How to Grow Medlars | Complete Growing Guide

At a Glance

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Sunlight	6-8 hours direct sun
Soil texture	Tolerates a range; light, medium or heavy (PFAF)
Drainage	Well-drained; tolerant of most soils except very chalky or poorly drained ground (RHS)
Lifecycle	Deciduous tree, self-fertile and bee-pollinated -- only one tree is needed for a crop (RHS; PFAF). PFAF records 3-4 years to first fruiting.
Edible parts	fruit

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: Prefers moist soil but is drought-tolerant once established (PFAF); needs shelter from strong winds and late frosts (RHS).

Growth Stages

Stage	BBCH	Notes
Planting and establishment	0	Plant during dormancy, late autumn to early spring; stake young trees and site at least 5m from other trees or buildings, sheltered from wind and late frost (RHS). PFAF notes 3-4 years to first fruiting.
Vegetative growth	3	Train as bush (70-90cm clear trunk), half-standard (1.2-1.5m) or standard (1.8-2.1m) form; winter pruning removes only dead wood and congested shoots, since medlar is a tip-bearer and fruits on the ends of small side-shoots that must be left largely alone (RHS).
Flowering	6	Self-fertile and bee-pollinated -- only one tree is needed (RHS; PFAF). PFAF records flowering May-June.
Fruiting, harvest and bletting	8	Harvest October-November once fruit stalks detach easily (RHS). Fruit is hard and bitter straight from the tree and must be bletted -- laid out in a cool, dark, frost-free, well-ventilated place for 2-3 weeks until soft, darker brown and slightly wrinkled -- before it is edible (RHS).

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Pick October-November once stalks detach easily from the branch (RHS). PFAF records wild fruit at about 25mm diameter, cultivated varieties 65mm or more.

Storage

Blet on trays in a cool, dark, frost-free, well-ventilated place for 2-3 weeks until soft, darker brown and slightly wrinkled -- bletting converts starches to sugars and reduces acids and tannins, since unbletted fruit is hard and bitter (RHS; PFAF). Traditionally made into amber jelly, or eaten raw once bletted, with a flavour likened to apple puree with citrus, date and apricot notes (RHS).

Diseases

Brown rot (apple)

low

Monilinia fructigena

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page as "brown rot"; recorded against the existing pome-fruit brown rot entity since medlar is a close pome-fruit relative of apple and quince.

Powdery mildew

low

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page as "powdery mildews".

Quince leaf blight

low

Diplocarpon mespili

Named directly on RHS's own growing-guide page, causing spotting and leaf drop; the same disease already linked to Quince, another close relative in the same tribe.

Medlar Photo Gallery

Tree laden with fruit

A medlar tree laden with ripe fruit in autumn.

Fruit detail

Close-up of a medlar fruit showing its distinctive open eye.

Flower

A white medlar flower.

Flower on a branch

Medlar flower and leaves on a branch.

Whole tree

A whole medlar tree.

Autumn colour

Medlar fruit among yellow autumn leaves.

Harvested fruit

A pile of harvested medlar fruit, ready for bletting.

Leaf and fruit

A medlar leaf and fruit on the branch.

Fresh bud

A fresh medlar leaf bud.

References

1. Plants For A Future (PFAF) - Mespilus germanica (medlar)

   USDA zones 5-9, UK zone 6. Medium growth rate, 6m height/spread, 3-4yrs to fruit. Flowers May-June, seed ripens November. Soil: light/medium/heavy, well-drained, mildly acid/neutral/mildly alkaline, prefers moist, drought-tolerant once established. Full sun, tolerates semi-shade. Propagation: seed (2 winters to germinate, needs warm soak + cold stratification), cuttings (low success), layering (18mo). No specific pests/diseases documented by this source. Native to temperate Asia (Iran, Iraq, Caucasus), naturalised in Britain, cultivated across Europe. Edible: fruit raw/cooked, requires bletting in cooler climates, wild fruit 25mm, cultivars 65mm+. Self-fertile, bee-pollinated. Tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. Heart-root system.

2. Royal Horticultural Society - How to grow medlars

   Self-pollinating. Soil: deep fertile well-drained, tolerant of most soils except very chalky/poorly drained. Full sun, tolerates partial shade, needs shelter from wind/late frost, site 5m+ from other trees/buildings. Plant dormancy (late autumn-early spring). Rootstocks: hawthorn or quince (Quince A semi-vigorous, Quince C dwarfing), grafted trees 4-6m. Training: bush/half-standard/standard forms. Tip-bearer -- fruits on tips of small side-shoots, prune carefully to preserve these; winter pruning removes dead/congested wood only. Harvest Oct-Nov when stalks detach easily; blet 2-3 weeks in cool dark frost-free ventilated spot until soft/dark brown/wrinkled; traditionally made into amber jelly. Pests/diseases: brown rot, powdery mildews, quince leaf blight (spotting/leaf drop) -- generally hardy and problem-free; poor crops usually from late-frost blossom damage. Propagation: named varieties grafted; seed slow and variable.

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.