Quince tree brown spots- fungus?

[WhatapityWapiti]

I have a lovely Quince tree in my garden, it fruits well every year and seems healthy. This year I’ve noticed to my horror that the leaves are all covered in these brown spots. It’s everywhere. Anyone have any idea what this is and what I can do? The tree is too tall for me to reach the top to spray it, and it’s not robust enough to climb.

Do tree surgeons treat trees? Is it worth it anyway- I realise that the damaged leaves will not improve. But do I need to try to stop it spreading?
I’m not that bothered if the fruit is minimal this year, we always have far too much (only so much membrillo one family can eat!). But it’s important for foliage and shade in the garden.

Any suggestions much appreciated.

Hello WhatapityWapiti,

You may find your problem is quince leaf blight.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/disease/quince-leaf-blight

Happy gardening
TheSustainableGardener 👩‍🌾

If you can't reach it to treat the problem, the best thing you can do is fertilise the tree. The healthier a tree is, the better it can fight off disease.

Also, pick up and get rid of all fallen leaves - put in the bin (not the compost heap) so that the fungus doesn't hang about waiting for next year.

Quince are absolute buggers for blight.
I took 2 out last year - i still have 2. They're on a warning.

I echo what's been said about removing leaves etc, and trying to create airflow in the canopy, but it's a fool's errand really when the weather is as it is.

There is a variety that is much more resilient to blight, but alas it wasn't what I had. Mine were all Meeches Prolific. Iirc, it was Serbian Gold that was best vs. Blight.

Thanks. I’ve read that RHS link now but I’m still unclear- they say don’t use fungicide, so it’s really just a case of leaving it, then disposing of the leaves carefully. What is the worst case scenario here, am I likely to end up with a bald tree in mid summer, or could the tree die altogether? If I ignore the RHS no fungicide recommendation, is it worth treating the leaves I can reach, or is that a waste of time?

They are pretty definite on no fungicide if you’re planning to eat the fruit.

worst scenario seems to be not much fruit and loss of quite a few leaves. And if you get rid of as many leaves as you can, and next year isn’t as wet as this, you should be back to normal.

FWIW I’m not doing anything to mine.

Thanks. If it’s a toss up between binning the fruit and losing the shade from the tree in summer I’d happily not eat the fruit. Helpful to hear you are optimistic about recovery next year- though I guess we are always at mercy of the weather!

Look at it this way - in a summer like this you won’t need the shade and if you do need the shade, it’s not good conditions for the fungus