simonh82
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Best way to take a quince tree with us when we move.

Hello, I'm new to this forum and also a complete novice gardener but hopefully I can string a coherent question together.

My Father in Law has an amazing quince tree in his back garden. It is 15' tall and crops well each year, despite minimal TLC, with large yellow quinces, perfect for cooking with. He is planning on selling his house soon and moving in downstairs with us. We have several quince bushes in the garden ranging from tiny to 8' across but they only ever produce small hard fruits, with no real flesh. They smell lovely but are no use for cooking.

Clearly moving the whole tree isn't going to work but is there a practical means of taking something of this amazing tree with us, so that in a few years we might enjoy its fruits again?

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Where are you located? What the temperatures are and how far the growing season has progressed, last average frost date, etc. will make a big difference in what you can and can't do at this point.

For example, if you already have quince trees, you could graft the desired tree onto the existing trees, but I believe there is a specific window of time for that.

simonh82
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Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2014 5:18 pm

Apologies, I can see I'm missing some important details. I'm in London, England. The quince tree in question has just blossomed and leaves are now appearing. We seem to be having a mild spring here but it is getting cold at night. I think there is still a frost risk for a few weeks yet.

Having read a bit more online I will also add that we have a variety of existing fruit tries in our garden. There are three apple trees (a brambly like cooker, a Laxton superb which crops every other year and an ashmead kernal), there is also a small pear tree, on it's last legs, a large mature crab apple in the front garden and I think a hawthorn, right at the back of the garden behind the shed.

In the last year or two I think I've found honey fungus near the pear and ashmead kernal, which are at opposite ends of the garden, which I guess means it could be anywhere.

The crab apple is in the front garden, well away from the other trees.

Hope some of this information helps.

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!potatoes!
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Location: wnc - zones 6/7 line

grafting a stick of the desired quince onto something (either an existing plant or a new-bought rootstock) seems like the only/best way to deal with this, but some scion from the quince you like should have been collected in winter, when it was dormant. grafting something with leaves out is chancier, but sometimes works.



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