Guava flavor or lack of

[Nisp66]

I have a Turnbull white guava that  last crop had no flavor at all. Very good size but what a waste of fruit. The previous year it was very good. I was wondering if this may be due to either over watering or not enough. What is the water requirement for Guavas. Is it like Mango that if you water too much it loses flavor? Thanks

[greenman62]

i had gotten a red and a white from Home Despot for $2 each a few years ago.
the first year i got very few fruits, and while none were great
the red tated much better.
the next year, the white was absolutely amazing.
sweet, soft etc... so much better than the Mex cream i have also.
we just had a freeze a couple of months ago, and both were unprotected.
they are coming back, but only the lower part of the tree. it killed all smaller branches.
i dont know if i will even get fruit this year.

i dont know what was the difference in taste.
the white was planted on sand, though i did add lots of mulch,
leaf litter, and fish emulsion.
maybe it just took that long for the soil to get better ?
But the red didnt taste any better, so, i dont know, maybe the white just had better genes.

[pineislander]

It seems that lots of things can influence fruit quality. I was speaking to a Pomello grower yesterday who explained that lack of water can cause that fruit to draw water back out of the fruit to it's detriment.

[Nisp66]

I also think it may be due to lack of water. I will increase watering times to see what happens. Thanks for your inputs.

[Guayaba]

I also think it may be due to lack of water. I will increase watering times to see what happens. Thanks for your inputs.

I have a few guava varieties but not the Turnbull.  I have noticed that if I don't provide a good amount of water from flowering time to fruit maturity, the amount and quality of fruit is lower.  The best fruit that my guavas have produced is when I water it well through spring and summer.  The fruit is large, juicy, and sweet with extra watering.  Guavas are rather drought tolerant, but at least in my area, lack of water produces inferior fruit.  Don't forget to fertilize regularly and add mulch too, this should help with the fruit quality.

[Viking Guy]

Guavas are thirsty creatures.

Mine have fast draining soil and get water everyday.  The smaller potted ones get their pots dunked once in a while too.  Keeps them happy and healthy.

[greenman62]

yeah
mine seem to be a lot happier when they get water if its hot.
they seem to love rich organic soil too.

When its hot and they are growing fast
they seem to suck up organic material
i have to repot them often, and when i do
it seems there is only sand and perlite left.