Quince has been bred by gardeners for many years as fruit tree, producing large pear-shaped fruits. It is also often used as a rootstock for grafting stone fruits. The tree grows up to 5 meters in height, has a wide crown and large, bright, rounded leaves. Quince fruits are incredibly healthy and are a nutritious dietary product. They are consumed both raw and used for making compotes, jams, jelly and as a filling for pies.
Due to such quantity useful properties, many gardeners want to grow quince on their site. In addition, this plant is very unpretentious in the choice of soil. But, in any case, it, like any other representative of the flora, needs some care. And a very important part of this care is the annual pruning quince trees.
Although this operation at first glance seems quite simple, it must be approached extremely responsibly. By trimming the excess, you can not only form an incorrect crown on the tree, but also destroy it. Therefore, in such a matter you need professional approach and practical experience . After all, there are certain rules for pruning. In this article we will talk about some of them.
When to prune?
- It is considered the most favorable pruning quince in spring. This should be done in late March - early April, when tree sap has not yet begun to circulate and the plant is at a dormant stage. If this procedure is delayed, due to excessive fluid secretion from the wounds of cut branches, the healing process can significantly deteriorate.
- Preventive pruning of quince in autumn is carried out with the aim of freeing the plant from the unnecessary load of dry, diseased and non-fruiting branches. Dried parts of the plant are removed to a greater extent so that pests do not infest them, and diseased parts, respectively, so that the disease does not spread to the rest of the tree. Diseased trees must be cut back to healthy wood.
- Not recommended at all pruning quince in winter when it's cold. There are at least two good reasons for this. Firstly, tree branches at significantly lower temperatures become very fragile and therefore are difficult to cut. And secondly, the wounds resulting from pruning, due to the cold, have almost no opportunity to heal and heal. And, you must admit, performing this procedure at sub-zero temperatures does not bring much pleasure to you.
To make quince pruning more clear to you, the photos are presented below:
Remember that pruning should be done with a clean, well-sharpened tool. Since a dull pruner makes the cut areas wet, and an unsharpened saw does not cut, but tears. Fresh plant wounds resulting from pruning should not be treated with garden varnish. The healing process will proceed quite well without additional assistance.
Pruning Japanese quince
IN Lately This variety of quince has become very popular. Since it is not picky about soils, is salt-resistant and is able to grow in areas with close-lying groundwater. And thanks to the high content of vitamin C, the fruits of this plant have long been nicknamed the northern lemon.
Pruning Japanese quince bushes has certain features. Of course, the basis is still the correct formation of the crown. And here you need to remember that the bush should consist of 10-15 skeletal branches of different ages, including those that bear fruit to a lesser extent. Long arched branches should predominate, which in winter period They are covered quite well by the snow.
Also presented for you quince pruning in pictures:
For the southern regions of our country, pruning does not have any specific features. The only difference is that there is almost no significant drop in temperature. As a result, the plant’s wounds heal well after pruning. For example, pruning quince in Odessa can be done almost all year round. A universal quince pruning diagram is provided below.
Trimming quince video
Chaenomeles, or Japanese quince, is grown as an ornamental and useful fruit-bearing crop. During flowering it is extraordinary beautiful plant is a decoration of any garden, and its fruits produce delicious desserts: preserves and jams. Chaenomeles is indispensable as a hedge around the site; its branched, strong root system holds loose soil.
Planting Chaenomeles
The best period for planting Japanese quince is spring, when the ground has already thawed and the buds have not yet blossomed. Takes root well biennial plant, planted from a container with closed roots. It is not advisable to plant quince in the fall; it loves warmth and may die before it has time to properly take root. The plant also does not like frequent transplants, so it is better to immediately find it permanent place.
Selecting a location
When grown, the heat-loving Japanese quince prefers sunny places, sheltered from the wind. It is better to choose a corner for it on the south side, well illuminated by the sun, since in the shade the plant blooms poorly and develops poorly.
Preparing the soil for planting
Growing Japanese quince is not difficult; it grows well in almost any soil, with the exception of peaty soils. The main requirement for soil composition is the absence of salinity and lime inclusions. Chaenomeles develops best on soil that has good drainage, fertilizer and moderate humidity. Beware of planting the plant on alkaline soil - chlorosis of the leaves will appear. The plant is resistant to dry periods, although early age, after planting, it needs moisture, but without stagnating moisture. Before planting Japanese quince, you need to clear the soil of weeds; poor and heavy soil must be “diluted” with leaf soil and sand, fertilized with peat-manure mixture, as well as phosphorus additives.
