Quince tree, how to grow and care for Cydonia oblonga

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Spring blossom, handsome deciduous leaves and a neat, small stature make the quince (Cydonia oblonga) an easy fruit tree for a small urban garden or a countryside corner, grown above all for the culinary quality of its autumn fruits. Give it full sun and rather rich, well-drained soil, and it asks for practically no care.

• 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

• Pick off and destroy any mummified quinces left hanging, since they carry brown rot spores through to the next crop.
• Rake up and bin fallen quince leaves rather than composting them, as Entomosporium overwinters on the litter beneath the tree.
• Watch for shoots that suddenly blacken and hook over like a shepherd’s crook: that is fire blight, and quince is among the most susceptible of all fruit trees.

Telling quince troubles apart

Quince is hardy and rarely endangered by disease, but fungal infections do spoil the crop. The signs below help you work out which one you are looking at.

None of these usually threatens the tree itself, but each can scar or destroy the fruit.

Choosing a quince variety

Nearly all quinces need cooking, but they differ in fruit size, aroma and how early they ripen — worth matching to your kitchen and your season length. The selection below covers the varieties most often offered by fruit-tree nurseries in Britain and North America.

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.