Johann Kuntz

I've observed that 'Ken's Red' is a low vigor variety so that may be part of what you're noticing.  

It sounds like you've planted Actinidia arguta females (although 'Ken's Red' is a hybrid), but your male is A. kolomikta  I don't think there will be reliable bloom overlap for good pollination if that is the case.  That said, your females probably aren't even flowering since they're currently focused on climbing.  My observation has been that A. arguta selections flower on branches which are leaning/flopping and not on the upright, vigorously climbing portions.  I've gotten them to flower young by simply not giving them anything to climb.  I think once yours settle in and start growing across the top they will begin flowering.

I'm curious if you have any updates on growing hardy kiwi on your wet property.  I've actually found they like a lot of moisture and suffer when too dry.  I've not actually tried planting any in a wetland soil, but have kept potted hardy kiwi sitting in trays of water year round which they seemed to appreciate.  I had no issues with any of them rotting or otherwise suffering from the regular moisture.  For reference I have both Actinidia arguta (hardy kiwi) and A. kolomikta Arctic kiwi.

So I guess the apple/pear flavor notes are subjective.  Today I made some Cathay quince biscuits using cooked pulp mixed with a little unflavored yogurt plus flour, salt, baking powder and almond extract.  I shared them with a couple other people and one of them commented that they could taste apple flavor in them.  It didn't make me think of apples though.  Either way they tasted great.  We ate them in a variety of ways.  They were great with just butter, also with jam, also with cheese and even with marshmallows... lol

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:In my opinion the taste of the Chaenomeles fruits is only comparable a little bit with the ordinary quince (Cydonia) and not with anything else.

I agree with you that the fruit of Chaenomeles is quite different from that of true quince.  Aside from both being high in pectin and hard when raw they are quite different.  True quince has less acidity and more complexity in the flavor.  It can be eaten by itself whereas Chaenomeles should be treated as an ingredient for mixing with other things.  Chaenomeles also cooks so quickly compared to true quince.

I hope in time people will stop advising that Chaenomeles can be used simply as a substitute for true quince and instead recognize it for its own unique traits.

Greg Martin wrote:Have you run across any flowering quinces with licorice flavor?  I found that with 'Orange Delight'.  I've also read descriptions online of some varieties tasting of vanilla or pineapple, but I've yet to notice those flavors in any that I've tried.  Seems like there's lots of potential.

I acquired 'Orange Delight' earlier this year and will hopefully get to taste my first fruit from it next year.  I actually had not heard any flavor descriptions for it, but got it purely on a hunch that it may be self-fertile for fruit set which is a trait I'm very interested in incorporating into my *Chaenomeles* breeding.  I suspect the pineapple flavor description is just another way for people to say they taste dominantly sour in the same way I say lemon.  I personally think it would need to have a lot of sweetness to compliment the tartness before I would compare any of them to pineapple, but perhaps if cooked and sweetened adequately that flavor might be more noticeable.  I'd be very interested if you found one with vanilla flavor.  That's not anything I've encountered with them so far, but they do pair well with vanilla when I add it to them in cooking.

Greg Martin wrote: Does the lemon flavor of cathay quince have bonus flavors that differ its flavor from lemon, such as a bit of apple or pear or floral tones?  Also, do you know how much shade cathay quince can tolerate?

I've never noticed any apple or pear flavors in any flowering quince fruit, though I wouldn't be surprised if variations exist as there are many cultivars I have not tried.  A lemon like acidity has been the dominant flavor in all that I have tasted.  I'm fairly certain Cathay quince could tolerate bright shade, but my recommendation would be to give it as much sun as possible.  Its thorns are serious business and because of that I would choose a sunny spot to encourage the most upright growth habit for easiest management.  If it's getting more shade it's more likely to be less upright and more leaning which will make it harder to get to the fruit for harvest, though probably ideal if you were wanting it to form a barrier.

Yesterday I posted about Chaenomeles cathayensis on a different forum and today I found this thread!  I'm very obsessed with Chaenomeles I guess cause I've got a bunch of cultivars as well as doing some breeding work.  I just harvested about 120 hybrid seeds developed from crossing C. cathayensis with C. speciosa cv. 'Toyo Nishiki'.  Hoping to develop some more dual purpose cultivars that are good producers and also attractive in the garden.

Here's a link to my thread on Chaenomeles cathayensis:
https://growingfruit.org/t/cathay-quince-chaenomeles-cathayensis/48991?u=johannsgarden

FYI, soil naturally contains arsenic so keep in mind that if the supplement you're adding only contains the same or lower levels of arsenic than average soil then it isn't something to be stressing about.

Normal arsenic levels in soil are 1 to 40 mg/kg with a mean average of 5 mg/kg.

While this post is already a few years old, I wanted to add a bit of info that will add some context to the conversation.

Medlar does not root easily from cuttings, but it can by rooted by layering.  Layering is a fine solution for small scale increase of trees for personal use or for sharing with a couple neighbors.  However, when nurseries are propagating medlar it is most practical to simply propagate them by grafting as it is the quickest way to make the most new trees out of the smallest amount of starting material.  If the rootstock used actually does result in smaller trees that would be a side affect and not the primary reason the medlar trees were grafted.  Regardless of genetic size potential, any fruit tree can be kept at dwarf or semi-dwarf size via summer pruning.  Just don't make the mistake of doing all your fruit tree pruning while they are dormant since that is when you prune to promote vigorous new growth (the opposite of keeping the trees small).  

It sounds like your pond is in need of some fast growing native water plants which will be able to grow very fast to consume a lot of nitrogen while also providing functional value for wildlife.

Wetland plants (in fertile areas) tend to grow very fast so I am only making two suggestions which I have already confirmed to be native in Kentucky and so won't cause any issues with invasiveness.  

Nelumbo lutea is the native lotus with yellow flowers (not to be confused with the Asian lotus which may have white or pink flowers.  This is a large plant that will cover a lot of "ground" with lots of shade being produced by its umbrella of leaves which will help inhibit algae growth in addition to removing nutrients from the water.  A bonus is that this plant makes edible rhizomes as well as seeds both for humans and wildlife.

Sagittaria latifolia is known as katniss, wapato or arrowhead.  This plant will also grow and spread very fast in high nitrogen water and although its leaves aren't as large as lotus they have the remarkable habit of being very narrow in low nitrogen water and very wide in high nitrogen water.  Not only will they consume lots of nitrogen, but in higher nitrogen water their leaves will also provide more shade than in lower nitrogen water (algae needs the sunshine to grow).  Additionally, it will function as an indicator for how much progress is being made.  If you succeed in lowering the nitrogen levels you will see its leaf shape actively trending narrower on younger leaves.  Like the yellow flowered lotus, this plant also has an edible portion.  It makes starchy overwintering corms each fall which can be harvested (by stirring the mud so they float) and eaten as a vegetable.  It is also food for wildlife.   While this plant does grow anchored in the muddy pond bottom around the edges where the water isn't too deep, it can also be just thrown into the water without planting which will allow it to float around where the water is too deep for either it or the lotus to grow.  

To summarize, these two plants will both combat the algae in two ways; by significantly reducing the amount of sun which can reach the algae and by consuming its food source.