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The quince Nikolayn planted on the site serves as its decoration at any time of the year. The shrub blooms beautifully and profusely, its foliage is decorative in summer and autumn, and yellow, unusual-looking fruits remain on the branches even after leaf fall.
The plant belongs to the rose family.
History of breeding
Quince has been known to mankind for over 4000 years. In the wild, the fruit crop grows in the Caucasus, China and Japan. It is these regions that are considered the birthplace of the plant, from where it came to the territory of modern Turkey, and then to Greece. Gradually, the quince spread throughout the Mediterranean, central and southern Europe, Africa and Australia.
In nature, there is a low-growing (up to 80 cm) shrub form of the plant, which is called the beautiful quince (Chaenomeles speciosa). From its crossing with the Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica), a new species of quince was obtained (Chaenomeles superba). As a result of selection work on it, many new hybrids were bred, one of which is the magnificent Nikolai quince. Thanks to the characteristics obtained, the distribution area of the culture expanded to more northern regions, up to Norway and Scotland.
Description of the month Nikolay
Quince Nicoline (Chaenomeles superba Nicoline) is a shrub whose branches form a spreading crown. Their bark is thin, slightly scaly, dark on old shoots, with a reddish or brownish tinge. Young branches are greenish-gray, pubescent.
The leaves are oval, ovate, slightly pointed at the top. The upper part is bright green, the lower part is grayish, with pubescence. The length of the leaf plates is about 7 cm, the width is 3 cm.
As you can see in the photo, quince Nikolai at the time of flowering looks very elegant. Its flowers are bright scarlet or orange, lush, large, collected in brushes of four to five pieces. The diameter of each is about 4 cm. The set fruits are a false apple with five nests where the seeds are located. The shape is round, almost spherical, up to 4 cm in diameter. The skin is yellowish, ribbed. The pulp of the fruit is fragrant, hard, its taste is sweetish, astringent.
Seeds of ripe fruits are brown, pointed
The height of the bush of Japanese quince Nikolin
The average height of an adult plant is about 1,2 m. At the base of the Nikolai quince bush, the branches spread along the ground and form dense thickets. The crown spreads to a width of 1,5 m, creating a beautiful cushion shape. This allows the plant to be used for hedges.
Features
Quince Nikolayn develops quickly, unpretentious, in one place it can grow up to fifty years. She is tolerant of cutting, trimming and shaping. The shrub feels good in lighted areas, but it also tolerates shading easily. It is unpretentious to the soil and care. In addition to these features, the Nikolayn hybrid has other characteristics.
Drought resistance, winter hardiness
Quince will not freeze if planted so that in winter it is covered with snow as much as possible. The plant easily tolerates frosts down to -30 ⁰С, but young shoots may die in severe winters.
Despite the location of the root system in the upper layers of the soil, the drought tolerance of Nikolai quince is high. Watering is needed only in extremely dry summers.
Flowering period, ripening period and yield
Red large flowers on short pedicels appear on the shoots even before the foliage blooms in the second or third decade of April. The buds bloom gradually, so the process is delayed for a month.
If Nikolai quince is grown from seeds, the first flowering occurs in the third year of the seedling’s life. Yellow fragrant fruits ripen in October, the average weight of each is about 50 g. The yield from an adult bush is 3-5 kg.
Fruits plucked from branches can ripen at home
Disease and pest resistance
Like most varieties, quince beautiful Nikolin is resistant to diseases and pests. The only negative of the hybrid is the defeat of skin spotting. With the development of pathology, the type of fruit deteriorates, they are not used for processing. To prevent the disease, the crown is sprayed with a solution of boric acid (2 g per 1 liter of water) and zinc sulfate, diluted in the same ratio.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
For some time quince was used only as an ornamental plant. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, they began to eat it, prepare jams, compotes and preserves.
Having one quince bush, it is easy to propagate it
In addition to this advantage, the Nikolayn hybrid has other advantages. Among them:
- high frost resistance;
- drought tolerance;
- regular fruiting;
- quick recovery after freezing or pruning;
- unpretentiousness in care;
- long life span;
- undemanding of soil composition;
- excellent keeping quality and transportability;
- saturation of fruits with vitamins and biologically active substances.
There are not so many disadvantages of quince Nikolayn:
- the presence of thorns on the shoots;
- astringency of taste of fruits;
- their small size.
