Japanese quince is a deciduous shrub from the rose family. It comes from central and southern Japan. It was brought to Europe in 1869. Currently, it is also known and bred in Poland. Japanese quince and quince are misused names for this plant. The quince shrub is a decorative garden plant, planted for ornamental purposes or as a hedge.
Fruits have properties appreciated in culinary arts and medicine. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the cultivation of the species and information on when to plant a quince. We also answer the questions: what can be made from Japanese quince fruit and how to prune it so that it shapes well.
Contents:
- Japanese quince - cultivation
- Japanese quince - reproduction
- When to plant Japanese quince?
- Japanese quince - pruning
- Japanese quince fruit
- Japanese quince - he alth properties
- Japanese quince use
Japanese quince: cultivation
Japanese quince was brought to Europe to be a decorative addition to parks and gardens. In Japan, it grows on the shores of lakes and rivers. In Polish gardens it is shaped into a shrub that grows up to 1 meter. It can also be grown in a larger pot on the balcony or terrace. It has thorny and branchy shoots.
Japanese quince is the most frost-resistant shrub among all quince trees. It can also survive a drought. It grows well in full sun and partial shade.There aren't too many requirements. It prefers dry and calcium-rich soil. It can even be moderately fertile. The bush does not need spraying or fertilizing. If it grows in a garden or in a park, it does not require additional watering as it uses rainwater. The fruit of the Japanese quince comes in the third or fourth year after planting the bush.
The flowering date is in the spring - in April. The bush may bloom again in autumn, during fruiting.Orange-red or salmon-red flowers have the proper Japanese quince. The varieties vary in height, they can have white, pink or red or two-colored petals, some do not have thorns. More than five hundred ornamental varieties of Japanese quince have been created by crossing.
Japanese quince: reproduction
Japanese quince can be propagated using semi-woody cuttings that were collected from this year's shoots. You can also perform mounds, i.e. vertical deposits of the mother plant's stems.The seedlings obtained in this way retain the variety of the plant from which they were taken. In spring, the bush is covered with earth about 30 centimeters. You have to keep the mound moist until autumn. Then the shoots are discovered in the spring of the following year. There should be rooted stems there. They can be cut off and planted elsewhere.
It is also possible to easily reproduce the quince by seed. Cool well-dried seed.Seeds can be stored in a cold place, in a moist mixture of peat and sand. They are sown in spring. In the fall, new plants have already rooted shoots. The next year in spring, the sprouts should be about ten centimeters. Then they can be shortened by half so that the quince flourishes well.
What are the causes of the brown spots on Japanese quince leaves?
There may be several reasons. If the spots are small and round and appear in the second half of summer, it may be a symptom of quince leaf and fruit blotch caused by the fungus Cercospora cydoniae.If the spots are initially irregular and light green, only turn brown with time, and the affected leaves begin to twist and deform, it may be pear scab, to which quince is also susceptible. It's a fungal disease caused by Venturia pyrina. Fruit spider mites can also feed on Japanese quince. The initially bright small spots will then merge into large spots, and the damaged leaves will turn brown. It is accompanied by complete drying of the leaves and their fall. In order to correctly identify the disease that affects your plants (always), you need as many details as possible - the date of the first symptoms, the course of the disease to date, the shape and color of the changes observed, parts of the plants affected by the disease. It is worth supplementing such a description with clear photos. Only then will an expert be able to help you effectively. In order to correctly identify the disease and select the appropriate method of plant protection, I also encourage you to visit your local garden shop with a fragment of a twig or leaves where the problem is clearly visible.This will facilitate recognition and accelerate the treatment of the plant.
- says Dr. Eng. Tomasz Mróz
Japanese quince - when to plant
Both the seedlings obtained by yourself and those bought at the nursery should be planted at the same time.The proper planting date is at the turn of March / April or from August to November.It is important that the soil is slightly moist, free of weeds. The hole should be 30-40 centimeters deep. After planting the quince, water the place abundantly.
Japanese quince: pruning
In cultivation, it is primarily important to trim long stems and remove excessive number of branches. Shoots that are not bearing fruit are also cut off to make room for new ones. In the first year after planting, the first cut must be made. In March or November, all shoots are shortened by half, thanks to which the bush will thicken.In the second year, all weak shoots should be removed in early spring. Branches without flower buds and new shoots are shortened by half.
Every next year, in the spring - in April or May, shoots that thicken the bush are removed. This is done only after the plant has floweredThe branches growing to the center of the bush and those that are withered, fragile or with visible disease are cut off.
Japanese quince: fruit
Japanese quince has small, spherical fruits that ripen in October. They are edible and have a sour taste. They resemble small apples that are firm and reach a diameter of up to 5 centimeters. They are initially green in color, then pale yellow, and may be locally red-spotted. The fruits of the quince make it decorative. In addition, they are used in the kitchen as an addition to preserves, cakes or tea, and as a base for tincture - quince.
Japanese quince: properties
Fruits have many he alth-promoting properties. They are a source of natural vitamin C, pectins, organic acids (malic, succinic and quinic acids) and minerals (molybdenum, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, sodium, copper, zinc).Vitamins A, B1, B2 and PP are present there. Thanks to the richness of nutrients, quince fruit strengthens the body, increases immunity, has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It has also been shown to have antiviral properties.
Quince fruits, thanks to the potassium content, regulate blood pressure, and also have anti-atherosclerotic properties, as they lower cholesterol. They counteract diabetes, support the digestive system in inflammation of the intestines and stomach, and regenerate the liver. The fruit is a source of dietary fiber, which improves intestinal peristalsis and supports defecation. The Japanese quince seeds contain valuable amygdalin, i.e. vitamin B17. Due to its antioxidant effect, destroying free radicals, the quince will have anti-cancer properties.
Japanese quince: application
Japanese quince gained popularity in culinary art.Its fruit can be used to make tinctures, wine, juice or quince syrup, as well as puree, jelly, jam and plum jam. Quince fruit can be used as an additive to acidify and enrich the aroma of other sweet fruit preserves. They are combined with aronia or apples. They can be added to cakes or to tea - instead of lemon. Due to its many medicinal properties, quince can become an ingredient of dietary foods.
The tincture called quince is extremely famous. To prepare it, you need: 2 kg of Japanese quince fruit, orange, sugar, water, spirit and rum. The fruit should be undamaged, washed and pitted. They are boiled with water until they get juice. Then, after pressing, the remaining ingredients are added. The tincture prepared in this way is put aside for three weeks in a cool, shaded place.After this time, it can be poured into bottles. It tastes best after long aging. The finished tincture is aromatic and golden in color.
Japanese quince fruits are also used in cosmetics. Macerate of their seeds is used to cleanse the face, soothes skin irritation and inflammation. They are used to make emulsions, creams and body lotions. Oil obtained from quince protects against UV radiation. It is used to soothe sunburn.
