How to Trim a Quince

Wait until the early spring when you see the flower blossoms emerge on the quince shrub. Examine the shrub during flowering and tie a piece of string around any stem that does not bloom. Then wait until the flowers fade and prune immediately. The flowers on quince shrubs typically only last for one to two weeks.

Put on protective eyewear, long sleeves and long pants prior to proceeding with pruning. Quince shrubs have thorns on them that will prick the skin.

Locate one of the quince stems that contains a string and trace it back to the point it emerges from another stem or all the way to the ground. Cut the stem off using hand pruners or loppers. Repeat the process to remove all other nonblooming stems from the quince.

Look at the overall branching pattern of the shrub and remove any stems that do not grow straight up, or ones that damage other stems by rubbing against them. Remove each at the location they emerge from either the ground or another stem.

Reduce the height of the quince by locating the tallest stems and cutting them all the way back to the surface of the ground. When cutting the oldest stems, cut them from various locations on the bush so that no hole appears in the foliage.

Rejuvenate the quince shrub whenever it is too large, or when the blooming begins to deteriorate severely. To rejuvenate, cut the stems back to between 1 and 8 inches above the ground using pruning shears or loppers. Gather up the cut stems and toss them into a composter.