Japanese quince care
Caring for it is not labor-intensive, it consists of weeding and loosening tree trunk circles(only in spring and autumn), crown formation and fertilizing.
Watering and fertilizing Chaenomeles
Chaenomeles does not require frequent watering, with the exception of a long dry period. Before autumn night frosts, you need to moisten the soil under young plants; the last watering is done depending on weather conditions at the end of October - beginning of November. After harvesting, you can wash off the dust from the leaves with a hose.
In the summer, plants loosen the soil under the bushes, weed around the weeds, and add mulch. The best period for mulching is late spring. The soil is well moistened by melted snow, but already warm enough. For mulch, you can use sawdust or crushed tree bark; you need to pour it, focusing on the diameter of the plant crown. In the first year after planting, it is advisable not to feed liquid formulations so as not to burn the developing roots; moreover, the soil was already fertilized when planting. In subsequent years, immediately after the snow melts, mineral and organic fertilizers are applied. In summer, liquid fertilizers are used, for example, solutions of bird droppings or ammonium nitrate.
Quince pruning
Quince tolerates the pruning procedure easily. Most varieties of chaenomeles have rather sharp spines, so when you are about to prune the plant, protect your hands with good thick gloves.
Pruning quince in the spring is a sanitary procedure: dry and damaged branches need to be cut off with pruning shears or a small saw. The plant recovers quickly, especially if you lubricate the cut areas with a pre-prepared varnish.
The formation of the crown of the bush begins at 4-5 years of age, only in early spring.
The same is done with the root system: to prevent the plant from growing too widely, part of the rhizome is removed. Shoots that grow at the bottom or go very far up are also cut off.
Quinces are rejuvenated by pruning when they reach 10 years of age. The plant is thinned out by cutting off thin and weak shoots that are deformed and elongated beyond measure. When pruning, try to preserve the branches that bear fruit. TO autumn period Tillering is suspended, all juices and plant development efforts are directed to the fruits.
To prepare quinces for winter, you need to know when and how to prune quinces in the fall. There is no difficulty at all; pruning is carried out after the Chaenomeles fruits have been completely collected; they cannot be left on the tree.Important!
Japanese quince will delight you with an abundant and high-quality harvest, if you are not lazy to trim damaged or dry branches in a timely manner.
Preparing the bush for winter The older the quince tree, the more resilient it is. Young Japanese quince plants require more care and protection, especially in winter. The soil under young bushes needs to be well mulched and covered with spruce branches so that the roots do not freeze. Don’t worry if you find frozen branches by spring, you just need to remove them. If you have a tall Chaenomeles species, bend the flexible branches of the plant to the ground - this will additional protection
his roots. An adult, well-grown plant, when covered with snow, can even withstand the cold. Chaenomeles bark is a dessert for hares, so think about how to cover the quince trunk from rodents.
Reproduction of Chaenomeles in different ways
The unpretentiousness of Chaenomeles also applies to its reproduction. There is no need to have special knowledge and be tormented by the question: how to propagate chaenomeles, when the plant reproduces well without human help. For example, a branch sprinkled with earth by a gust of wind will take root and sprout, and after transplanting the bush to a new place, shoots will appear on the old one for some time. The plant reproduces in many ways, let's look at each.
Seeds After harvesting the fruits, during storage as supplies, quince seeds are collected, dried and planted in the soil. They produce good strong shoots. If you didn’t have time before winter, sow the seeds for stratification and plant them in the spring.
Interesting! In many European countries, China, Japan and the USA, large areas of land have been allocated for the cultivation of Chaenomeles, and the crop is bred on an industrial scale.
In the spring, the grown seedlings are transplanted to a permanent prepared place; replanting quinces in the fall is not advisable.
Cuttings
On the warm days of June, early in the morning they cut green cuttings quinces. Cuttings that have about a centimeter of old branch will take root well. They are planted in mixed soil of sand and peat (mixture: 3 x 1). Distances are placed between the cuttings so that they do not interfere with each other’s development, and growth is stimulated by fertilizing with Kornevin. 
In warm weather, rooting will occur in 40 days. Chaenomeles takes root well, the yield of rooted seedlings will be about 50%.
