2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Quince (Latin Cydonia) - belongs to the category of fruit crops; a genus of plants of the Rosaceae family. In nature, quince grows in flat areas, as well as in forest zones, less often in the mountains. Natural area - Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan. Today, the plant is actively cultivated in European countries, Crete, Cyprus, as well as in Russia and some Asian countries.
Description
Quince is represented by tall trees up to 4-5 m high with a spreading crown. Young shoots are equipped with brown bark with tomentose pubescence; the trunk and perennial branches are covered with a rather thin, non-wrinkled bark.
The foliage is whole-edged, petiolate, alternate, green outside, grayish inside, because it has tomentose pubescence, it can be oval or ellipsoid in shape, there are specimens with rounded leaves, pointed or obtuse ends. The leaves are equipped with small lanceolate stipules.
Quince flowers are single, with a five-part non-falling calyx and a snow-white or pinkish corolla, located on shortened pedicels. Corolla petals are ovoid. Quince blooms in mid-May - early June.
The fruits are presented in the form of false apples, they are pear-shaped or spherical (depending on the variety), the presence of obvious ribs is possible, may have a light yellow or deep yellow color, sometimes with a red barrel. At first, the fruit is covered with felt, later it becomes very smooth. Fruits vary in diameter from 5 to 16 cm.
The flesh of the quince is harsh, it cannot be called juicy, but it has a pleasant and sweet aroma. The taste is fresh, sweet, tart, slightly knitting in the mouth. The seeds are obovate, brown with a reddish undertone. The fruits are suitable for consumption in the second decade of September - the first decade of October.
Location
Quince cannot be called unpretentious, it is demanding both to its location and to soil conditions. She loves well-lit or moderately shaded areas. Protection from cold and squally winds is encouraged. Soils for quince need moderately moist, nutritious, loose, sandy, well-drained, water and air permeable. Quince boasts winter-hardy properties; in severe and snowless winters, only young shoots are damaged by frost.
The subtleties of growing
The culture in question, like most fruit crops, is propagated by seed and vegetatively (by offspring, cuttings and layering). The most common methods of propagation of quince include cuttings. Cuttings are taken from strong annual shoots located at the bottom of the tree. For rooting, cuttings are planted immediately after cutting, treatment with growth stimulants is encouraged. The cuttings are placed obliquely. It is advisable to spud the bud with a small layer of fertile soil. After three weeks, a root system is formed on the cuttings. They are transplanted to a permanent place next spring. It is important to provide rooted cuttings with shelter for the winter in the form of a thick layer of fallen leaves or any other natural material.
Care features
Caring for plants is simple, it consists of procedures that are standard for all fruit crops, namely, moderate watering, fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers, weeding and loosening as needed, as well as pruning (sanitary and shaping, it should be noted that both types are important for quince) … With proper and regular care, quince will delight you with a good harvest of fruits. The first few years, the quince requires special pruning, the shape of the tree and further development will depend on it.
The main branches of quince are shortened by a third, they should not be pruned strongly, because this approach can provoke rapid growth of shoots, subsequently the fruits will set slowly and in small quantities, and they will ripen for a very long time. Sanitary pruning involves removing damaged and dry branches. Both sanitary and formative pruning is recommended in early spring (before the onset of sap flow).
An important care feature: when planting young seedlings, they provide a reliable support. At the moment when the plants first enter fruiting, the support is removed. Watering is very important for quince; during the gardening season, you need to carry out six waterings. Quince is good for top dressing: the first top dressing involves the introduction of organic matter and a complex of fertilizers (it is carried out in early spring), the second top dressing - only complex mineral fertilizers (during the period of fruit setting), the third one repeats the first (it is carried out in the fall).
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