Quince: description. Growing, planting and care. Varieties.

Content:

This article comprehensively shows Quince: description, varieties, cultivation features, care secrets. Quince is an ancient fruit crop; people have been growing it for more than four thousand years. The homeland of quince is the Caucasian lands, it was from there that the culture began to spread throughout the world. Quince is very fond of in the Mediterranean countries, where it is still considered a symbol of love and fertility. Perhaps this is due to the fact that quince is a fairly prolific culture, even with the smallest care.
Nowadays, quince has become very popular, and is grown by gardeners literally everywhere. High yield and excellent early maturity - these are the secrets of the popularity of quince. In addition, the excellent taste of preservation (juices, compotes, preserves, jams) and the nutritional value of the product make this crop a winner among fruit crops.

Quince: a description of the ancient fruit culture

Quince is a fruit crop known since ancient times, and people have been growing it for more than 4000 years. The homeland of quince is the Caucasian lands, it was from there that the culture began to spread everywhere. She is very fond of in the Mediterranean countries, where it is still considered a symbol of love and fertility. Perhaps this is due to the fact that quince is a fairly prolific culture, even with the smallest care.
Nowadays, it has become very popular, and is grown by gardeners literally everywhere. A consistently high yield and excellent early maturity are the secrets of the popularity of this fruit tree. In addition, the excellent taste of preservation (juices, compotes, preserves, jams) and the nutritional value of the product make this crop a winner among fruit crops.
Quince (Cydonia) belongs to the Rosaceae family. The people call quince in different ways: vigorous, bedrock, gunny, quit, quince tree.
In the quince tree, reaching a height of up to 3 meters, the fluffy crown consists of oval, large dark green leaves (below - with grayish-tomentose leaves). A trunk, the diameter of which can be up to half a meter. The bark is dark gray, blackish brown.
The flowers of the quince tree are white and pink with short fluffed peduncles. The tree blooms in early May and pleases the eye until the end of the first summer month.
The quince fruit is famous for its lemon-colored aroma with a tough, slightly juicy, sweet-tart pulp. The shape of the fruit is spherical, pear-shaped, mature in early or mid-autumn.
Quince trees are very fond of in the Mediterranean countries, where they still symbolize love and fertility.
Now this fruit tree is widespread in the Caucasus, on the territory of the Crimea, in Moldova, etc.
Reproduction of quince occurs with the help of cuttings, seeds, layering, grafting.
It is very much appreciated by housewives in compote, various desserts, and also as a seasoning for meat, baked and raw.

Quince: a description of tree care

When grown, its bushes are formed and cut parallel to the surface of the soil. The length of the branches is kept about half a meter from the root collar. Pruning is designed to prevent thickening of the bushes. One bush should have from 10 to 15 (2-3 branches are five-year-olds, 3-4 are three-year-olds, the same number are two-year-olds, the rest are one-year-olds! Every year, branches that have lost their productivity and are 5 years old are removed.The vertical shoots are pinched or removed in the spring, before the buds have awakened. In the fall, pruning of quince is not done, since this does not add cold resistance to the bushes. Dry and weak branches are also removed in the spring.
Quince is harvested from the 20th of September to the end of October. Ripe fruits are stored until the first days of February (+ 2 + 3 degrees).
Quince should be planted on spring days before a green cone appears on the buds.

What climate does quince require: planting and care in the open field

Quince in the open field

Unlike peach, apricot, cherry plum, pear and other southern crops, the quince tree is cold-resistant and resistant to various adverse conditions. It grows well and bears fruit at an average temperature of + 8 degrees per year. Only very cold winters (down to -30) can destroy new buds and annual plant growth. Also, returnable spring frosts can damage the buds and flowers.
An important condition for the growth and fruiting of quince is light. Its deficiency causes thinning of the branches, exposing the plant, insufficient flowering and, as a result, weak fruiting, lack of aroma.
The root system of the quince is shallow, therefore regular irrigation is necessary. Interestingly, these fruit trees can withstand large and prolonged flooding (up to 1 month). You can also talk about drought resistance, but the quality of the fruits in either case will be imperfect (there will be more stony cells).
Favorable watering for her - up to 5 times during the growing season, moisture-charging watering is required.
Compared to an apple or a pear, the quince tree is less demanding on the quality of the soil. A wide variety of soil is suitable for it, including saline. In addition to meadow and degraded chernozem, light or heavy clay, sandy loam soil is suitable. Light sandy loam soil is less preferable. The most preferred is loose, aerated and well-moistened soil.