With the help of grafting Quince grafting is carried out in May. Varietal scions for eye grafting are prepared in advance (late July - early August), and a bud with part of the bark is cut out in the middle part of the sprout. Then an incision is made on the rootstock in the shape of the letter “T”, bending the edges of the incision, and a bud eye is implanted. The scion site is compressed, wrapped and lubricated with garden varnish. On next year in the spring, when the scion sprouts, the bandage is removed. You can “plant” several eyes on low-growing plants. It is advisable to place the scions closer to the ground to protect them from winter frosts. To improve the crop, rootstocks of pear, hawthorn and rowan are taken.
For the winter, grafted plants need to be covered with spruce branches; you can build wooden shields from the wind and to retain snow.
Root suckers The root system of Chaenomeles develops quite quickly and spreads to large area . This allows the plant to be propagated by root suckers. To do this, well-developed shoots about 15 cm long are selected from the rhizome. The shoots are planted vertically, watered, maintaining moderate soil moisture. It is necessary to mulch around the sprout with humus or wood shavings. Is not The best way
quince propagation, since at first the plant does not bear fruit well. Did you know?
In the mythology of the ancient Greeks, Paris presented the goddess of love Athena with a golden apple as a gift. Since then, quince - the golden apple - is considered a symbol of love and strong marriage bonds. A popular dessert among the Greeks was quince baked with honey.
At the end of September, and in some regions in October, the period begins when quince can be harvested. If you carefully and promptly care for the plant, you can collect up to 3 kg of fruit from one tree.
Attention!Chaenomeles pollinates cross-pollinated; to increase productivity, plant several plants of different species nearby.
If the summer was rainy and not hot enough, and the fruits did not have time to ripen, do not leave them until the first frost. Frozen apples fall and lose taste qualities and aroma. Collect all the fruits, even green ones, they ripen well and turn yellow when room temperature. Japanese quince is unpretentious in storage. In a room with sufficiently humid air and at +2°C, the fruits are well preserved until February.
Useful properties of Japanese quince
Japanese quince consists of more than 5% organic acids and contains about 2% tannins. Chaenomeles fruits have more vitamin C than lemons, with heat treatment it is saved. Therefore, quince fruit products are used as a means to prevent viral seasonal diseases. Quince contains vitamins: B1, B2 and P; pectins and microelements: phosphorus, potassium and calcium.
Preface
Quince fruits in combination with wine, honey and spices were considered one of the most favorite delicacies in Ancient Rome. This plant had a sacred meaning - a symbol of fertility, beauty and love. Today it is grown not only for its fruits, but also for decorative purposes. One such striking example is the Japanese quince, which was brought from Europe to the land of the rising sun in the 17th century.
Japanese quince (Chaenomeles) can be propagated by cuttings, division and seeds. For the first cultivation option, we prepare mature shoots in late autumn. We store them in a cool, dry place, and in the spring we plant cuttings in open ground. It is best to do this in April or early May, when the earth has already warmed up a little. The second, no less simple option is growing by division, that is, planting seedlings in small groups (3-5 pieces each) at a comfortable distance of 1–1.5 m from each other. Make sure that the root system fits freely in the planting hole, making a slight indentation of about 3-5 cm for this purpose. Perfect timing For this method of reproduction, late spring to mid-autumn is considered.
Cuttings Japanese quince
However, the most common and reliable method is growing by seeds. To do this, we prepare nutritious soil and plant seeds in it. We do this in late February-early March. After about 6 weeks, the seeds will produce their first shoots. Then we transplant them into a separate container with fertilized soil. In this case, it is advisable to use paper or peat cups to ensure maximum air flow to the young roots. By germinating seedlings in early spring, you will receive fully prepared planting material already in May-June. We transplant it into open ground. In the future, do not forget about care, covering the seedlings in the first winter with lutrasil from frost.
Japanese quince is usually grown on light loamy or sandy loam soils. Although this is not so important, the main thing is that the soil is well drained and loose. The only whim is that in alkaline soil the seedlings sharply change their color and also significantly slow down in growth. The soil for planting Japanese quince is prepared in advance. First, we remove the weeds and carefully dig up the soil. If the soil you have chosen is infertile or too heavy, it is better to add sand to it, use peat manure compost at the rate of 10 kg per 1 m2, as well as phosphorus-potassium fertilizers - 40 g per 1 m2.
