{"id":2382,"date":"2020-03-27T06:15:36","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T06:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=2382"},"modified":"2020-03-27T06:15:40","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T06:15:40","slug":"quince","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/27\/quince\/","title":{"rendered":"Quince"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cydonia oblonga<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fruit of the Quince looks\nlike a large, yellow, fuzzy, slightly misshapen pear. It is not usually eaten\nraw as it is somewhat dry and astringent, but is usually cooked in preserves or\nadded to apple pie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing: In the right conditions this easy to grow and\nindependent little tree doesn\u2019t take much looking after. In my garden it is\nalmost completely ignored, yet it still produces fruit reliably every year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrients: Quince fruits are rich in vitamin C and pectin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Quince:
Yield:
20 lb dwarf
50lb standard
Hours of winter chill: 100 – 450
Size: 12 – 20 ft tall x 12 – 15 ft wide
Zone: 5 – 9
Blooming period: Late spring
Fruiting period: September – October
Life expectancy: 40 years
Bearing age: 2 – 3 years
Yield: 30 – 100lb
Spacing: 10 – 15 ft apart <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Climate: The Quince isn\u2019t very fussy as to climate and does well almost\neverywhere (except deserts). It flowers quite late and so isn\u2019t usually\naffected by late frosts. It is hardy to -20\u00b0F.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH 5.5 – 8.0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Site<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quince prefers\nwell-drained fertile soil and full sun, but it will tolerate light shade too.\nIf your soil isn\u2019t very well drained you might consider planting on a hillside,\nor on a mound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When:\nIn mild climates Quince trees these can be planted at any time from late fall\nto early spring. In colder climates they are usually planted in spring. As with\nmost other plants a small tree transplants better than a large tree and will do\nbetter in the long run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you get your plants home\nit is a good idea to get them in the ground as soon as possible, but if this\nisn\u2019t possible you should heel them in, which means placing them in a trench\n(this trench has one vertical side and one at 45 degrees, the trees being laid\nin at 45 degrees and soil is firmed over them to fill the trench). If you buy\nplants mail order you should unwrap them immediately and soak the roots in\nwater overnight before planting or heeling in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plants in containers can be\nplanted at any time of year (though spring is best), but are more expensive and\ndon\u2019t usually do as well (make sure they aren\u2019t left over bare root stock that\nhas been potted up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How:\nDig the planting hole 2\u20113 times as wide as the root ball, to give the roots\nplenty of loose soil to grow into. You want the hole to be the same depth as\nthe root ball (or roots if bare root), so it can be set into the ground at the\nsame depth it was growing in the nursery. This is most easily measured by\nlaying a stick across the hole to get the right height. The graft union should\nbe 3-6\u201d above the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In poorly drained soils you\nmay have to plant on a mound, to keep the collar of the tree from staying wet\nfor long periods (too much water could cause it to rot). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start planting by throwing a\ncouple of shovels of soil (possibly mixed with some organic matter if the soil\nis poor \u2013 to help it hold moisture) into the bottom of the hole. Make this into\na slight mound and then spread the roots out evenly over it. You then put some\nsoil in the hole to anchor the tree in place and firm it down. Then re-fill the\nhole with the rest of the soil (make sure the tree remains vertical). You may\nalso want to add some rock phosphate to the soil as you go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have finished\nplanting the tree should be on a slight mound, so as the soil settles it\nbecomes flat. If it starts out flat it may end up as a slight depression where\nwater can collect (which can be a problem on poorly drained soils).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You then water the tree\nthoroughly, not only to supply water to the plant, but also to settle the soil\nand establish contact between roots and soil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final step is to spread\nout a mulch to conserve water, and keep down weed competition (keep this six\ninches away from the trunk). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also a very good idea\nto put a permanent label on the tree saying the variety and rootstock (and\nwrite it down in your garden journal).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support: Newly planted trees were once routinely supplied with a stake to\nsupport them, but it is now thought that trees become stronger more rapidly if\nnot staked. Staking is only usually necessary on very windy sites (especially\nfor dwarf trees which grow on weak rootstocks).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protection: If gophers live in your area you will have to plant\nyour trees in gopher wire baskets (I make my own to whatever size I need). If\nother rodents are a problem (they may chew on the bark, stunting or even\nkilling the tree) you may have to use various kinds of metal or plastic mouse\nguards. These should go several inches into the ground and should have gravel\naround them to deter digging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maintenance: Quince trees don\u2019t need a lot of attention, but are\nmore productive if given some basic care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilizing: They aren\u2019t very hungry trees and don\u2019t usually need\nadditional fertilizer. In fact too much nitrogen can stimulate vigorous\nsucculent growth that is susceptible to fire blight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering: The trees are quite drought tolerant, but will be more productive if\ngiven regular water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pollination: Quince is self-fertile so you only need to plant one\nvariety. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pruning: Quince is usually trained to an open center, It is terminal (tip)? bearing, which means they produce fruit at the\nend of new growth and can be grown with minimal pruning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mature trees don\u2019t require\nmuch regular pruning, beyond removing dead or damaged branches and suckers.\nExcessive pruning may encourage vigorous succulent growth that is susceptible\nto fire blight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinning: They rarely produce so much fruit that they require thinning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Propagation: Quince is usually grafted or budded. . It may also sometimes be grown from cuttings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roots are sometimes used\nfor growing pears and other related fruits,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch: Use a mulch of compost to keep the ground moist, suppress weeds and add\nnutrients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests: Quince is susceptible to the same pests as the apple (notably codling\nmoth), though they are less frequently affected. In warm humid climates they\nare susceptible to fire blight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvest: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When:\nFruit are ripe when their color changes from green to yellow and they develop\ntheir characteristic fragrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How:\nHow? The fruit bruises\neasily so handle carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage: The fruit will usually stay in good condition for a month or more. Canned, frozen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Landscape uses: With its big, beautiful spring flowers, attractive\nshape and interesting yellow fruit, the quince is one of the more ornamental\nfruit trees. It also espaliers well and is very attractive when grown in this\nway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties: There aren\u2019t a lot of varieties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pineapple: This Burbank variety is supposed to cook down like an apple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food uses: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quince would be more popular if people realized how good it was, which means having good ways to use it. They are hard and pretty much inedible raw, but good cooked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cydonia oblonga Introduction The fruit of the Quince looks like a large, yellow, fuzzy, slightly misshapen pear. It is not usually eaten raw as it is somewhat dry and astringent, … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fruit-trees","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Quince.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2382"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2384,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2382\/revisions\/2384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}