I hate it, but I don't want to kill it

==>>> thats not my definition of hate .. get back to me.. when you want to be done with it ...

ken

ps: i doubt anything short of a 2 foot deep barrier will stop it .. and i would bet a nickel ... i will go under that.. in the long run ...

pps: i bet my only other nickle.. you can find other things the hummers will appreciate.. which can replace it ...

I find that my quince roots from branches that touch the ground more than underground suckering. So you could try trimming the lowest branches to see if that helps. However, yours sounds like it's in the wrong place, regardless. I'd find an alternative hummingbird plant and when it's achieved some size, get rid of the quince. I imagine that if you cut it to ground level and then paint the outside (just inside the bark) of the stump's cut surface with strong Roundup or a brush killer, it will kill it back, though it may take a couple of applications. Alternatively, cut it to ground level and every few days remove any foliage that tries to sprout. New branches will be soft/tender enough to break off with your fingers and so can be quickly removed if you keep up with it. Another alternative after cutting to ground level is to mow over it often or take the weed whizzer to any new foliage every couple of weeks. It will take longer to kill it this way, however, since you aren't keeping ALL the foliage removed. No vine or other plant will kill a quince for you.

I've been battling one in the yard of my newly purchased home. I've dug up yews, maple tree saplings, tree of heaven saplings but I swear quince is kicking my but. They have so many runners, and a very large difficult to remove stump. I removed a stump only to find that the runners all lead to newly formed stumps. I wish I had a back hoe to get rid of it or that I could just afford to move. I hate the stuff. Its downright ugly if you ask me.

Hi @ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 - I definitely HATE my quince and have a deep burning desire to KILL it - have been battling it for years. The roots go straight down way more than 2 ft. Every time a shoot pops up, I TRY digging it out as deep as I can (maybe 2ft+, cut the root, and pour boiling water on the cut root). And, the roots don't always seem like they are going back to the original trunk location - they just to STRAIGHT down, and I can't even pull them out after digging 2+ft. The original bush grew right next to a stone wall and I cut it back as best I could and tried pouring pots of broiling water on it multiple times to try to kill the stump next to the wall. Some branches burn and die back, but this thing won't die. My next step is to disassemble the stone wall and try to dig out the stump as deep as I can go, but the stones are HUGE and this is going to be a real project to disassemble and re-stack. These shoots keep popping up within 10ft of the original location, and just don't stop. Any other ideas besides grenades, or a lighting a pit of gasoline around it? It's been home to giant wasps nests hidden in it's branches, has painful thorns, and doesn't die - it's just an evil plant that's ruining my garden and my life!

I've been hating and killing my quince for 14 months now. I've had it reduced to nothing....twice, and as of yesterday it was a 4' x 4' shrub....again. Today, since we're going to be away for a week, and I would have been horrified with what I would find upon our return, I went after it again with the weed wacker. Reduced to nothing, once again, but it will not be the end.

One interesting feature, when you whack it with a string trimmer (or, pour boiling water on it, which I also did once!) it smells delightfully of almonds!