Author Topic: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?  (Read 3136 times)

Perplexed

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Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« on: September 11, 2017, 11:36:22 PM »
I'm in zone 7b and im wondering if feijoa can thrive in my area?

Zarafet

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2017, 12:55:10 AM »
Mine survived 3 frosts without protection. 29 degrees 30 degrees and 31 degrees the same year.  Other plants died back and the feijoa LAUGHED at mother nature.

BestDay

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2017, 12:55:18 PM »
I don't know how cold hardy they are but I would say very.   I have seen pictures of them growing in snow!  They are popular in Russia for this reason.

Bill

Solko

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2017, 01:12:58 PM »
Mine have survived -8 Celsius. But others have died in winters with more snow and longer frosts. Not necessarily colder, but just longer frost periods. It is the snow that kills them. If you have a way to get the snow off their leaves quickly they may even take more frost.
And plants with their roots deep in the ground come back after hard frosts. Plants in pots have no thermal mass to protect their roots and they die at -8 Celsius
Hope that helps

AndrewAZ

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2017, 11:44:53 PM »
I lived in Hampton, VA, zone 7b/8a.  I grew it. The norfolk, VA botanical garden grew it as a hedge.

nattyfroootz

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #5 on: September 13, 2017, 08:38:20 PM »
Just saw some Feijoa planted out outside of Zion National Park in Utah. Pretty surprised to see it all the way out there. Looking at USDA map thats from 5b-7b.
Grow cooler fruits

www.wildlandsplants.com

huertasurbanas

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2017, 10:27:35 PM »
There are reports from France: -12º C is ok, and there is some people saying they can resist -15ºC but I would say no, just -11ºC or -12ºC.

Heinrich

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2017, 05:47:27 PM »
My two Feijoa seedling plants, planted in ground three years ago, survived this last winter with a very cold January, and passive protection only. This January 2017, minimum temperatures between -10°C (14°F) and -18°C (0°F) were officially measured on 14 nights. I intend to write a thread about passive frost protection.

SeaWalnut

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2019, 04:26:51 AM »
Tested in Bulgaria to minus 16 C.I have 2 seedlings wich i plan to plant them outdoor in zone 6 .Good advice about planting them deep and to clean them of snow.

Hil

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #9 on: July 30, 2019, 10:29:09 AM »
In zone 7 they would need a good micro-climate and some protection during hard frosts. In my parent's garden in The Netherlands (a few kilometers from the coast, zone 8b) I planted two feijoa bushes 5 years ago. They have several flowers during the summer and have given about 3 or 4 fruits over the years. They are still small, so we hope that they will give more in the future. They do have a hard time in winter and drop all their leaves. I think the coldest temperature that they have experienced is about -8/-9 degrees Celsius (16/17 degrees Fahrenheit). So I think huertasurbanas is right about the -12 degrees Celsius limit (10 degrees Fahrenheit).
In France they are more common, but probably only in the areas with less hard frosts (zones 8 & 9).

Tested in Bulgaria to minus 16 C.I have 2 seedlings wich i plan to plant them outdoor in zone 6 .Good advice about planting them deep and to clean them of snow.

Wouldn't snow protect the plants against the hard frosts?

SeaWalnut

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #10 on: July 30, 2019, 11:07:59 AM »
I think the snow kills them because they are evergreen.Cant make photosinthesis.My seedlings grow quite fast.They are.just 6 months old from seed and one is @ 45 cm tall. 

pvaldes

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #11 on: July 30, 2019, 01:11:22 PM »
Mine (20 years in the garden) didn't even shrug at -5C
« Last Edit: July 30, 2019, 01:20:02 PM by pvaldes »

Hil

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #12 on: July 30, 2019, 07:36:02 PM »
I think the snow kills them because they are evergreen.Cant make photosinthesis.My seedlings grow quite fast.They are.just 6 months old from seed and one is @ 45 cm tall. 

A few months without photosynthesis shouldn't be a problem. Near the coast in Holland (zone 8b) they drop their leaves in winter. So there is no photosynthesis going on for many months. In spring the leaves return and by summer they are looking healthy (see pic below from a few weeks ago). So in cold winters they act deciduous, but can thrive nonetheless. The minimum temperatures in zone 6 would make me worry a lot more, unless they are in that geodesic greenhouse  ;D

SeaWalnut

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #13 on: July 31, 2019, 03:11:26 AM »
I think the snow kills them because they are evergreen.Cant make photosinthesis.My seedlings grow quite fast.They are.just 6 months old from seed and one is @ 45 cm tall. 

A few months without photosynthesis shouldn't be a problem. Near the coast in Holland (zone 8b) they drop their leaves in winter. So there is no photosynthesis going on for many months. In spring the leaves return and by summer they are looking healthy (see pic below from a few weeks ago). So in cold winters they act deciduous, but can thrive nonetheless. The minimum temperatures in zone 6 would make me worry a lot more, unless they are in that geodesic greenhouse  ;D

Im in zone 6 but i have a tall hill on the north side and my house is facing south on top of a smaller hill.That creates a microclimate like 7 from the original 6 and near the house its probably zone 8.
But you are right,i will keep the feijoas in the dome when the serious freezing starts.I only have 2 plants and if one dies from the cold then the otther will not set fruit even if it survives.
Outdoor i will try to plant Ugni Molinae.Its more cold hardy than feijoa and propagates easily from cuttings.

Hil

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Re: Feijoa - Acca sellowiana cold hardiness?
« Reply #14 on: July 31, 2019, 04:44:49 PM »
Im in zone 6 but i have a tall hill on the north side and my house is facing south on top of a smaller hill.That creates a microclimate like 7 from the original 6 and near the house its probably zone 8.
But you are right,i will keep the feijoas in the dome when the serious freezing starts.I only have 2 plants and if one dies from the cold then the otther will not set fruit even if it survives.
Outdoor i will try to plant Ugni Molinae.Its more cold hardy than feijoa and propagates easily from cuttings.
Microclimates can make a difference, as long as you have some spares you can always test the cold hardiness in yours :)
Good luck!