Growing quince in the Willamette Valley
Rust is a major issue if you live near a host of the disease -- otherwise relatively easy to grow.
Cliff notes:
Most gardeners report quince as easy to grow.
But some struggle badly with rust. This is likely more an urban issue, where you cannot control the alternate host that the rust pathogens require in order to grow. There is very little information available about rust resistant varieties.
Leaf spot might impact trees in our area - but mostly in a cosmetic way. The variety Krymskaya AKA Crimea is supposed to be resistant.
Other occasional issues: coddling moth damage, cracking and molding, fireblight.
My garden does not yet have a quince, and I’ve been wary of getting one. The reasons are twofold: every time I see the trees in person, they look sickly (check out this video for an extreme example of the look I’m referring to). I assumed they were exceptionally disease prone (appears to be untrue). The other reason is that I am wary of fruiting plants that require tons of sugar and processing in order to taste good.
But word is, the fruit is absolutely divine. If you’re going to make preserves, quince is highly preferable. I like to have a bit of shelf-stable preserves to have on hand, especially in the event of the Cascadia Subduction Quake we are overdue for, which will devastate our region when it finally happens.
There are also preparations that don’t use a lot of sugar. Some people like it gently baked or poached. Some folks really like it for sauce.
Some cooks really like to use it in their stews, which I find intriguing (a perennial vegetable that grows on trees?! sign me up!).
I’m also interested in an alternative to having to purchase boxed pectin for the other preserves I do make.
Which varieties are best for our region?
Grower reports:
Once again, I turned to Facebook, to poll roughly 20 gardening groups up and down the valley and ask gardeners specifically about their experiences.
After reviewing over 80 reports of growing quince in the Willamette Valley, I find that my assumption that quince is disease prone - and therefore difficult - is unfounded.
The information is too much to list here, I’ve made a separate document where all the notes are made, which you can review for yourself here.
Here’s a few photos that growers in our region wanted to share:
Pest and disease issues: for a pome fruit, pest and disease issues are relatively low.
Rust is the number one issue in our region thus far. As you can see from this photo, it can impact fruit production.
Rust is very difficult to control. This is because rust requires an alternate pathogen to complete its life cycle. If you have that alternate host nearby, there is nothing you can effectively do to control the disease, according to OSU.
There are actually two different rusts: one that requires Incense Cedars, and another that requires Junipers. It is the same pathogens as for European pears. If you have either of these within 1,000 feet and the trees are infected, you will not be able to get rid of the problem. According to this video from an extension service, once a host tree becomes infected, it is able to shed spores from single cankers for 5-6 years!
The rust issue may be more of an urban problem, where host trees cannot be controlled. And further south in the valley, Incense Cedars are more naturally occurring than the northern part of the valley.
As for disease resistant varieties. There is very little literature out there on this topic. Nurseries sometimes say that their quince variety is less susceptible to fungal infections, but they don’t specify *what* fungal infections they are referring to.
One grower in our area had several kinds of quince, and noted that some of the varieties suffered so badly with rust that she removed them. She kept two others, Aromatnaya and Krymskaya (AKA Crimea). The Aromatnaya is prone to fruit drop and splitting though. Rain tree notes that the variety Crimea is indeed “disease resistant”. I tried to find out the two varieties she removed, but haven’t heard back.
Fireblight was only reported by one gardener, actually a professional orchardist in our area. He hadn’t seen it show up in the last 30 years of growing, but this past year it has. Climate change might make this disease more common in our area. It is a bacterial disease that can often be pruned out prior to the infection spreading throughout the tree. It is worth spending a moment to learn what to look for. Treatment/prevention protocols are the same as for fireblight on pears. According to the USDA, quince are highly susceptible to fireblight, with no known cultivar resistance. In see no choice in rootstock selection that will help avoid the disease.
Leaf spot/leaf blight/black spot/fruit spot is a disease that has only been reported once by a gardener. I’m surprised as I feel that I’ve seen this pop up on a number of trees, but have not investigated closely to verify what it was that I was seeing. It is listed in the PNW disease handbook so I know it does occur quite a bit here. Natural hosts of this disease include Hawthorn & Serviceberry, both of which are native in our area. Some introduced Hawthorns spread invasively through our area. With bad infections, it can cause the tree to stunt, and also cause cracking of fruit.
It is a devastating disease in the UK on quince. They might notice this issue more in the UK because they tend to have trees that are much older. The disease, once set in, tends to accumulate.
I note that they do see the disease in Seattle, and this arborist says that the disease can cause fruit drop. Perhaps they see it more in Seattle and the UK because they are that much rainier than the valley?
Laura over at Rain tree nursery says, in her experience leaf spot it is just a cosmetic issue. But if you don’t like the look of diseased trees, you may want to select a resistant variety. Also pay attention if you prefer to use the peel where possible.
Crimea/Krymskaya is noted as particularly resistant to this disease in particular. Claribel is noted as resistant to fungal diseases, but doesn’t say which fungal diseases.
Cracking and splitting of the fruit is noted as more of a physiologic problem of the tree not having enough water, then having way too much water. An even water supply, along with mulching will help avoid the issue. I also wonder how much the above fungal disease may be a contributing factor.
Anthracnose is reported by the HOEC orchard to occur on quince. I do not see an article on quince specifically the PNW Disease handbook for anthracnose, but there is one for apple. Symptoms and treatment would be similar.
Coddling moths occasionally cause damage, but way less than other pome fruits. My write-up on apple growing offers some tips should they become problematic.
Variety discussions:
Unknown: the vast majority of quince growers don’t have any idea what variety they are growing with roughly half of gardeners reporting an unknown variety. They report their trees are pest and disease free. According to one orchardist in the Eugene area, pineapple was the tried and true homestead variety planted on Willamette Valley homesteads, so it may be safe to assume that many of these are pineapple.
Pineapple: is the most commonly known variety planted in our area, with roughly a quarter of gardeners reporting this variety is what they have. One person noted they get a little rust. Another noted that they get a little leaf spot. But most gardeners report no issues at all.
Aromatnaya is the next most common variety in our area, with unfortunate mixed reviews. 2 gardener reports prolific fruiting with no issues. A professional orchardist says this one never sets fruit for him, though other quinces just fine. Another gardener reported prolific flowering on a young tree, but no fruit. And finally one more gardener reports this cultivar is prone to splitting and fruit drop, but relatively rust resistant.
Smyrna: 3 grower reports. One grower says it fruits well, but are not 100% sure this is the variety they are growing. Another grower reports what sounds like coddling moths. And lastly, most devastating is a grower who reports consistent fruit drop on their Smyrna, while other varieties in their garden fruit just fine.
Orange: two grower reports. One says they get rust. Another reports theirs is 25 years old and does well.
Kuganskaya has only one grower report in our region. The gardener reported a bad case of rust. When the host plant nearby was removed, Kuganskaya fruited well.
Rich’s: only one grower report, but the report is glowing. Says the aroma fills the entire yard.
Harron exists at the HOEC orchard, and is reported to be prone to cracking and poor storage.
Back to my garden: I’ll likely add a quince at some point. My top picks would be those most resistant to Fabraea leaf spot. Though this isn’t a top concern in the area, I have many hosts of this disease on my property and in the wild around me — it’s probably an issue best avoided. If for some reason I can’t find Crimea/Krymskaya, I’d go with the tried and true Pineapple or possibly Claribel. Stay tuned for reviews!
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What’s your experience been like? Drop me a comment below.