I care for a quince 'Aromatnaya' tree planted in Kansas City. This will be the third season it is in place. Conditions are a large raised bed about 18" deep with a mix of half compost and half topsoil. The tree is watered appropriately and is growing well. It has the growths seen in the photo. One suggestion was cedar apple rust. It had one fruit the first year and it deformed into one of these growths. Last summer more of them showed up on the branches and branch tips. The two fruit that set fell off in late June after a storm. Does anyone have an idea what is wrong and if there is a cure. My boss and I are confused and don't want to lose the tree but would rather remove it if needed when it is still manageable instead of doing the "let's see what happens" thing and it becomes a problem to get out.
Looks like Agrobacter. Means plant and soil are infested and will need to be replaced. When you replace the soil, refill with all soil. Do not use half compost.
It has been a lot of years since I took plant path. Since I don't remember Agrobacter I will have to look this up. Thanks so much.
Gymnosporangium clavipes. Some strains are more adapted to quince and hawthorn - and these seem to cause more severe stem/branch lesions than do the apple-adapted strains. I see lesions similar to those posted on my mayhaws, hawthorns, and quince, on a regular basis.
Have a look here: http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Trees/Hawthorn and Quince Rusts.asp Imagine the Gymnosporangium cankers in those photos a year down the road, all dried up - they're what sabagal photographed. It's cedar-quince/cedar-hawthorn rust.
Thanks for the link, Lucky P. I had forgotten (or never learned) that quince leaves typically do not have lesions. Good to know as I do have a couple of quinces. Also, apologize for missing "Agrobacterium" in my earlier post. Not a good day.
An update on the quince tree. I did research Agrobacterium and the tree does not have the typical crown gall growth at the base or leaf lesions. My boss and I checked more and just recently determined like Lucky_P that it was most likely the quince-cedar rust. I will need to prune almost 75% of the tree off to get rid of the galls. The other problem with the tree is its size. It was sold as a semi-dwarf and is over 15 feet tall in 2 years. The raised bed its in is too small for a tree growing that fast and large. It will most likely have to go and be replaced with something smaller. Thanks all for the great help. I just don't use my old plant path enough to be up on it.
Not that I'm saying it can't be the other - I don't know one way or the other - but for the record crown gall is not limited to the crown. Infestations of wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei) may feature multiple galls on the branches.
Hey, I had something similar on my quince last year. I pruned off those ugly semi-moldy looking things off the ends of the branches before dormancy ended this spring. What do I watch for this year? How does one stop it? Thanks, Amelie
Google up 'cedar quince rust'.' Here's one online article to get you started: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3055.html
