Pineapple guava

Pineapple guava: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Dense, rounded evergreen shrub, 2–3 m tall and wide; smaller in a pot.

Leaves

Oval, leathery, 5–7 cm, opposite; grey-green above, felted silvery white beneath.

Flower

3–4 cm, four fleshy petals, white outside and pink inside, with a tuft of long dark red stamens; in June–July.

Fruit

Egg-shaped, green, 4–7 cm, with fragrant sweet-sour flesh and small edible seeds. Ripens in October–November.

Scent

Ripe fruits are strongly aromatic; the flowers hardly smell.

Flowering: June–July · Harvest and fruit: June–July and October–November · Plants: April–May · Pruning: April

Why grow it?

• An evergreen shrub with attractive silvery-grey foliage, decorative all year.
• Exotic red and white flowers in June–July, with sweet petals you can eat.
• After a warm summer: aromatic fruits in late autumn.
• Bees visit the flowers for their pollen.
• Hardier than most exotic fruiting shrubs, and suitable as an evergreen hedge in a sheltered garden.

Pineapple guava: where does it grow best?

• Full sun and as warm as possible: against a south- or west-facing wall the fruit ripens best.
• Free-draining sandy or loamy soil, acid to neutral; chalky soil turns the leaves yellow.
• Normal, moisture-retentive soil that does not get waterlogged.
• Sheltered from cold winds, especially in winter.
• Plant 2–3 m apart, or 1 m apart as a hedge.

Light

Sun

Soil type

Sand or loam

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Moisture

Normal

Size

3 m tall, 3 m wide

Hardiness

Half hardy (to -12 °C): protect it in harsh winters

Goes well with

• Olive: Silvery-grey leaves and the same liking for a warm, sunny spot.
• Fig: Another fruit tree for the warm south-facing wall.
• Lavender: Grey-blue underplanting that attracts bees.
• Rosemary: Evergreen and Mediterranean, for the same sunny border.

Pineapple guava: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Plant in April or May, so it has a whole summer to root in before winter.
2. Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and mix in compost.
3. Set the plant at the same depth as in the pot and firm the soil well.
4. For a better crop, plant two different cultivars near each other.
5. Water in well straight away.
6. Spread a mulch of compost or bark around the base.

Care

Water

Regularly in dry spells during the first year. Later on, water too during flowering and fruit set, or the young fruits drop.

Feeding

In April, compost or an organic fertiliser for fruit bushes. In a pot, liquid feed every two weeks from May to August.

Mulching

A mulch keeps the soil moist in summer and protects the roots in winter.

Pollination

Moving pollen from flower to flower with a small brush improves fruit set, especially with only one plant.

Harvest

Ripe fruits drop on their own. Gather them every day and let them ripen for a few more days indoors.

Tip: Do not pick the fruits from the bush but gather them when they drop on their own: then they are ripe. Halve them and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Pineapple guava: when to prune it?

Pruning months: April.

When: It needs little pruning. Prune in April, once hard frosts are over.

How:

• Cut frosted and dead branches back to healthy wood.
• Thin the shrub lightly by removing a few old branches at the base, to let light into the centre.
• Trim a hedge lightly in April; trimming after flowering costs you the fruit.
• Let the rest of the shrub keep its natural shape.

Caution: Hard pruning costs flowers and fruit: better to prune a little every year than heavily every few years.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow seeds from a ripe fruit indoors in spring at 20 °C. They germinate readily, but seedlings take four to six years to fruit and do not always resemble the parent.

Semi-ripe cuttings

In August–September, take 10–15 cm cuttings in moist compost, under plastic with bottom heat. They root slowly and not always.

Layering

In spring, wound a low branch, pin it into the soil and sever it after a year.

Pineapple guava: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −12 °C: protect in harsh winters.

• Hardy to about −12 °C. In a sheltered spot it survives most Belgian winters.
• Protect young plants and those in an open, windy garden during hard frost with fleece and a thick mulch.
• In a pot: during frost move it somewhere cold and light, such as an unheated greenhouse. Water sparingly.
• A harsh winter can brown the leaves or kill shoots; cut them out in April and the shrub usually sprouts again.

Diseases and pests

• No fruit: The summer was too short or too cool, or there is no second plant for cross-pollination. Plant two cultivars, choose the warmest spot and help with a brush.
• Fruit drop: Young fruits fall during summer drought. Water regularly and mulch.
• Frost damage: Brown leaves and dead shoot tips after a harsh winter. Cut back to healthy wood in April.
• Scale insects: Brown bumps and sticky leaves, especially on pot plants overwintered indoors. Wipe off with a soft brush and soapy water.

Through the year

• January: Wrap up in hard frost. Keep potted plants cool and light.
• March: Remove protection in mild weather.
• April: Plant. Prune lightly. Give compost.
• May: Plant. Move potted plants outside.
• June: In flower. Taste the petals. Pollinate with a brush.
• July: In flower. Water in dry spells.
• August: Fruits swell. Keep watering.
• October: Ripe fruits drop: gather them daily.
• November: Harvest the last fruits. Mulch.
• December: Move potted plants somewhere frost-free.

Edible and useful

Flowers (June–July)

The fleshy pinkish-white petals in June and July taste sweet, a little of cinnamon and marshmallow. Pick only the petals and leave the centre with its red stamens, so the flower can still set fruit.

Fruit (October–November)

In Belgium and the Netherlands the green, egg-shaped fruits only ripen in October–November, and only after a warm summer and with two plants for pollination. They are ripe when they drop by themselves or come away with a gentle twist. Cut them in half and scoop out the fragrant flesh: it tastes of pineapple, guava and mint.

Storing

Ripe feijoas keep for a few days at room temperature, a week in the fridge. The flesh can be frozen or made into chutney and compote.

Caution: Feijoa is safe. Better not eat the skin: it is bitter and astringent. The flesh browns quickly: sprinkle it with lemon juice. The shrub tolerates about −12 °C: give it a sheltered, sunny spot.

Eating and using is at your own risk: see the terms of use.

Recipes

• Feijoa chutney (Other · ± 3 jars · 1 hr)

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The name feijoa honours João da Silva Feijó, a naturalist born in Brazil; the species name honours the German plant collector Friedrich Sellow.
• In its homeland the flowers are pollinated by birds that come to eat the sweet petals.
• In New Zealand feijoa is a much-loved garden fruit, found in many gardens in autumn.