Author Topic: feijoa pineapple guava  (Read 4933 times)

spaugh

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feijoa pineapple guava
« on: November 18, 2018, 12:55:59 PM »
Ive got a couple of them that are pretty large but they never flower.  Whats the deal?  Strawberry guavas planted the same time are loaded.  Is there something they need?  They are growing well but no flower.  One may have flowered but no fruit.
Brad Spaugh

Luisport

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2018, 01:29:19 PM »
That's strange, they should get loaded by fruit...  your trees are from some variety or from seed?

spaugh

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2018, 02:38:14 PM »
I dont onow how they were propogated.   Whatever the standard method is from nursery.  They are couple years old and nice big bushes that look very healthy, they just dont bloom.  Maybe I will try a bloom fertilizer on them.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2018, 02:40:35 PM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

Luisport

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2018, 03:13:44 PM »
I dont onow how they were propogated.   Whatever the standard method is from nursery.  They are couple years old and nice big bushes that look very healthy, they just dont bloom.  Maybe I will try a bloom fertilizer on them.
Yes it's a good idea...

PahoaJo

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2018, 04:26:14 PM »
If they are only a couple of years old, that is probably not old enough for them to be producing.  Give them time. Pineapple guava (Feijoa) is not in the same family as strawberry guava.  They are not actually guavas at all, so you shouldn't compare them to productivity of the strawberry guavas.

spaugh

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2018, 05:04:59 PM »
If they are only a couple of years old, that is probably not old enough for them to be producing.  Give them time. Pineapple guava (Feijoa) is not in the same family as strawberry guava.  They are not actually guavas at all, so you shouldn't compare them to productivity of the strawberry guavas.

Ok, thanks I will be patient.  They are going to be huge by the time they start fruiting.  Maybe next year will be the year.
Brad Spaugh

Jack, Nipomo

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #6 on: November 18, 2018, 05:43:22 PM »
Feijoa requires some winter chilling.  Our crop on apples, apricots, plums was way down this year as we had little frost.  Our feijoas (Triumph, Mammoth, 3 Edenvale varieties) all produced some fruit, but nothing like a normal year.

spaugh

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #7 on: November 18, 2018, 07:25:30 PM »
I was wondering about that Jack.  We had not much chill at all here last winter.

I will give it a another year or two.  If no fruit, they getting turned into mulch.
Brad Spaugh

HibachiDrama

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2018, 12:45:48 AM »
Are there any sources for superior varieties in the US?

fyliu

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #9 on: November 19, 2018, 01:35:32 AM »
Are there any sources for superior varieties in the US?
There are 2 that I know of in California. You can contact Mark Albert or Glen Woodmansee for their plants. I think Albert doesn't propagate directly but a friend of his propagates and sells his varieties.


Brad, what variety do you have? Is it the Coolidgei or Nazemetz from La Verne Nursery? I had very bad luck with my Coolidgei. I don't think it's self-fertile. With most feijoa, you need to have another variety to pollinate. Even 'unique' is probably better with a pollinator.

WGphil

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #10 on: November 19, 2018, 11:47:37 AM »
I bought seeds from tradewinds in California long ago

Just started bearing  and it’s a wonderful fruit



« Last Edit: November 19, 2018, 11:51:08 AM by WGphil »

spaugh

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #11 on: November 19, 2018, 02:41:24 PM »
Are there any sources for superior varieties in the US?
There are 2 that I know of in California. You can contact Mark Albert or Glen Woodmansee for their plants. I think Albert doesn't propagate directly but a friend of his propagates and sells his varieties.


Brad, what variety do you have? Is it the Coolidgei or Nazemetz from La Verne Nursery? I had very bad luck with my Coolidgei. I don't think it's self-fertile. With most feijoa, you need to have another variety to pollinate. Even 'unique' is probably better with a pollinator.

