Caring for My Quince Trees
It’s time to prune the quince trees.
Are you familiar with quince? Quince is a fall fruit that grows in a manner quite like apples and pears, but with an unusually irregular shape and often gray fuzz. Quince is the sole member of the genus Cydonia in the family Rosaceae. At my Bedford, New York farm, I grow both the European quince, Cydonia bologna, and its Chinese relative, Pseudocydonia sinensis. This week, my outdoor grounds crew pruned 16 Chinese quince trees located between my blueberry bushes and my perennial flower cutting garden. These trees have grown so well here, but needed to be trimmed and shaped, so light could reach the fruits and plants growing nearby.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- These are two quince trees that I brought here from my garden at Turkey Hill in Westport, Connecticut. They are now located at one end of my soccer lawn next to this corn crib. I also have quince trees in my orchard and behind my flower garden.
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- The European quince are green with dense grey-white fine hair, most of which rubs off before maturity in late autumn.
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- When ready to pick, these fruits are more golden yellow in color. The fruit is hard, but with a strongly perfumed flesh.
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- Quince fruits are only edible when cooked. The seeds contain nitriles, which are common in the seeds of the rose family. They can be toxic when eaten in large quantities.
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- On one side of the cutting garden is a row of quince trees. These are Chinese quince. This is a spring photo when the trees were still filled with foliage.
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- Now, many of the fruits have already fallen along with most of the leaves, so it was time to give the trees a good pruning.
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- The fruits of the Chinese quince are larger, but with a smoother appearance.
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- Here, one can see they are more round than their European cousins. They are also very hard and can weigh up to one pound each.
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- Here is the inside of the Chinese quince. In this one, the seeds are white.
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- The bark of the quince tree sheds. Here one can see where some has peeled, leaving the new bark exposed. The new bark has a different color and is smooth because it has not yet had much exposure to the elements.
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- The leaves of these trees are alternately arranged and simple – each about two to four inches long.
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- Chhiring begins by removing any dead or damaged branches, and then carefully cuts the tallest branches in sections. He takes into account the shape of the tree in comparison to the others – all the trees should be about the same height when complete.
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- Chhiring uses this telescoping pole pruner from STIHL. It has a quiet, zero-exhaust emission, and is very lightweight. Plus, with an adjustable shaft, the telescoping pole pruner can cut branches up to 16 feet above the ground.
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- For larger tree branches Chhiring makes two cuts to safely remove the limb without stripping any bark. The first cut should be about a third to halfway down the branch. Cutting in sections prevents splitting and allows the large portion of the branch to fall and not tear into or damage the tree.
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- Here is one tree, all pruned and done. Quince trees can grow anywhere from 10 to 20 feet tall. Quince trees also do best in full sun and are tolerant of most kinds of soil, as long as there is good drainage.
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- From the ground, Pasang uses a telescoping pole saw. This tool is lightweight and has a very sharp blade for making smooth cuts. It is ideal for pruning high branches that are not too thick.
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- Quince wood has a rich color range from light yellow to deep reddish brown. It has a fine pattern and very small pores. It is hard and firm and sometimes used for making wooden knife handles.
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- Pasang also uses a hand saw to cut 16-inch straight pieces for my fireplace. I am always mindful to use whatever wood I can.
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- Pasang collects the pruned branches, so they can be chipped and reused as dressing in the woodland.
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- From this angle, the blueberry bushes are already exposed to more light, now that the trees have been pruned. This will mean more blueberries next summer.
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- And here is the row after all the pruning is complete. The final step was to rake the area beneath the trees. Quince is a tough fruit, not well known, and often hard to find, but it is great for cooking, and has been used medicinally for treating arthritis. I hope this inspires you to look out for quince at your local store or farmer’s market – try my recipes on my web site at marthastewart.com. You will soon love quince as much as I do.
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