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Pineapple Guava

Posted by Las_Palmas_Norte Zone8 (My Page) on
Tue, Jun 14, 05 at 12:51

Just wondering how everyones Pineapple Guava shrubs (Feijoa sellowiana) are doing? I left a nice 6 footer behind at my last home 4 years ago, and not too much for flowering at the time. I've planted a new one here and it's only about 2 and a half feet tall. I hear there are some nice well established old specimen around the PNW.

Cheers, Barrie.


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Pineapple Guava

  • Posted by Ron_B USDA 8 WA (My Page) on
    Tue, Jun 14, 05 at 14:31

I know of a couple that are 6 ft. or more in Seattle. Flowering is somewhat sparse, as with yours. Garden centers have beens stocking it, winters have been mild, so smaller examples are fairly easily found while walking around urban residential neighborhoods.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

Mine has just started to grow nicely this past week; no blooms, though.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

I've had mine for 10 years. It is 9 feet tall because every year I pinch it repeatedly and height-prune to boot.
It would grow about 30" in all directions otherwise. In years of cold weather all leaves will brown and fall, but the plant will leaf, bloom, and fruit in spring/summer anyway.

Two blossoms open so far; at least 500 buds to open in next 2 or 3 weeks.

Harvested 176 fruits last year, an average crop.

On the other hand, a feller just down the street has one for at least 3 years and it is doing nothing. He is real good with plants, so I don't why that plant is stubborn.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

  • Posted by Ron_B USDA 8 WA (My Page) on
    Wed, Jun 15, 05 at 3:08

Heard tonight about another one that is fruiting pretty well in Seattle.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

  • Posted by Jens 8 west seattle (My Page) on
    Fri, Jun 17, 05 at 0:57

Mine is only about 32" & slow going. I've only had it just about 1 1/2 years so I am being patient. Glad to hear it will harvest here, eventually.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

  • Posted by Ron_B USDA 8 WA (My Page) on
    Fri, Jun 17, 05 at 2:18

It MAY produce fruits eventually.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

Mine aren't blooming yet. They are about 4' tall and have never set fruit. They lived through December 1998 though in about the coldest part of my garden (temperature might have been about 10 - 12 F). I have heard that fruit set it more likely if you have two different clones of this plant that can cross pollinate each other.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

My parents have had one in a pot for 10 or more years in Bothell, Washington at 350 ft elevation. My Mom never knew that the plant might be affected by cold so she never planted in the ground until recently. It has bloomed like crazy every year, but the fruit, when produced, lasted until March at the latest, then fall off. At that point they were never even been close to being ripe ( 1 inch long.) The last two years she had it in the ground, and it seems to flowers later, but has become much larger. I guess if the immature fruit stay on the stem through the winter without dropping, you can get a crop of ripe fruit by mid to late summer, but it takes 5 to 7 months ( or longer ) from flower to fruit in most of California. The one good thing is the flowers taste great! Kind of like marshmallows. I have picked a bunch of them, and added them to waldorf salads, and it is.....awesome! Give that a try if you never can get fruit.

-Brian


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RE: Pineapple Guava

I'm up to 6 open blooms now, the thing's stalled because of the cool wet weather. The only year in 10 it didn't fruit was a late bloom after 1 July, so time is tight.

These feijoa plants seem highly variable in all aspects of growth, bloom, & fruit. My fruits enlarge in October and ripen during the holiday season.

My plant attracts NO INSECTS, so I molest the blooms by hand or with a brush. Pollen has to transfer from the stamen tips to the central flower spike for fruiting to occur.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

I've also had trouble with my feijoa's. We have three of them and they've only produced a few flowers ever. I hand polinated them, but then the fruits just aborted when they were still small. Maybe they are too shaded? Does pruning help?


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RE: Pineapple Guava

  • Posted by Ron_B USDA 8 WA (My Page) on
    Sun, Aug 14, 05 at 19:37

Pruning would not correct inadequate sun exposure or other environmental limitations.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

Fruit drop is reported for feijoa if water is inadequate. I put the sprinkler under mine for a couple of hours every 2 or 3 weeks during hot weather.

I suspect this plant may be wind-pollinated to some extent because the pollen goes flying when I molest the blossoms.

Feijoa blooms on last year's growth; rarely on older wood.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

I know this is late but does anyone know where you can buy these in the Seattle Tacoma area. I'm very interested in putting a couple of them in.
Thanks


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RE: Pineapple Guava

  • Posted by bboy USDA 8 Sunset 5 WA (My Page) on
    Mon, Feb 25, 13 at 20:36

For some years most independent garden centers in the Seattle area have stocked them. Nearly all of the time they are unselected seedlings, fruit size and perhaps quality can be expected to vary. If you do not see any in stock now it will be because it is too early - ask when they are going to get them in. If they are not going to get any, never have had this item you are not asking at a place with a full selection.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

I saw some for sale at the garden show this weekend...........
sorry but I can't remember which vendor.
Their name/ booth was something about edible plants.


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RE: Pineapple Guava

  • Posted by bboy USDA 8 Sunset 5 WA (My Page) on
    Tue, Feb 26, 13 at 13:28

Maybe Northwoods/One Green World. I think they have worked the show in the past, supplied local garden centers - I may have seen their tags on plants here.

I see they are offering named forms. That is noteworthy - as long as their stock is clonal, and not seedlings of named forms. The pricing could be taken to imply that they are vegetative propagations. But I would ask before ordering.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pineapple Guava

This post was edited by bboy on Tue, Feb 26, 13 at 13:35


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RE: Pineapple Guava

...Northwoods being the wholesale operation and OGW the retail.

One Green World has moved the retail outlet to SE Portland, making is slightly closer to some WA gardeners.


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