Japanese quince on the plot
Such a nutritional composition will make the soil as loose as possible, which is extremely important when growing and caring for this ornamental plant. As for the optimal planting location, it is best to choose well-lit areas with plenty of access sunlight. The plant tolerates drought calmly, but northern winds are very dangerous for it, so give preference to the southern and southwestern areas of the garden. The period after the snow melts and before the trees begin to bud is considered the most favorable for planting Chaenomeles. Of course, cultivation and planting in open ground can be carried out in the fall, however, due to the increased heat-loving nature of the plant and the onset of frost, seedlings with a fragile root system and weak immunity may die before they have time to take root.
When planting single plants, we dig planting holes with a depth of 0.5 to 0.8 m and a width of 0.5-0.6 m. We fill the space with fresh soil, 1–2 buckets of humus, and also add mineral fertilizers, approximately 300 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium nitrate and half a kilogram wood ash. When planting in groups, do not forget to maintain a comfortable distance between plants of 1–1.5 m, as well as between rows of approximately 0.5 m. Moreover, Chaenomeles groups can be planted along the edge garden path or make a low hedge that will look very impressive.
The main rule to remember during care and planting is that the root collar should be located at soil level. It should not be bare, otherwise it may slow down the growth of the plant. Also remember that it does not like transfers. Therefore, you should immediately decide on the optimal place so as not to disturb this lush shrub once again. Unlike vegetable crops, such ornamental plant feels great in one place for 50-60 years.
Preparing Japanese quince for active flowering in the spring begins with weeding and loosening the soil to a depth of 8-10 cm. To ensure that there are as few weeds as possible and moisture remains in the soil longer, we carry out mulching, laying a protective layer around the bush 3-5 cm high. As mulch, you can use absolutely any available drainage means - peat, nut shells, crushed tree bark, sawdust, small pebbles or crushed stone. We recommend mulching in late spring, when the soil is already sufficiently moist and warm.
Mulching the soil with straw
However, we also do a similar procedure in the fall, when the first cold weather sets in, which will later make it easier for you to prepare Chaenomeles for spring bloom. As for liquid fertilizers, it is better not to apply them in the first year after planting. The nutritional mixture included in the landing hole. Otherwise, such excessive care may harm the young roots of the plant. But in the 2-3rd year of growth, in the spring, after the snow melts, we introduce familiar organic and mineral supplements. One bucket of compost, 100 g, will be enough per bush. potash fertilizers and 300 g of superphosphate. We add liquid fertilizers in the summer - we take ammonium nitrate at the rate of 20 g per bush, and 3 liters of a 10% solution of bird droppings.
For the winter, the plant needs one more important care - covering with protective material. It is better to use lutrasil or spruce branches. This will protect young seedlings from frost and preserve their vigorous flowering in the spring. And when they get a little older, cover them with a thick layer of snow. His Japanese quince is absolutely not afraid, it will even benefit her. For low-growing bushes, wooden or cardboard boxes can be recommended as shelter for the winter.
Japanese quince tolerates pruning well, which is very important when creating a picturesque landscape. However, be extremely careful, there are many long thorns on the branches of the bush. Wear thick gardening gloves (gloves) to protect yourself from serious injury. In the spring, the plant undergoes a real “surgical operation”, which consists of pruning dry frost-damaged shoots. As the main tool for pruning, use a sharpened pruning shears and a garden saw, and be sure to treat the cut areas with garden varnish to prevent infections and promote the speedy healing of fresh wounds on the plant. When the dried and broken branches are removed, you will notice how quickly Chaenomeles begins to grow.
Ripe quince fruits
But pruning shrubs to form decorative look begins at 4–5 years of age. This procedure is carried out in early spring, preventing the bush from growing in breadth. It is enough to leave 3 branches each year so that the plantings are as healthy and uncrowded as possible.
The most valuable are the central shoots, which provide the plant with active growth, which cannot be said about the lateral ones, they literally pull the bush down. Delete such branches. When the Japanese quince reaches 8-10 years old, begin anti-aging care, which consists of pruning overly elongated, brittle and weak branches. To achieve the desired result, it is enough to leave 10–15 strong shoots, trying to preserve as many branches as possible that are 3–4 years old and get rid of mature shoots older than 5 years as much as possible. Such branches, as a rule, bear little fruit and slow down the growth of the plant.
