suckering quinces

 tbh we're not 100% sure they are quinces - there was no fruit last year, so
i'm guessing :-) they look like quinces, though.

however, there are several, & they have water shoots at their bases, & even
worse, clumps of suckers coming up out of the ground.

i have read that one should not cut water shoots or suckers, but rather,
tear them off, otherwise they just grow back (is this true?). but these are
a bit too sturdy for tearing (i've tried).

what to do?? any help appreciated! they're right near the veggie garden &
are clearly trying to take over!!

thanks :-)
kylie

 

Depends what you mean by "quinces"!

The edible quince is Cydonia oblonga, and if left unpruned looks like a
shrubby kind of tree, like this:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Cydonia_oblonga_1.jpg
I prune mine, so it has an open vase shape.  While I have seen it shoot from
low down on the trunk, I haven't seen it sucker.

OTOH the Flowering quince is Chaenomeles japonica.  It is a bush with a
suckering habit -- that is, it shoots from the base.  Over time, they can
become quite large thickets.  Here is a small one:
http://www.unperformedgarden.com/Arbusti/chaenomeles.htm
And a big group:
http://www.huntingtonbotanical.org/WhatsInBloom/feb07/feb07-Pages/Image124.html

Just to make it more confusing, you can eat the fruit of the flowering quince
(or "japonica", as it's sometimes called).  It makes a nice jelly.

So if yours are Japonicas, they are behaving naturally :-)

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

 
why thank you ;-)

in fact, since they are smallish, fruity-looking trees, my guess is they're
either real quinces or something else entirely!

(having said that, tree i.d. is Not My Thing ;-)
thanks for the info!
kylie

 
I've read the same thing and done the same thing but I'm never sure if it
works or not.  If they are too big, I now cut them off and that seems to
make no difference either.

 
well that is reassuring, since i have no idea what plan b might be!!

do you snip them off with secateurs, or saw them off in a clump? (i'm
thinking of sawing, as it would seem to be a better option with so many
shoots, & then i could rub off any new shoots.)

we have a continual problem with water shoots & some of the trees. i'd bet
anything the previous people were careless whipper-snippers. how it makes me
snort with rage!!

i was going to ask dh to dig out all the suckers, & we can have a look at
where they seem to have come from. again, i just can't think what else to do
in the absence of brilliant ideas forthcoming from this group ;-) and plus,
he seems to enjoy doing manly things that don't do much for me personally.
<g>
thank you.
kylie