Kind:
Latin Name: Cydonia oblonga
Common Name: Edible Quince
Type: Deciduous tree
Height: 12 to 15 feet
Spread: 9 to 12 feet
Pollination: Consider growing more than one quince tree and more than one variety. While quince trees are capable of self-pollination, they produce more fruit when they are cross-pollinated. This is true from most self-pollinating plants.
Fruit Health Benefits: The fruit contains tannins including catechin and epicatechin, and has a very high concentration of vitamin C. Quince is also a good source of calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and copper. With a very low calorie density, quince can be enjoyed as part of a healthy eating plan.
Wildlife Benefits: Butterflies
Origin of species: Native to the rocky slopes and woodland margins in Western Asia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Georgia, as well as, Northern Iran to Afghanistan.
Cultivars: We grow ‘Pineapple’, bred for it’s superior edibility.
Culture Information:
Sun: Full sun to part shade. Best flowering occurs in full sun.
Water: Medium
Zone: 5 to 8
Years to bear fruit: Quince trees from seeds should yield fruit within five years. Trees grown from cuttings will begin to produce fruit even sooner. We purchases ours in a one gallon container, and hope to see fruit in a couple to three years.
We just put in the tree February, 2020.
Harvest Time: Fall
Care:
Plant: Growing quince trees isn't that difficult as long as you can provide appropriate conditions. Choose a sunny location with fertile soil. Quinces adapt to wet or dry soils but perform best when the soil is well-drained.
Fertilizer/pH: Quinces prefer a slightly alkaline soil pH of 6.5-7.0. They grow in many soil types but do best in deep, very loamy soil.
Mulch: Add compost before planting and a thick organic mulch applied every year.
Groom/Prune: Quinces fruit mostly on the tips of the shoots made the previous year. They do not form many fruiting spurs. Prune and train in the dormant season between late autumn and early spring.
Pest/disease Control: Scales, Aphids, Lace bug
Propagation: Cutting, Grafting. Fruiting quince can take several months to root. Take cuttings in winter to early spring that are the same length as the flowering varieties. Use rooting hormone prior to planting the cuttings in moistened horticultural sand.
Comments:
Pineapple quinces can be eaten raw but are most often cooked in several applications. They are baked, poached or cooked down to make jams and jellies and are often combined with other fruits for sauces, juices, pies, and candies. The pale flesh turns to a dark purple when cooked and softens.