Quince: seed propagation

For propagation by seeds, take large, mature seeds and in February they are placed in a moistened sand mixture in cellophane with holes. All this, in turn, is placed in the refrigerator for 2.5 months.
Seeds are sown in early spring (favorite medium is loose, not sour, fertile soil). In the fall, you can see sprouts up to half a meter in height. At the same time, small trees are relocated to a permanent place protected from the wind. They are planted not deeply, maintaining a distance of up to 1 meter between seedlings and 2-3 meters between rows.
By winter, with the help of spruce branches, they arrange the process of snow retention: they make small shields, lay out spruce branches, and thus, when snow attacks, the plant will survive (during not very frosty winters). If the temperature in winter is very low, then such a protective system will not help.

How to cut quince correctly: crown formation

For good light transmission and illumination of the crown, it is necessary to carry out a depression of the longline formation for it. It is applicable to annual seedlings: they measure 60 centimeters from the grafting point and, after counting about 8 buds, they begin to form the 1st tier. The 2nd tier is formed with single branches spaced every 20-35 centimeters or two double branches every 50-60 centimeters. With the help of such a formation of central branches and taking into account the angle of inclination of the branches from the trunk (at an angle of 45 degrees), the crown of the plant will form and bear fruit correctly.
A biennial plant is formed by shortening the lower main branch by 50-60 centimeters from the base point. Other branches are shortened, focusing on this level. Everything, except for the conductor, which is cut 20-25 centimeters higher.
The goal of the first years of growing this crop is to form a strong base through the correct choice of branches of the 2nd and 3rd order.The 1st branch of the 2nd order is formed from the trunk by 30-40 cm, and the second one symmetrically on the opposite side.
When the tree bears its first fruits, it is thinned out a little. When the fruiting period is over, partial rejuvenation of the crown is required.

Diseased quince: a description of the fight

Quince tree is quite disease-resistant, usually pests attack it a little. The main disease is associated with the destruction of the ovaries by a fungal infection. The fungus lives even in winter in dried fruits, as well as in infected branches. The leaves are covered with brown spots that increase in size. Further, the stigmas are infected, then the fungus enters the ovaries and kills them. Also, this plant often gets sick with brownish foliage and fruit rot.
As for harmful insects, the quince often suffers from snake-shaped, round-headed and other types of moths. From it, not only the leaves of quince, but also of many fruit trees, deteriorate and die.
As a preventive measure, dried fruits are harvested and destroyed, and infected branches are cut off. Also, during bud formation and before the appearance of flowers, the plant is treated with Fundazole and Dipterex (solutions) to prevent rotting of the ovaries and different types of moths.
During flowering periods, Fundazol is also used for preventive spraying. At the end of flowering, the plant is again treated with Fundazol together with Dipterex to prevent rotting of the ovaries, brownish foliage, fruit rot and various harmful insects.
Quince fruits - wonderfully tasty! Growing this fruit tree is not difficult, and it is so responsive to any concern that it will surely reward you with a large harvest.

Types, varieties of quince: description

Quince has one type - / Common quince /, consisting of several varieties.
The Anzher variety is characterized by medium height and early maturity and apple-shaped fruit. Fruit color - lemon yellow, smooth skin and firm flesh.
The Ilymenny variety is characterized by a large yield and medium winter hardiness. The fruits are medium in size, the skin is bright yellow, sweet and sour in taste.
The Collective variety is characterized by medium height, high yield, drought resistance and cold resistance. Large fruits, apple-shaped, bright yellow. The shelf life of the fruits reaches three months.
The Krasnoslobodsky variety is characterized by average cold resistance, short stature, a rare spreading crown, and fertility. Large bright yellow fruits, apple-shaped, ribbed; medium-dense, juicy, aromatic, light yellow pulp (stony cells are almost absent). The shelf life of the fruits reaches three months.
The Teplovodsky variety is characterized by good frost resistance and yield, average vigor. Fruits are medium, apple-shaped, dense, fragrant yellow flesh. There are many stony cells. The shelf life of the fruits reaches four months.

Quince: description