As many have noted, garden pests do not attack Chaenomeles. However, this also applies to fungal diseases. However, in bad weather, under the influence of dampness and moisture, spots may form on the leaves of the plant. As a result, they become deformed and dry out. Among the most common spots of Japanese quince are ramularia, which is the formation of brown spots, and cercospora, which are round chestnut spots that fade over time.
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Spraying with a 0.2% solution helps provide the plant with care and protection from fungal diseases. Fundazola or copper-soapy water, at the rate of 100 g copper sulfate and 50 g laundry soap 10 liter bucket. We treat with these preparations before flowering begins. If spotting has overtaken your plant after the start of flowering, use more gentle folk remedies, for example onion infusion. We prepare it at the rate of 150 g of husk onions for 10 liters of water. After a day of infusion, filter the liquid and water the plant with it. To ensure reliable protection against fungal infections and complete care, we carry out such therapeutic watering three times during the summer.
In the spring, the eye of any gardener will be pleasantly pleased with the blooming of bright scarlet flowers, and in the fall the ripening of yellow-green fruits. This long-awaited moment arrives at the end of September-October. From one bush we get an average of 1-2 kg of fruit, and if you provide the plant with decent care, this figure can be increased to 3 kg. It is necessary to harvest before the first frost. Otherwise, the fruits begin to crumble, losing their taste and aroma. Ripe fruits are stored for a long time, especially at a constant temperature of +2 ° C. During storage, they may change their color and also wrinkle slightly, but do not rot.
Blooming quince
Japanese quince fruits contain more vitamin C than lemons. They are very diverse in shape and color, and the average weight of the fruit does not exceed 30-40 g. The raw fruit does not have a strong taste, which cannot be said about the aroma. But in canned form it reveals itself in a new way. Sweet marshmallows, jams, liqueurs, syrups are prepared with quince, and the slices are also simply dried or covered with sugar. The fruits contain tannins, essential oils, fructose, apple and lemon acid. When making jam, as well as consuming fruits raw, be sure to remove the seeds, as they contain a rather dangerous substance for humans - amygdalin.
Japanese quince is considered one of the most beautiful flowering bushes. Over time, every gardener will think about plant propagation. Japanese quince has several methods of reproduction. Quince propagation occurs by seeds, cuttings, layering, root suckers, and dividing the bush. Let's take a closer look at each stage.
Propagating quince by seeds is the easiest way. As planting material Use the seeds of ripe fruit. They are extracted from the fruit, the pulp is sent for processing, and the seeds are planted in the soil. The ideal period is autumn, but if it is not possible to plant during this season, then the seeds are subjected to stratification.
The latter means that you need to create conditions for the seeds that are close to natural: place the material in wet sand for a couple of months and maintain the ground temperature at 0 °C. During this time, the seeds open and germinate slightly, after which you should immediately transfer them to open ground. Quince is an unpretentious crop, so it takes root well in any type of soil.
Advantages this method obvious - ease of implementation and high probability of seed germination.
Cuttings
Propagation by cuttings is carried out in early summer, when the plant is actively growing. To do this, the strongest shoots are cut off and immersed for a day in a solution with a root growth stimulator. Since the survival rate of cuttings is very low, the use of this solution is prerequisite. Next, the prepared material is placed in boxes filled with 70% sand and 30% peat, at a slight angle.
The plant is covered with transparent material - a cut from plastic bottle or plastic bag. The cuttings are kept under an artificial greenhouse until they germinate. You can tell that the rooting of the quince bush was successful by the presence of new leaves. Then the greenhouse is removed, and at the beginning of autumn the seedlings are transferred to open ground.
Reproduction of quince by this method assumes complete preservation of varietal qualities.
By layering
Reproduction of Japanese quince using layering is also one of simple ways. For this purpose in summer period the lower young shoots are placed in grooves under the bush to a depth of no more than 8 cm. It is advisable to fertilize the prepared holes with humus and minerals. The shoots are secured with garden staples and sprinkled with soil.
During the entire period, the shoots are watered abundantly and the ground is mulched. By spring, the first roots should appear, and in the fall, an independent plant can be separated from the mother bush and replanted in a permanent place. For pruning, it is recommended to use garden pruners or a sharp shovel. The distance between bushes should be at least 1.5 m. Further care Caring for a crop is no different from caring for other garden plants.