Features of planting and caring for quince Nikolai
In order for quince Nikolayn to develop rapidly, look spectacular and serve as a decoration for the site, it is necessary to select and prepare a place, observe the terms and rules of planting. Despite the unpretentiousness of the plant, even with minimal care, it responds with rapid development, abundant flowering and regular fruiting.
The shrub can be propagated by cuttings, layering, shoots or seeds.
Terms of planting
Quince Nikolai can be planted both in spring and autumn. In the first case, this is done before sap flow, in early April. Spring planting allows seedlings to take root, adapt and prepare for winter.
In autumn, quince Nikolayn is determined for a permanent place two weeks before the onset of frost. This time will not be enough for the appearance of new roots, but the callus will have time to form.
Requirements for the landing site
Quince Nikolai easily tolerates both drought and prolonged floods, so a place on the south side of the site is suitable for it, even if the groundwater is shallow. The shrub grows on any soil, but on clay, sod-podzolic, sandy soil with a high content of humus, it feels much better.
Before landing, it is necessary to prepare the site:
- Clear it of foliage, weeds and plant roots.
- Dig to the depth of the shovel bayonet.
- Add ferrous sulfate, ammonium nitrate and colloidal sulfur to the soil.
- Water.
If the landing site is prepared in the fall, it is covered with a thick layer of snow for the winter, and in the spring it is dug up again or simply loosened.
Soil for quince Nikolayn should have a slightly acidic reaction
Landing algorithm
Regardless of whether Nikolai quince is planted in spring or autumn, they adhere to the same scheme:
- Dig a hole 50 cm deep and 90 cm wide.
- At the bottom, a soil mixture is poured, consisting of compost, sand and leaf humus, mixed in a ratio of 2: 1: 2.
- Add 30 g of saltpeter and 200 g of superphosphate.
- Mix well.
- Set the seedling in the center of the hole.
- Fall asleep with the soil extracted earlier.
- Lightly compact the soil.
- Form a roller near the trunk circle.
- Abundantly watered.
- Mulch the soil with sawdust.
To speed up rooting, all shoots of Nikolai quince are shortened by a third of the length. A pruner cut is made 1,5 cm above the kidney.
After planting, the neck is buried to the level of the soil.
Aftercare
The plant is undemanding, but minimal care for it leads to a return in the form of luxurious flowering and a bountiful harvest. Nikolai quince care includes several activities: watering, fertilizing, preparing for winter, loosening and pruning.
Watering and top dressing
If the summer is rainy, Nikolai quince should not be watered. In the dry period, the plant is enough per month for one abundant moisture. In order for the fruits to be juicy and fragrant, additional watering is carried out in August, during the period of their formation.
Top dressing is carried out three times:
- In the spring – nitrogen fertilizers.
- In the middle of summer – potash.
- In autumn – phosphorus.
Trimming
Quince haircut Nikolayn is carried out in the spring. For sanitary purposes, old, dry and damaged branches are removed. Formative pruning is necessary to give the bush the desired shape, to create a beautiful design element of the site. It begins to be carried out when the plant reaches the age of four years. Shoots are cut out, thickening the crown, creeping along the ground and growing vertically.
Pruning shears or pruners must be sharp
Loosening, mulching
After watering, the soil under the bushes must be loosened to a depth of no more than 10 cm, since the roots of the quince Nikolai are located in the upper layers. Mulching with sawdust, nut shells, shredded bark helps retain moisture and prevent weeds from appearing.
Preparation for winter
Quince Nikolayn has a high winter hardiness, so it does not require shelter. In areas with a very harsh climate, it is enough to cover the base with snow. Even if the ends of the shoots are frozen, after spring pruning and top dressing, they will quickly recover.
Application in landscape design
Quince Nikolai is often used in landscape design because of its high decorativeness and rapid growth. The plant is used as a tapeworm, planting it on the lawn. The combination of green background and bright orange colors looks very impressive. With adequate pruning and timely removal, shoots are used as part of a mixborder in tandem with other ornamental shrubs and conifers, and Nikolai quince hedge looks great in all seasons.
Harmony in the garden can be achieved with the help of the neighborhood of quince with water, boulders and alpine slides.
Conclusion
Quince Nikolayn is an ornamental shrub that can decorate any area, hide flaws and emphasize advantages. The fruits do not have a unique taste, but the amount of vitamins and nutrients is another plus in its favor. It is not difficult to grow and care for quince, and it will bear fruit without problems for several decades.
