Subject: Quince problems

From: [email-masked] (MarcMon)
Date: 3 May 1996 13:30:18 -0400

I have a very old quince tree which last year produced a small crop of
very mildewed, cracked, unusable quinces.  I pruned it vigorously this
spring, then sprayed it with a horticultural oil ("Sunspray") to kill
overwintering and early insect pests.  (The tree was in the green tip
stage.)  After beginning to leaf out nicely, many shoots  blackened and
wilted.  Flower buds are now opening, but leaf damage remains, although
new leaves seem to be less susceptible.  Any ideas from other quince
growers as to what is happening?  Am I responsible by using oil spray, is
it powdery mildew, or something else entirely?  All help appreciated.

Marc Montefusco

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From: [email-masked] (Jonathan Bishop)
Date: Sat, 04 May 1996 00:10:19 GMT

>Marc Montefusco

If you sprayed oil on green tissue, it is possible to burn it, but I
would also be concerned with Fire Blight.(It gets Apples and Pears
which are in the same family.) although I would think the blossoms
would be affected as well.

We have not grown Quince on our farm in several years. We pulled out
our trees as it became hard to find materials which were labelled for
use on Quince. They are such a minor crop that they are most
manufacturers of Ag chemicals don't bother to register their products
for use on Quince, and if you are growing them commercially you don't
want to be spraying them with anything that doesn't have a label.

You don't mention using any fungicides. This would be important to
protect green tissue, especially in a wet spring. I'm not sure if any
still carry a label for Quince, but some of the older materials might.

Good Luck, 

Jonathan

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Jonathan Bishop                       Bishop's Orchards
B.W. Bishop & Sons, Inc.              Growers of Fine Fruit
Guilford, Connecticut                 since 1871
E-Mail:[email-masked]

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