Japanese quince is a beautifully flowering decorative shrub which is also a very useful fruit crop. Its homeland is considered the mountainous regions of Japan, where it grows more than one hundred years, but our domestic gardeners, amateurs, quince has attracted attention relatively recently. Now, Japanese quince is widely used in landscape design, to create hedges, and is grown in curbs or in solitary plantings.
Japanese Quince - Planting and Care
Japanese quince is very fond of light and warmth, so for her planting it is necessary to pick up the most light and protected place from the northern winds on the site. This plant can grow well and develop on soils of different composition, but it should be noted that it is not necessary to plant quince on peat or alkaline soils, as this can negatively affect its development.
The planting of Japanese quince is best done in the spring. Of course, autumn planting is also possible, but less desirable, since the plant is thermophilic and may die, never having taken root. Before planting the soil must be well loosened and cleaned of weeds. In the event that the soil is infertile, manure, peat compost, as well as potash and phosphorus fertilizers must be introduced.
Planting quince is best in small groups of several plants (3-5 pieces) at a distance of at least 1 m from each other. During planting, the root neck should be placed at the soil level or with an insignificant depression (3-5 cm), because its excessive deepening can slow down the growth of the bush. In addition, it is worth noting that the Japanese quince very badly tolerates the transplant, so it should immediately decide on the permanent location of its location and do not disturb once more, transplanting it from place to place.
Caring for Japanese quince does not require any special skills. During the whole summer it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil, remove the weeds , and also mulch the ground around the bush with peat or sawdust. Plant nutrition should be carried out twice a year: in the spring before flowering - predominantly nitrogen fertilizers, and after harvest - with a solution of complex fertilizer.
Another important component of caring for Japanese quince is its pruning and shaping the crown. After reaching the age of five, the bush begins to thin regularly, since the most productive are three-year shoots. In the early spring, in the adult bushes, the damaged, underdeveloped and laying shoots are cut out, as well as those shoots that are older than five years. Thus, a properly formed bush should have about 12-15 branches.
It should be noted that the Japanese quince is not afraid of almost any diseases and pests, so it does not need chemical protection from them.
Japanese Quince - ways of reproduction
Cultivation of Japanese quince is carried out vegetatively (cuttings, root shoots, layers) or seeds.
The simplest and most reliable method of reproduction is seed, but in this case varietal traits are practically not preserved, which can not be said about vegetative reproduction.
For the cultivation of quinces with the help of layers, in the spring the side branch is buried, and in autumn the entrenched batch is divided into the number of vertical shoots that appear and are transplanted to a permanent place.
Cuttings for reproduction of Japanese quince are cut with several internodes in the beginning of summer, after which they are planted slightly inclined into a mixture of sand and peat. In autumn the plant already reaches 15 cm and can be safely planted in the ground.
This plant is sometimes prone to give numerous root shoots. When digging a bush in the spring or autumn period, shoots are cut off with a pruner and planted vertically in the ground.