Pear / Sabarjilli (Layer) Fruit Plant

Quince/Sabarjil – Tasty, Scented Fruit!!

Quince, (Cydonia oblonga), a small tree or shrub of the rose family (Rosaceae), grown for its edible fruit. Quince is the only member of the genus Cydonia and is native to Iran, Turkey, and possibly Greece and the Crimean Peninsula. The fruit has a strong aroma and is astringent in the raw state but makes an excellent preserve and is often used to give flavor and sharpness to stewed or baked apples. The flesh takes on a pink color when cooked, giving an attractive color to jellies and conserves. The fruits smell rather like pineapple—not the fresh fruit (the introduction of which probably helped in the quince’s decline), but pineapple sweets. A bowl of quinces will scent a room, and some people even recommend putting one in the car as an air-freshener.

MAINTENANCE OF THE PLANTATION
Quince trees have some drought tolerance, but you should water them during prolonged dry spells as part of your routine quince care. It is hard to overwater a quince tree, so water them any time if you are in doubt. Fertilize with a low-nitrogen fertilizer in spring. Lawn fertilizers and other high-nitrogen plant foods encourage lush foliage and new growth at the expense of flowers and fruit. Quinces are small trees with a good natural shape that is easy to maintain. Shape a young tree by removing all but five main branches from the canopy so that you won’t have to do any heavy pruning when the tree is mature. Remove dead, diseased, and damaged branches as they appear.

GROW SABARJIL
Quince will tolerate most soils, acid, or alkaline. Planted in open ground, it’s not a first choice for the smallest garden as, depending on rootstock and soil conditions, it can grow anywhere from around 10 feet (3 meters) to 20 feet (6 meters) tall. However, it could also be trained against a wall and recently a Patio Quince has been developed, so even if space is limited it’s not out of the question. A bonus is that being self-fertile, only one tree is needed.

HARVEST YOUR SABARJIL
The fruit ripens gradually to a rich yellow and though it’s tempting (think of Eve’s apple), it should be left on the tree as long as possible to allow the flavor and perfume to develop. Ideally, this means until the end of October. The only exception is if frosts threaten when you should gather them before the cold gets them.