Chinese Quince Seeds

A robust seed selection from a Zone 5 tree with good fireblight resistance.

This species is well known for its mosaic puzzle-like bark and large fruits. It is more commonly found in southern landscapes than in Michigan. When I first grew the plants from seed, I started with 4 plants and soon found that fireblight was incredibly tough on them. There was one left from this planting. Another planting which had over 25 plants in a long row under the shellbark hickories faired better.  Extremely cold winters along with a stretch of over 100F activated fireblight.  These normal environmental changes winnowed them to three plants one of which is a good producer of large bright yellow fruit. Chinese quince offers a challenge to develop uses for it only because it is flavorless on its own. It is normally candied in sugar and stored the same way the other quinces are processed and used. It mixes well with other fruits and has a high pectin level too. This fruit is very versatile once processed the right way most of which has been worked out in China and beyond. In the United States it was produced for a while as an ornamental plant. Since then you rarely see it for sale. 

Fruit production begins in 5-8 years from seed. Trees produce larger quantities after 10 years. Do not use high nitrogen fertilizers to speed up growth. The plants are very tolerant to poor soils and droughts. The large pink flowers attract a lot butterflies and bees. 

To Germinate from Seed;  Place the seed in a zip lock bag mixed with a slightly moist Canadian peat moss. Seeds can then be placed in the refrigerator for 90-120 days at 33-39F.   After refrigeration put at root temperature. Seeds will immediately sprout. Some sprouting may occur in the refrigerator as well. A clear viscous gel encapsulates the seeds. I remove almost all of it however if you find some gel forming in the refrigerator, wash and put back into dormancy. The gel is not toxic.  Seedlings are easy to field produce as well just by planting 1/2 inch deep in the fall. Trees reach up to 2 feet tall in two years and grow vigorously.

 FREE SHIPPING -Processed seeds are coated with Kaolin clay to prevent stickiness after cleaning. They are not dried.