Quince tree, how to grow and care for Cydonia oblonga

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Quince tree is a very beautiful fruit tree, that bears nice fruits called quinces.

Key Quince facts, a short list

Name – Cydonia oblonga
Family – Rosaceae
Type – fruit tree

Height – 16 feet (5 m)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – rather rich, well drained

Foliage: deciduous  –  Flowering: spring  –  Harvest: fall

• Read also: Quince health benefits and Use those quince for jelly!

Care, pruning and planting must all follow good practices to increase the fruit formation.

Planting quince

As is the case for  most trees, quince is best planted in fall to speed root development up before winter and guarantee a stronger growth in spring.

You can also plant your quince tree in spring, as long as it is possible for you to water it often over the first summer following the planting.

• Quince appreciates sun and part shade.
• It does well in all types of soil, except perhaps excessively chalky soil.
• It resists the cold well and almost anything that most climates can throw at it.
• Follow our guidance for planting.

Pruning quince

It isn’t really necessary to prune quince, since it won’t really influence fruit-bearing.

But pruning does make it possible to reduce the size of this tree’s branches, since they can grow somewhat big. For instance, you might want to keep it a bit short so that fruits are easy to reach with a simple ladder.

• Pruning is best performed in winter, after all quinces have been harvested.
• Second best slot is at the very beginning of spring before spring growth renews.
• Open up the center of the tree to maximize the amount of light reaching through in summer.
• Remove dead and diseased branches next (or whenever you notice them).

Occasionally, you can cut entire branches short during the harvest if you know you’ll prune them off anyways. This makes it easier to pick the fruits since you can slowly bring the entire branch down.

Common quince tree diseases

Though it’s quite hardy and resists most diseases well, the quince tree sometimes falls victim to fungus infections. Rarely will these endanger the tree. Sadly, though, fruits are easily scarred or lost because of these:

• European brown rot, quinces rot while still hanging on the tree
• Powdery mildew, white velvet covers leaves or brown spots appear on the fruits
• Entomosporium leaf spot, a disease that infects Rosaceae plants with brown and red spots

Learn more about quince

This little fruit tree was often neglected, since apple trees, pear trees and cherry trees were more appealing at the time.

But its small size, the beauty of its leaves and of its bearing, and the distinctive culinary quality of its fruits have brought it back into the spotlight, with good reason!

It is also a perfect fruit tree for countryside gardens.

Easy to grow and requiring practically no care, quince is slowly gaining more aficionados!

It will fit even in a small urban garden, or in the corner of a countryside house, anywhere the climate isn’t too harsh.
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• See also: the delicious quince jelly recipe that Paloup prepared for us.

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