Japanese quince: description of varieties, planting, cultivation and care in the open field

Gardeners are actively growing Japanese quince in their dachas. This is not surprising: the plant is decorative throughout the growing season. And the fruits are used not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine. More than 500 varieties of oriental curiosity are known. But when choosing a plant for planting in the country, it is recommended to give preference to zoned species. Then the plant will please the gardener with useful fruits.

Characteristic features of culture

Japanese quince is a relative of all familiar apple and pear trees. In gardens, it is used as an ornamental crop. Distinctive features of the plant:

there are tree-like (up to 3 m) and bush (up to 0.6 m) forms;
shoots are flexible, have thorns up to 2 cm long;
the branches are densely leafy, the color of the leaves is emerald green;
plant blooms with pink-red, orange-red, white flowers;
fruits with a diameter of 3-5 cm;
fruit color yellow-green or orange;
the skin is dense, covered with a characteristic wax coating;
1/2 of the fetus is occupied by the seminal chamber.

The taste of the fruit is bittersweet, the flesh is dense, fragrant. Due to its rapid growth and decorativeness, low shrub quince is used in summer cottages to create hedges.

External Description

Quince is easy to recognize by the way the plant looks:

long shoots covered with dark brown bark;
bark has a red tint;
leaves elongated, blunt;
flowers, up to 5 cm in diameter, have 5 large petals.

This plant belongs to the Rose family.

Kusta

The shrub has a height of up to 0.6 m. The shoots are flexible, spiny, strongly leafy. The length of the branches reaches 1 m. Often the branches lie on the ground, where they take root on their own. In the absence of care, shrub quince forms a continuous prickly carpet.

Root system

Quince has a developed root system. The main root goes into the ground to a depth of 5 m. It is able to extract water for the growth and development of the plant. Fibrous roots are located shallow under the soil surface. They are very vulnerable to loosening. It is recommended to pay special attention to the root collar. It should be at ground level.

Yields

With proper care, the plant will please the gardener with fragrant fruits. The yield depends on the variety of quince. The fruits tolerate early frosts well. When to harvest the fruits depends on the weather. Usually, this is the end of September - the beginning of October.

Useful properties and contraindications of quince fruits

Japanese quince is high in vitamins and minerals. They determine the beneficial properties of the plant:

Vitamin C doubles the daily requirement. Regular consumption of fruits strengthens the immune system.
Iron makes fruit essential for anemia.
Magnesium and potassium strengthen the heart muscle and have a beneficial effect on blood formation.
Minerals speed up metabolic processes.
Regular consumption of quince promotes urination.
Fruit binds poisons and removes them: use is good for food poisoning.
Quince tea strengthens the body.

It is important to remember: the fruits of the plant have the ability to restore liver cells.

Where apply

Useful properties of fruits ensured their use in various fields.

In medicine

Doctors prescribe chaenomeles as primary or complementary medicine for:

flu and colds to strengthen immunity;
cough to increase expectoration;
asthma to prevent attacks;
anemia and blood loss to restore blood;
liver diseases to repair damaged cells;
poisoning as an astringent;
kidney disease as a diuretic;
liver diseases as a cholagogue.

But it is not recommended to prescribe treatment with chaenomeles on your own: it is important to undergo an examination and find out compatibility with the medications you are taking.

In gardening

Gardeners use the plant to create hedges. The thorny plant forms impenetrable thorny thickets. Chaenomeles is decorative, therefore it is used for landscaping the site.

Cooking

The unusual taste of the fruit ensured their use in cooking. From chaenomeles you get:

jam;
candied fruits;
compotes;
jam;
wine;
liquor.

The fruits can be eaten fresh or brewed with tea like lemon.

Reproduction methods for transplantation

It is quite easy to propagate the chaenomeles you like. Growers use a variety of methods.

Seeds

At home, the plant is propagated by seeds. For germination, they require long-term stratification. Therefore, when sowing in the ground, the end of October is selected, when the soil begins to freeze slightly. How to proceed:

cut the ripe fruit and carefully pick out the seeds;
make a groove 5-7 cm deep in the ground;
spread seeds 15cm apart;
sprinkle with soil and then mulch with a layer of 10 cm.

Chenomeles can also be grown from seeds at home. In this case, the seeds are wrapped in paper and kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 months. Then they are planted in a greenhouse. The soil is regularly moistened, the greenhouse is ventilated. After germination, the greenhouse is opened.

Shanks

A popular breeding method for chaenomeles. To do this, choose semi-lignified shoots with 2-3 internodes. Cutting time - June. How to proceed:

cut the stalk below the kidney at a distance of 1-1.5 cm from it at an angle of 45 degrees;
top cut above the kidney at a distance of 0.5 cm cut off horizontally and treated with paraffin or wax;
sheet plates cut to 1/2;
dip the lower cut in growth stimulator;
put in a jar of water so that the liquid only covers the cut;
wrap the jar with a bag with holes for gas exchange.

Put the greenhouse in a shaded warm place.

Dividing the bush

Chenomeles gives abundant root shoots. Part of it can be used for reproduction.With a shovel with a sharp edge, they dig out part of the bush and immediately plant part of the plant in a new place. After planting, it is watered and shaded. When the quince gives the first new leaves, the shelter is removed. With this method of reproduction, the daughter plant produces smaller fruits than the parent plant.

Horizontal layering

Shoots are bent to the ground and pinned to the soil with a metal or wooden bracket. At the point of contact, to accelerate root formation, the bark is peeled off and sprinkled with a growth stimulator.

Inoculation

The variety you like can be grafted onto an already existing plant in the garden. Most often, methods are used: in the butt, in the split. It is best to carry out the operation in early spring, before the start of sap flow, or in summer. Before winter, the scion should have time to take root.

