Quince (Cydonia oblonga) adapts well to all ground types and a selection of humidity conditions, which makes it effortless to adapt to transplanting. Grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, quince produces large fruits called pomes that are commonly utilized in fruit juices along with other recipes. Nursery grown quince has to be transplanted in the ground in order to grow to adulthood. In case a mature tree cannot stay in its area in your lawn, you can dig up the tree and transplant it into a new location. Basic plant needs remain the same for both scenarios.

Removing Old Quince

Cut an 18-inch-deep circle around the tree, using a sharpened spade to cut through the roots. Multiply the trunk diameter from nine to calculate the radius needed for the circle. Prune the roots in this way at least 2 months or up to 2 years ahead of transplanting, to reduce the shock and improve the odds of a successful transplant.

Water the roots the day before you plan to transplant the tree. To guarantee the roots are evenly saturated, water around the base of the tree till water pools around the surface. Allow the water to drain in the dirt for about an hour, then water the plant again. Fall is usually the best time to transplant the adult tree. Wait until the fruit has dropped in autumn, but allow a few weeks before the first expected frost, to transplant prior to the tree enters dormancy.

Mark a circle about 6 inches outside the first root pruning station, using a garden hose. Cut the roots around the new circle into a depth of about 18 inches. Tilt the tree with a shovel and sever the roots on the base of the root ball using bypass pruners or a sharpened spade.

Reducing the tree in the side to side so you can push a square bit of burlap beneath the whole root ball, taking extra care to guarantee the dirt stays intact around the roots. Grab the corners of the burlap and the tree trunk, and lift the quince tree from its hole. Gather the burlap corners around the tree trunk and tie in place with natural twine.

Planting Quince

Mark a place for the quince transplant that is two to three times wider than the root ball or the nursery container. Use line-marking spray paint or lay garden hoses to indicate the size for the planting hole. Select a website that receives full sunlight to partial shade.

Till the ground about 6 inches deeper than the root ball or planting container or into a thickness of about 24 inches.

Add 4 to 6 inches of organic humus material, such as finished compost, dried grass clippings, leaf mold, aged binder and sphagnum peat moss when you have poor soil, or exceptionally sandy or clay soil. Till the soil a second time to blend the amendments using the native soil.

Dig a hole equal to the height of the root ball. Eliminate the quince tree in the nursery container, if applicable, and put the root ball in the hole. Catch the burlap in place until you place the tree in the hole, then untie the twine and leave the burlap in the hole under the root ball.

Fill in the hole with the amended ground up to this level of this tree’s root. Pack the dirt gently to eliminate air pockets, then add more soil if needed.

Spread 2-3 inches of mulch around the base of this tree, without forcing the mulch directly from the tree trunk. Mulch helps keep moisture in the dirt and insulates roots, but forcing it from the tree trunk can lead to decay or infestation. Replenish the mulch in early spring when new growth appears.

Water the tree to guarantee the roots and surrounding soil are evenly moist. Repeat watering as needed to maintain the soil moist until the tree establishes itself. Quinces need at least 1 inch of water weekly, but up to 1 1/2 ins weekly is best until fresh transplants spread roots and establish themselves. Catch a rain gauge in the ground just outside the tree canopy to measure the amount of rainfall, then supplement irrigation to make up the gap.

Employ a general fertilizer around the quince, if needed, or use organic fertilizers, such as blood and bone meal, or fish emulsion. If you add plenty of organic humus into the soil at the time of transplanting, fertilizer isn’t necessary, but quince gains in the fertilizer in late winter before it breaks dormancy.

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