Root suckers
Japanese quince is a plant that can produce a large number of offspring. With their help, the bush quickly spreads to the sides and ensures easy and natural reproduction. In the spring, selected shoots are dug up and planted in the ground at a distance of 1 m. It is very important that the shoot is at least 0.7 cm thick and 12 cm high. For quick rooting, the new plant is watered abundantly, and the circle around the trunk is sprinkled with wood shavings.
Unfortunately, this quince breeding technology is not the most successful. The plant has a weak root system and produces small fruits.
Dividing the bush
Methods for propagating quince include another simple method - cuttings. The bush itself cannot be divided, but due to the root shoots it is possible to plant a couple of shoots. The most favorable time for this method is the end of autumn. The bushes are placed at a distance of 0.5 m. As in the method with offspring, you should not expect a rich harvest from such a plant.
It is very important to follow basic rules of care after transplantation:
- the plant needs abundant watering only at the moment of active growth, then watering is reduced to a moderate regime;
- feed the bush like any other berry crop(raspberries, currants, gooseberries);
- The crown is formed annually so as not to provoke fruit peas. The number of branches on one bush should not exceed 20. The most best time for pruning - spring, in autumn the bush may freeze;
- In winter, the crop must be protected from cold winds and snow shields installed so that the plant is under the maximum layer of snow.
Japanese quince can reproduce independently, but then it forms hedge with small fruits, so it is good in single landing. Even a novice gardener can propagate shrubs.
Video “Quince propagation”
From this video you will learn how to properly propagate quince.
Quince trees have the most Various types crowns: from pyramidal (Sovkhoznaya, Muskatnaya varieties) to rounded (Kubanskaya, Anzherskaya, Yantarnaya) and wide-spreading (Sorokskaya, Dessertnaya).
Young plants bear fruit on long (up to 70-90 cm) annual branches, in which flower buds are laid in the axils of the leaves. With age, the harvest is formed on branches of various lengths, but the most productive branches, producing large fruits, are 16-40 cm long. On them, fruits are formed from axillary flower buds, often from the apical one. In subsequent years, flowers form on branches that grow from replacement buds on former peduncles. This is how generative wood is formed. Short fruiting branches (1-6 cm) are unproductive and short-lived; they usually live 3-4 years; in conditions favorable for the crop, without freezing, they live longer. Therefore, it is important for quince to maintain annual growth of 20-40 cm. On average, up to a quarter of all flowers are laid on the lower half of long branches, while the bulk of them are concentrated closer to the top. In the lower third, all the buds generally remain dormant, which is why in varieties that are vigorous but weakly branched (Azerbaijan), fruiting quickly goes to the periphery, skeletal branches become bare and sag without pruning, and the crown “falls apart.”
Quinces form a sparsely tiered or vase-shaped crown. The latter is preferable for medium- and vigorous-growing varieties, especially with pyramidal (Sovkhoznaya, Muskatnaya) and wide-pyramidal (Desertnaya, Beretsky) crowns.
The trunks and skeletal branches of quince are severely affected in winter sunburn. Therefore, the trunks are left as low as possible, but to ensure the possibility of mechanized processing of the trunk strips. On personal plots for this reason, it is better to form bush-like crowns.
In vigorous-growing varieties (Azerbaidzhanskaya, Sovkhoznaya, Muskatnaya, Dessertnaya, Crimean aromatic), when forming a sparse-tiered crown, five or six skeletal branches are laid: three in the lower tier, after 70 cm two are left in the second tier, and after another 30 cm a single skeletal branch is selected , the central conductor above it is cut out after 2 years of fruiting, then the upper branch will not take the position of the conductor. When forming two branches above the tier, they are laid sparsely, 30 cm from the upper branch of the tier and from each other; The central conductor in medium- and low-growing varieties does not need to be removed; it usually bends under the weight of the fruit.
