Japanese quince, planting and care of which is becoming more and more popular every year in our country, is a shrub of the Pink family, whose homeland is China and Japan. The plant has shiny dark green leaves, covered with spines and beautiful flowers found in white or red-pink color. The flowering period of Japanese quince lasts a relatively long time (up to fifty days). Leaflets usually grow later than flowers. As for the fruits, they form on the shrub in October and can even be used as food. Despite the fact that the berries are very acidic, they have an excellent aroma, so they are suitable not only for making jam or compote, but also used to create medicines.
In our country, several species of such a plant as Japanese quince take root. Planting and caring for them are fairly simple. The most popular variety can be called Japanese low, which due to the small size of the bush (up to one and a half meters) and the location of branches near the ground itself can easily tolerate frosts. In addition to her, we often also have high quince. Due to the fact that the shrub prefers moisture and light, it is better to place it in the apartment by the window, but away from the heating system.
Japanese quince, cultivated on its own site, develops most intensively from April to September. At this time, the shrub requires regular watering and top dressing due to acidic fertilizers. Moreover, in the summer months (only subject to the end of the flowering period) old branches should be removed. An important aspect in growing a plant is that if its age does not exceed five years, the Japanese quince should be transplanted annually. If the bush is older, the procedure is carried out every three years.
The plant can be propagated at once in several ways - cuttings, division, processes and layering. It can hardly be called very finicky, because it adapts well to any type of soil. Along with this, in severe frosts, shoots that are above the snow level can freeze. To avoid this, it is recommended to plant shrubs in those places of the site where most snow usually collects in winter.
For a plant such as Japanese quince, planting and care will start in the spring, immediately after the threat of frost has passed. Initially, you should prepare landing pits. Their depth should be a little more than half a meter, and width and length - 60 centimeters. It is recommended to leave one meter of space between adjacent bushes. After applying a small amount of fertilizer, plants are planted at a shallow depth. Then the bushes are watered and sprinkled with a small amount of humus.
It should also be noted that for the quince shrub, Japanese planting and care are somewhat similar to those for gooseberries. The plant needs regular weeding, loosening of the soil, as well as cutting. It will begin to bear fruit approximately three years after planting. It is advisable to pick berries from Japanese quince before the onset of the first frost. The main enemies of the plant are a spider mite and a scab. As for diseases, the bush is rarely exposed to them.