How to choose a variety for different regions of Russia

Chenomeles is a warm and light-loving culture.The part that is above the snow cover freezes. In order to choose a suitable variety, it is necessary to take into account the frost resistance of the species. In the Moscow region, chaenomeles hibernates without shelter. But at temperatures below -25 degrees, annual shoots and fruit buds freeze slightly. Shown well: Garnet Bracelet, Falconet, Scarlett, Cameo.

It is impossible to grow Japanese quince in Siberia without shelter. The shrub is dying out. But some gardeners cultivate the plant in heated greenhouses. There, genomeles create conditions close to the climate of his homeland. In the Urals, summers are hot but short, and winters are long and harsh. The air humidity is different from the required ones. But some varieties with increased frost resistance can be tried to grow with shelter for the winter. In Siberia and the Urals, you can grow (with the right shelter) the Zubutlinskaya variety.

Nuances of planting crops

In order for the plant to please the decorative effect and give a good harvest, it needs to be planted correctly.

Outdoor

Chenomeles requires certain conditions for successful fruiting:

The soil can be any (sandy, loamy, clayey, sod-podzolic), but with a lot of humus. The exception is alkaline soils: on them, the plant becomes ill with chlorosis.
The place should be sunny and warm. Ridges near the southern walls of garden buildings are perfect.
In the garden, you should choose a place with deep groundwater: the roots of chaenomeles easily rot.

Japanese quince planted in the right place grows well, bears fruit successfully, is not damaged by pests and does not get sick.

In a greenhouse or greenhouse

Gardeners in regions with cold winters are interested in: how to plant chaenomeles so that it grows and bears fruit? To prevent freezing, it is recommended to place quince in a greenhouse or greenhouse.A heated greenhouse is arranged at the dacha, in which the temperature is maintained from -5 to +5 degrees in winter. An additional shelter is arranged in an unheated greenhouse. This double protection helps prevent freezing in winter.

Features of agricultural technology

Cultivation of chaenomeles is a simple undertaking. But it is required to follow the advice of agronomists.

Spring Care

After the snow melts, the main spring event is pruning. After removing the winter shelter, it is required to cut out frozen and dry shoots. Then add mature compost or humus.

Summer Treatments

In summer, it is recommended to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizer after flowering. After the formation of the ovaries, the formation of the crown should be carried out. This event involves the removal of creeping shoots on the ground, cutting out weak branches. Up to 20 fruit-bearing branches are required on a tree or shrub.

Autumn care

In autumn, mineral fertilizers are required: top dressing for a successful wintering of the tree.

Chenomeles is also transplanted in autumn. At this time, chaenomeles take root better.

Pruning is also done in autumn. How to prune the plant during this period:

creeping shoots are removed;
unripened ones are shortened;
the top is cut off for shelter for the winter;
thinning pruning in progress.

Autumn events must be carried out for a successful wintering of the plant.

Preparing for wintering

Preparing for wintering includes autumn activities and plant shelter. Shrubs are covered with cardboard boxes, trees are wrapped in white lutrasil.The trunks of plants are tied with spruce branches to prevent gnawing. It is recommended to keep the plants covered with snow as high as possible.

Disease and pest control

He althy chaenomeles rarely get sick and are damaged by pests. But with excessive watering, his roots rot. With an excess of nitrogen in the soil, aphids appear on the leaves, and chlorosis develops on calcareous soils.

To prevent trouble, follow the rules of care. When attacked by pests, it is recommended to spray plantings with insecticides.

What challenges growers face

Often gardeners are interested in: why does the Japanese quince not bloom? Reasons:

lack of sunlight;
excess alkali in the soil;
lack of nitrogen fertilizers;
an abundance of creeping shoots;
illiterate shaping pruning;
freezing fruit twigs in winter.

The lack of flowers in the plant may be due to excessive soil moisture.

Popular varieties and their characteristics

Chenomeles is the common name for plants. So you can name any variety. Orange trail withstands frosts down to -29 degrees. The shoots of the plant are long (up to 1 m), have thorns. Blooms in May-June. Orange flowers are collected in brushes (5-6 pieces). The plant has a height of up to 1 m. Yellow fruits ripen in September. They taste like pineapple.

Value of variety: fruit shrub and ornamental plant. Ubra (Rubra) - a tree up to 3 m high. Crown width - up to 2 m. Blooms with raspberry flowers on last year's shoots. The winter hardiness of the plant is low, it freezes without shelter.

Chinese has a significant habitus.The bush grows up to 3 m in diameter. In spring it has purple leaves, in summer - emerald. The flowers are white or pink. Too heat-loving plant: it freezes without shelter. Рink lady (Pink lady) - ornamental variety. Has pink flowers. The value of the plant - the tree grows low: up to 1.2 m.

Nikolin is a frost-resistant variety. The plant is very decorative: it has scarlet flowers. In May, the bush is strewn with crimson buds. Used for landscaping. Recommended for the Moscow region. Gorgeous Crimson & Gold is the most decorative and compact variety. The bright orange flowers have yellow stamens. Blooms 2-3 weeks. The plant is used to decorate the site.

Magnificent Nikolin (Nikolin) - shrub up to 1.5 m. This is a frost-resistant variety. The plant is very decorative: it has scarlet flowers. The fruits ripen in September. Their color is green-yellow. There are lemon notes in the taste. The plant is used for landscaping the site.Recommended for the Moscow region.

Rubra grandiflora, when blooming, strikes with the color of the leaves. They are reddish in the plant. The shrub grows up to 2.5 m. Crimson flowers bloom in May. The fruits are yellow, ripen in September. Their mass is up to 90 g. Nivalis is a plant with a chic habit. The spherical bush has a diameter of up to 2 m. It blooms twice a year: the first time - in May, the second - in August. The flowers are white, fragrant.