.11
SF 5.07; V 2.33; Hayts 38.2, 107.4