How to grow Medlar in Australia

Where to plant

Medlars grow best in deep, fertile, well-drained soil, and cope with most soils except very chalky or waterlogged ones. They prefer full sun but still crop in part shade. The leaves and flowers are easily damaged by strong wind and late frost, so choose a warm, sheltered spot. The tree forms a broad canopy, so allow at least 5 m from other trees and buildings.

If planting in lawn, clear a circle of grass at least 1 m across so the young roots do not compete with turf.

• Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth: suited. Plant bare-root trees in winter. In Perth and Adelaide, water through dry summers.
• Sydney: crops best in the cooler west and the mountains; fruit set is lighter on the warm coast.
• South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers: not reliable. Medlars need a cool winter and crop poorly in humid summers.
• North Queensland and Darwin: not suited; there is no winter chill.

Choosing a variety

One tree is enough, as medlars are self-pollinating. Most trees are grafted onto quince or hawthorn roots, which keep them more compact than a seedling, which can reach about 6 m. Specialist fruit nurseries sell medlars as bare-root trees in winter; ask which varieties they stock, as the range in Australia is small.

How to plant

1. Plant in winter while the tree is dormant. Potted trees can go in at other times, but avoid hot, dry weather.
2. Soak a bare-root tree in a bucket of water for half an hour, or water a potted tree well.
3. Dig a hole as deep as the roots and wider than them. On poor soil, mix a bucket of compost into the soil you backfill with.
4. Plant at the same depth it grew before, with the graft above the soil, and firm in.
5. Add a short, angled stake, water in well and mulch, leaving a gap around the trunk.

Watering and feeding

Water a new tree regularly in dry spells through its first growing season, and during long dry spells for the next couple of years. Established trees in suitable soil need little extra water, though in hot, dry summers in Perth and Adelaide a deep soak during dry spells helps the fruit.

Spread 5 to 7.5 cm of compost or other mulch around the tree in late winter or early spring, keeping it off the trunk. A regularly mulched tree usually needs no other feeding. If crops are poor, apply a general-purpose organic fertiliser in early spring.

Pruning and care through the year

• Prune in winter while the tree is dormant. Shape a young tree like an apple or pear, aiming for an open, goblet-shaped canopy.
• Established trees need little pruning: remove congested, dead or damaged shoots and shorten branches that droop.
• Medlars fruit on the tips of short side shoots, so do not cut these off.
• Remove suckers that grow from below the graft.

Harvesting

Pick medlars in late autumn, in dry weather, when the stalk comes away easily. The fruit will still be hard and bitter and does not usually ripen on the tree.

To blet them, lay the fruit on trays in a cool, dark, airy, frost-free place, not touching, with the stalks facing up. After two to three weeks they turn soft, dark brown and slightly wrinkled. This is ripening, not rotting: the starches turn to sugars and the fruit becomes sweet, juicy and aromatic. Check them often and use them as soon as they are soft.

Using it

Scoop out the soft flesh and discard the leathery skin and large seeds. Bletted medlars are traditionally made into a fragrant amber jelly, used in sweet desserts, or eaten as they are, often with cheese.