Medlar care guide: when & how to prune, fertilize and spray

When: 2–8 weeks before the last spring frost.

• zones 3–5: about Mar 15 – Apr 26
• zones 6–7: about Feb 18 – Apr 1
• zones 8–10: about Dec 31 – Feb 11

Medlars naturally form a picturesque, spreading head. Light pruning keeps it healthy without removing flowering tips.

1. Remove dead, crossing and inward-growing branches, plus suckers from below the graft.
2. Thin crowded areas, cutting back to a side branch. Avoid shortening every shoot.
3. On young trees, choose 3–5 well-spaced main branches.

Tools: Bypass pruners, Loppers

When: from 2 weeks before to 2 weeks after the last spring frost.

• zones 3–5: about Apr 26 – May 24
• zones 6–7: about Apr 1–29
• zones 8–10: about Feb 11 – Mar 11

One light feeding or a compost top-dressing is plenty.

1. Top-dress with compost, or apply a balanced organic fertilizer at half the label rate.

What to use: 🌿 Finished compost or composted manure · 🌿 Balanced organic granular fertilizer (e.g. Espoma Plant-tone 5-3-3)

When: 2–6 weeks after the last spring frost.

• zones 3–5: about May 24 – Jun 21
• zones 6–7: about Apr 29 – May 27
• zones 8–10: about Mar 11 – Apr 8

Mulch keeps roots cool and moist, suppresses weeds and slowly feeds the soil. Applying it after the soil warms lets roots wake up first.

1. Spread 2–3 in (5–7 cm) of mulch over the root zone.
2. Keep mulch 2–3 in (5–7 cm) away from stems and trunks. Mulch piled against bark invites rot and rodents.
3. Don't go deeper than 3 in (7 cm) in total. Too much mulch suffocates roots.

What to use: 🌿 Shredded hardwood or pine bark mulch

When: from the first fall frost to 4 weeks after.

• zones 3–5: about Oct 1–29
• zones 6–7: about Oct 25 – Nov 22
• zones 8–10: about Dec 1–29

Medlars are hard and astringent when picked. They must soften (blet) before eating.

1. Pick in late fall after the leaves start to drop, on a dry day, before hard freezes.
2. Lay the fruit eye-down in a single layer on trays in a cool, airy spot.
3. After 2–4 weeks, the flesh turns brown and soft. That's ready, not rotten. Scoop it out with a spoon or cook into jelly.

When: from the first fall frost to 4 weeks after.

• zones 3–5: about Oct 1–29
• zones 6–7: about Oct 25 – Nov 22
• zones 8–10: about Dec 1–29

Spores of leaf spot overwinter on fallen leaves and splash back up in spring. Removing them is the single best way to prevent next year's outbreak.

1. Rake up and remove fallen leaves and dropped fruit from under the plant.
2. Bag diseased material or put it in the trash. Don't compost it unless your pile gets hot (140°F/60°C+).
3. Cut out any dead or obviously diseased twigs you can see.

Tools: Rake, Bypass pruners