Fall cutback on young Chinese quince

Several years ago, I started some Chinese quince from seed. They grow rapidly and have proved to be a fun variety to grow.

Young Chinese quince

I’m cutting them back this fall to remove branches that lack curves. This will encourage the remaining branches to thicken.

Here’s a close-up of the tree above.

Straight branches on the left and right, curved branch in the middle

I first removed the large branch on the left.

After removing the branch on the left

Then I removed the relatively straight branch on the right.

Cutback complete

I left the long section above the curves to encourage the trunk to thicken.

Long sacrifice branch to help thicken the trunk

On other trees, I wired a few branches to add movement to new sections of the trunk.

Young quince

After cutback

Leaves removed to reveal trunk and branches

After wiring

In general, I left the leaves on these trees as they are still growing. I removed the leaves on the trees above and below, however, to make it easier to see details in the photos.

Before cutback

After cutback

After shortening secondary branches and removing the leaves

Although many of the trees are growing at awkward angles, I can easily address this when they are repotted.

Potential new potting angle

I plan to repot these trees over the next couple weeks and let them grow freely until next May or June.