Tree · Rosaceae
Quince
Cydonia oblonga
Pale pink in spring and heavy with golden fruit by fall, quince holds firm, tart flesh that cooking turns to deep rose.
Full sun
Every 7–14 days
USDA 5–8
10–15 ft · 3–4.6 m
Overview
Quince is a small fruit tree, an old-world species that predates the orchards of apples and pears, and it rarely climbs past 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 m). In late spring the branches open with pale pink blossoms. By fall those flowers have given way to golden pomes, heavy and fragrant, that scent the air of a whole room.
The fruit itself is the thing to see up close. Straight off the branch the flesh is hard and grippingly astringent, but heat works a change on it, drawing the firm flesh to a deep rose and softening it to sweetness. That high-pectin flesh is what sets jelly and the Spanish paste called membrillo. The tree stands in the rose family, Rosaceae, beside apples, pears, and plums.
For all its beauty, quince carries a visible flaw. It grows slowly, and it is extremely prone to fire blight, a disease that blackens shoots and bends them over. Give it full sun, well-drained soil, and moving air, prune it cleanly, and one small tree will hang heavy with golden fruit year after year.
Care
The short version: grow quince in full sun and well-drained soil, water it deeply as it establishes and as the golden fruit swells, prune to an open shape in late winter, and watch closely for fire blight from the first pink bloom.
Light
Quince ripens its fullest, sweetest fruit in full sun, where a long day of light drives sugar into the ripening fruit. It will grow in partial shade, but there it sets fewer fruit and turns out a weaker, softer flavor.
Water
Water the tree deeply while it establishes and again as the fruit swells and colors, about every 7 to 14 days, reading the weather. Let the top half of the soil dry between waterings. A mature tree endures a short dry spell, but even moisture fills out the fullest, most fragrant fruit.
Soil
Plant quince in fertile, well-drained loam on the slightly acidic side, around a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. It roots into a range of soils and grows on, though its roots never want to sit in standing water.
Temperature
This is a hardy tree that holds through winters near -20°F (-29°C) and summer heat up to 95°F (35°C). The bare, cold months of a temperate winter are part of what wakes it into pink bloom and, later, golden fruit.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity, in the 40% to 70% range, keeps quince comfortable. Air moving through the branches matters more, since still, damp air settles on leaves and fruit and feeds the fungal diseases the tree is prone to.
Feeding
A balanced fertilizer or a layer of dark compost in early spring feeds quince for the year. Keep the nitrogen light, since a flush of soft, sappy new growth is exactly what fire blight blackens first.
Pruning
Prune in late winter while the tree is bare and dormant, opening the crown into a vase-like shape so light and air reach the inner wood. Take out suckers, crossing branches, and dead wood, and cut any blackened, fire-blight-struck growth well below the canker, wiping the blades between cuts.
Repotting
Quince is a tree of open ground and rarely needs repotting. Set it once into a permanent, roomy spot where its low, spreading branches have space, and it stays put.
Size & spacing
A mature quince stands about 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 m) tall on a low, spreading frame 9 to 12 feet (2.7 to 3.7 m) across. Give it that full footprint so light and air reach every branch and the fruit it carries.
When to plant
Quince is cold-hardy through zones 5 to 8 and is set out while its branches are bare and dormant. Plant a bare-root or container tree in early spring, or in fall where winters stay mild. The pale pink flowers open in late spring, and the golden pomes color up and ripen through fall, ready to pick around October before the first hard frost.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant bare-root or container trees in early spring while dormant, or in fall in mild-winter regions.
- Harvest: Blooms late spring (April to May); fragrant golden pome fruit ripens in fall (about October) and is harvested before the first hard frost.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 5–8
Temperature: down to -29°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every mark and blemish on a quince traces to a fungus or bacteria, and most clear up with airflow, sanitation, and timely pruning. Fire blight is the one that blackens and kills, so learn its look first. Match the sign you see below to the cause, then act before it spreads.
Blossoms and shoot tips blacken and curl into a hook
Quince is one of the most fire blight-prone trees there is, and the disease shows itself plainly: open flowers and soft new shoots darken from the tip down during warm, wet spring weather. The blackened shoots wilt and bend into a shepherd's crook. Cut well below the dark tissue, 20 to 30 cm under any visible canker, sterilize the blades between cuts, and hold back nitrogen so the tree stops pushing the soft shoots the bacteria blacken.
Fix:
- Prune out blackened, shepherd's-crook shoots 20 to 30 cm below visible cankers, disinfect tools, avoid excess nitrogen, and consider bloom-time bactericide sprays.
Crusty, warped patches disfigure the golden fruit
Quince rust needs two hosts, passing between quince and a nearby juniper or cedar to finish its cycle. Spores drift in during bloom and raise rough, distorted patches across the developing fruit. Pull out alternate juniper hosts within range where you can, and coat the tree with a protective fungicide through flowering.
