The common medlar is an old cultivated plant and nowadays quite expensive to buy. If you want to have several specimens in your garden, you can multiply the plant with your own hands.
Method 1: Sowing
You can propagate the plant with the seeds of the medlar. However, this procedure is time-consuming. For this purpose, the seeds contained in the ripe fruits are removed and freed from the pulp and cleaned. The best period for this has come between November and early December.
The seeds can be planted directly outdoors. You can also sow the seeds in pots or boxes on the balcony or, after stratification, sow them in damp sand or peat in warm living spaces in spring. The seeds need a cold period to germinate. They remain viable for a maximum of 20 months and should be used within this period.
But be careful: it can take up to two years for the seeds to germinate. In addition, it takes a long time before the plants obtained from it bear fruit. For these reasons, it is less advisable to propagate the medlar from its seeds.
Method 2: cuttings
Propagation from cuttings is easier and quicker than sowing. But she carries a risk. Since the medlar does not tolerate pruning well, cuttings should be taken sparingly.
That's how it's done:
- Ideally, take no more than 3 cuttings from a healthy and older mother plant
- Use annual shoots that are 15 cm long
- Remove the lower leaves from the shoots
- Put the shoots in a glass with water or directly in the ground
- Keep soil evenly moist
- Plant out in spring
Method 3 and 4: root cuttings and grafting
Furthermore, the medlar can be propagated via root cuttings. These can be taken all year round on frost-free days. Cultivated forms are usually propagated by grafting. It has been shown that the medlar produces the best flavor when it has been grafted onto a pear. It can also be grafted onto quince or hawthorn.
tips and tricks
Young medlars should be provided with winter protection for the first two years after they have been released outdoors. They are only hardy in the third year.