I don't think they are named types.  One was from exotica and the other from walter andersens.  No idea who propogated them or what types thry are. 
Brad Spaugh

ntpphong

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2018, 12:17:30 AM »
Quick question, do these ripen off tree? I just bought a few to try before buying the tree but I don’t think that they are ripe yet(still hard).

jako9403

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #13 on: November 20, 2018, 12:32:02 AM »
I have had this problem too, it’s a lack of chill hours. I hope you will get some fruit soon!

buddy roo

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #14 on: November 20, 2018, 02:41:11 AM »
Quick question, do these ripen off tree? I just bought a few to try before buying the tree but I don’t think that they are ripe yet(still hard).
they fall of the tree when ripe, and they should be pretty firm

WGphil

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #15 on: November 20, 2018, 07:39:36 AM »
Fell off and needed some counter time to ripen

I’m tearing out some azalea hedge and replacing it with feijoa

ntpphong

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #16 on: November 20, 2018, 04:35:25 PM »
Quick question, do these ripen off tree? I just bought a few to try before buying the tree but I don’t think that they are ripe yet(still hard).
they fall of the tree when ripe, and they should be pretty firm

Well I bought some locally since I wanted to try them before buying the tree, but I think the ones I bought were picked off the tree and not fell down from ripening.

CA Hockey

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #17 on: November 21, 2018, 03:00:06 AM »
I bought a small tree a few months ago that is now defoliated due to the recent winds. I’m not sure if I’ll keep it or not. I tried fruit from a friends tree and wasn’t impressed at all. There was an odd bitter aftertaste. I don’t mind giving it some time but it wasn’t love at first sight

Bush2Beach

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #18 on: November 21, 2018, 01:49:57 PM »
I think there are varieties that fruit in higher heat area’s like Brad’s but those may not be singled out for those attributes yet. In mild Nor Cal weather they are planted as ornamental hedge , 50%+ of people have no idea they fruit. There are 100’s if not thousands of tree’s planted in sidewalk strips across town. Some bushes get 25 feet tall and wide , you can hedge them or shape them how you want.
It’s a delicious fruit that when perfectly ripe will have a little give in the middle, like a peach or close to it.
Sweet , tropical flavors, the inside should be juicy pulp , not dry at all. A slight red tint can accompany the pulp like a finger lime caviar’s at the ripest part of harvest. Though tolerable of drought and many conditions, probably not a good fruit to grow in the desert.

venturabananas

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #19 on: November 21, 2018, 04:56:39 PM »
If you are looking for named varieties (grafted or rooted from cuttings), One Green World and Bay Flora both have some available.  I've bought feijoa from both of them recently and have been happy with what I received.  Smallish, but nice plants.  It seems pretty hard to track down named varieties that don't require knowing a friend of a friend.

spaugh

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #20 on: November 21, 2018, 05:40:37 PM »
Well I went and looked at the plants today.  Apparently it did set fruit.  There were a few fruits laying under it.  Never noticed them on the plant.





Brad Spaugh

venturabananas

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #21 on: November 21, 2018, 05:55:44 PM »
Well I went and looked at the plants today.  Apparently it did set fruit.  There were a few fruits laying under it.  Never noticed them on the plant.






The fruits really blend in with the foliage.  I'm always surprised by how many come off the trees in my neighborhood despite not seeing a lot of them hanging.

hawkfish007

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #22 on: November 21, 2018, 06:01:41 PM »
Well I went and looked at the plants today.  Apparently it did set fruit.  There were a few fruits laying under it.  Never noticed them on the plant.






Good to know, I recently planted a 5-gallon pineapple guava without tasting the fruit. How do you like the fruit?

spaugh

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #23 on: November 21, 2018, 07:02:20 PM »
The fruits are ok.  Nothing special.  The ones off my plant were rotten but Ive had them off a friends plant before.  Its just something to fill in empty corners of my garden.  I have them more of a decorative setup around some large granite boulders.  Its kind of a weed plant.  They grow really easily.
Brad Spaugh

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Re: feijoa pineapple guava
« Reply #24 on: November 21, 2018, 11:29:29 PM »
Next time your feijoa blooms, try a few of the flower petals. Even if the fruit is mediocre, the petals should taste sweet and lightly perfumed. I don't know if the petal quality varies by variety like the fruit does, but the petals I've had off my Nazemetz and Coolidge have been delicious. They're a unique and often unknown quality of the plant.