Fix:
- Remove nearby alternate juniper hosts where practical and apply protective fungicides during bloom.
Dark spots freckle the leaves before they fall early
Leaf blight breaks out in wet weather, scattering dark spots across the leaves and stripping them from the tree before fall. Rake up and destroy the fallen leaves so spores cannot overwinter at the base, thin the canopy so air dries the foliage, and use a fungicide only when the tree is losing leaves badly.
Fix:
- Rake and destroy fallen leaves, improve air circulation, and apply fungicides if defoliation is severe.
A white, dusty film powders the leaves
Powdery mildew dusts the leaves with a pale, powdery white film when the air turns humid and stops moving, and it seldom leaves lasting damage. Prune to open the canopy to moving air, and treat with a fungicide only if the white coating spreads across much of the tree.
Fix:
- Prune for airflow and treat with fungicide if widespread.
Toxicity
The cooked flesh of quince, sweet and rose-colored, is safe and is what fills jars of jelly and membrillo. The hard little seeds inside are the exception, holding cyanogenic compounds like the pips of apples, cherries, and other rose-family fruit. Whole seeds usually pass through harmlessly, but crushed and chewed in quantity they can release cyanide, so keep the cores from pets and grazing animals and leave the pips uneaten.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Mild
The soft flesh poses no real threat, and a cat that nibbles a windfall is fine. The hard seeds hold the danger, since chewed pips can release cyanide and bring on drooling, brick-red gums, and labored breathing if a cat swallows a good number.
Dogs Mild
Whole pips usually pass through a dog untouched, so it takes a lot of crushed seed to cause harm. Look for drooling, widened pupils, or heavier breathing after a dog chews into the cores, and gather up fallen fruit.
Horses Mild
Windfall quince dropped in a pasture is the worry, since horses can swallow whole fruit and grind the hard seeds as they chew. Large amounts of crushed seed can bring weakness, rapid breathing, and reddened gums, so clear fallen fruit from grazing ground.
Rabbits Mild
Keep the cores and seeds out of reach, since the cyanogenic pips have no place in a rabbit's diet. A small taste of the flesh, cooked or raw, does no harm, but the hard seeds carry the risk.
Livestock Mild
Goats, sheep, and cattle chew through fallen fruit and the seeds packed in the core, where the cyanide sits. Clear windfalls near grazing areas so the animals cannot gorge on a quantity of seed.
Birds Mild
Backyard hens and other birds peck the soft flesh with no harm. The hard seeds are the part to keep back, so do not toss cores or split fruit into the run.
People Cooked fruit safe
Cooked quince is a kitchen prize, its firm flesh turning sweet and deep pink in jelly and membrillo with nothing to fear. Just leave the seeds out, and teach children to spit out the hard pips rather than chew them.
Keep seeds and cores away from pets and children; the hard astringent flesh is eaten cooked, and jelly or membrillo made from the flesh is safe.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Only a few quince varieties reach home orchards, and they differ most in the size, shape, and fragrance of their fruit. These are the ones worth knowing.
Pineapple
A California variety with tender flesh and a faint pineapple scent that makes it a favorite for cooking.
Smyrna
Hangs with large, powerfully fragrant fruit that cooks down to a soft, rich texture.
Orange
Sold at times as Apple quince, an old variety bearing round, orange-yellow fruit that cooks have long turned into jelly.
Champion
A late variety carrying large, pear-shaped fruit with a more delicate flavor than most.
How to propagate
Quince is multiplied by vegetative means rather than seed, since a seedling will not match its parent. Each method below reproduces a chosen tree down to its fruit.
GraftingModerate
Named quince varieties are budded or grafted onto rootstock rather than sown, since seed will not reproduce the parent's fruit. Quince serves the reverse role as well, a favored dwarfing rootstock for pears.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Hardwood cuttings taken from the bare, dormant tree in winter root with moderate effort and grow into trees that carry the same fruit as the parent.
LayeringModerate
Pin a low branch to the soil to root while it stays joined to the tree, or stool the plant to raise several shoots at once. Nurseries have long used this method to increase quince rootstock.
Myths
Quince and flowering quince are the same plant.
They share a name and little of their looks. True quince is the small Cydonia oblonga tree, grown for its large, fragrant golden fruit, while flowering quince is a separate ornamental shrub, Chaenomeles, covered in showy spring bloom and hung with small hard fruit. One is prized for its golden fruit, the other for its flowers.
Quince can be eaten raw off the tree like an apple.
Bite a raw quince and the flesh is hard, sour, and mouth-puckering. Cooking is what turns it, drawing sweetness out of the firm flesh and staining it a deep pink, and its high pectin is why jelly and membrillo set so firmly.