Quince fruit wood: 1 - overgrowing branch with fruits (c); 2 - formation of fruit in varieties with short peduncles and shortened branches such as ringlets, g - fruiting bag
Quince fruit wood: 1 - annual quince branch at the end of the growing season; the fruits were placed on shortened peduncles (a) formed from the lateral buds; 2 - from the replacement buds on these peduncles, in the year of fruiting, shortened branches are formed (b) with apical and lateral flower buds. This is how complex fruit branches (fruits) are formed in quince
In medium-growing varieties (Anzherskaya, Izobilnaya, Ispolinskaya, Yantarnaya, Turunchukskaya), three more branches are laid above the lower tier. Low-growing varieties (Sorokskaya, Urozhaynaya) are allowed to have four skeletal branches in the lower tier, since almost all zoned low-growing varieties have wide crowns. Above the lower tier, after 60 cm, a second tier of two or three branches is laid and the crown is completed with a single skeletal branch, spaced 25-30 cm from the second tier. In all varieties, second-order branches are formed only in the lower tier, then the center of the crown is better illuminated, which very important for such a light-loving breed as quince.
Various degrees bud awakening and branching of quince: 1 - weak bud awakening and weak branching; without sufficient shortening, the productivity of such varieties increases slowly; 2 - high awakening, but weak shoot formation; such varieties quickly increase the first yields, but subsequently their productivity decreases, since the formation of new vegetative growths occurs due to apical growth, which sharply decreases over time (a);
Varying degrees of awakening of bud buds and branching of quince: 1 - with slight shortening of varieties of both types, branching is formed only at the cut site, which leads to exposure of the branches, the crown falls apart, fruiting moves to the periphery
Cup-shaped crowns with four skeletal branches placed above the trunk at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other are becoming increasingly common. With the beginning of fruiting, two years after the formation of the fourth skeletal branch, the central conductor above it is removed, having previously weakened it during this time by strong pruning so that the diameter of the wound is no greater than the diameter of the upper skeletal branch - then its healing proceeds faster. In low-growing varieties, five individually placed branches are planted; more often, four are left, but the plants are planted more densely. On each main branch, two branches of the second order are laid with an interval of 30-40 cm from the trunk and from each other. In low-growing varieties, the lower branch of the second order can be formed even closer to the trunk, and there are three of them in total on each main one, 30-40 cm apart. The main argument in favor of bringing the branches of the second order closer to the base of the branches of the first is that the saturation of branches of various orders in this zone serves as a certain protection against burns.
A branch of a weakly branching quince variety, formed as a result of systematic shortening of annual growth
Rejuvenating pruning: 1 - old overgrowing branches that thicken the crown are removed, excessively elongated ones are pruned into 4-6-year-old wood; 2 - after strong rejuvenating pruning, growth processes are resumed, fairly strong growths are formed (a) from replacement buds
During the period of formation, skeletal branches are regularly shortened, since quince at a young age gives strong growth, up to 1.5 m, and are subordinated until the skeleton of the tree is formed, which is necessary to create a compact crown rich in branches.
Shortening begins with the lower skeletal branch, which is cut, leaving 50 cm. The central conductor is cut 20-25 cm above the cut level of the skeletal branches. In particular, they monitor the creation of branches for various purposes in varieties with weak or medium shoot-forming ability (Azerbaidzhanskaya, Sovkhoznaya, Muskatnaya, Dessertnaya). During the formation process, varieties with a pyramidal crown are pruned at the outer bud or external branch; trees with a crown, like the Sorokskaya variety, are pruned at the inner bud if the branch begins to deviate. From branches that do not participate in the construction of the tree skeleton, semi-skeletal and overgrowing wood is formed.
After completion of formation, that is, after the last skeletal branch has been isolated, shortening is stopped. Trees are loaded with harvest faster, and growth activity decreases. Only excessively long branches are shortened to 60 cm. Shortening continues in varieties with weak branching. In varieties with good branching, thinning of the crown begins by cutting out vertical and inward-growing branches. In varieties with weak branching, such branches are pruned into three or four developed buds, from which branches are formed that bear the harvest.
If the annual growth of fruit-bearing trees is at least 40 cm, the crowns are only thinned by cutting out unproductive branches or transferring semi-skeletal and elongated overgrowing branches to lateral branches. Drooping branches are pruned into rising branches.
As soon as the growths are reduced to 30 cm, light rejuvenating pruning of skeletal and semi-skeletal branches is carried out into 2-3-year-old wood with transfer to external or lateral branches. Formed on inside skeletal branches are converted by pruning into overgrowing or semi-skeletal branches, replacing old wood with them.
A quince bush is formed from four to five branches. To do this, the annual tree is shortened at a height of 40-50 cm. The branches grown on it are raised as skeletal ones, saturating them with wood for various purposes, as with other methods of formation.