Quince is native to northwestern Iran, the North Caucasus, the Caspian Sea and northern Anatolia. In the east it extends to Turkestan and in the west to the southern parts of Europe and North Africa. Quince grows wild in these places. Climatic conditions The best climate for quince is the maritime climate. However, quince can also be found in parts of our country that are far away from the maritime climate, for example in our Central Anatolian provinces. However, in such places, quince growth depends on suitable valley interiors. Quince trees are as resistant to winter cold as pears under Turkish conditions. The winter cold demand of this fruit type is less than apples and pears. It blooms late especially in cold places because the flowers occur at the end of the shoots growing in that year. It blooms together with plums in warm climates. It does not grow well in very windy places. Branches break. There is a lot of fruit loss. Leaves and fruits are sensitive to wax. The product is jeopardized in places with too much rain. Soil requirement Quinces grow best in sandy, permeable warm soils. The soil does not need to be very deep as the roots are shallow and do not go very deep. However, this should never be combined with stifling moisture conditions. In cold and damp soils, the fruits become woody and their quality decreases. If hawthorn is used as a rootstock for quince, then it is possible to grow it on dry sandy soils, but usually in such cases the growth of the trees is poor and the yield is low. Soil Tillage The most important point to be considered while tillage in quince orchards is to avoid deep plowing. Quince roots are superficial and close to the soil surface. If plowing is done deeply, the roots are cut too much and the trees are damaged. It is sufficient to plow the gardens one in spring and one in early summer. It is very useful to plant a cover crop after this plowing. In mixed orchards, tillage is undoubtedly organized according to the main fruit. However, when planted together with apples or pears, this arrangement is not a great difficulty. Irrigation In quince orchards, irrigation is done in the summer in places with dry summers, such as in Central Anatolia. Irrigation is repeated every 15-20 days depending on the conditions. In places where there is no water, quince orchards can only be established where there is sufficient rainfall and the rainfall is well distributed. Fertilization Since the roots of quince do not go deep, they have to take nutrients from a certain thickness of soil. Therefore, efforts should be made to keep this part of the soil rich in nutrients. It is very useful to give three to four tons of farm fertilizer per acre every three to four years. It also needs good support with nitrogen fertilizers. Of course, the most important factor in fertilization is to carry out soil and leaf analysis and apply a program according to these analyses.
Pruning Quince forms a smooth crown. For this reason, if the crowning is done well at the beginning, there is no need for much pruning in the following years. The best crown shape for quince is goblet. The trunk is crowned low and the crown is not allowed to rise more in the following years with tip removal. However, more cutting should not be done than necessary. Because the fruits are formed at the ends of the shoots and if too many tips are removed, the tree may remain completely fruitless.
