Stone fruit have gone by the end of summer but apples and pears aren’t due until late autumn (fall) so what do you do for fruit in between?
Well, I’ve discovered the delicious in-between-season cherry guava is just the perfect fill-in.I bought a few different fruit trees and perennial plants about 18 months ago to help fill some gaps in my garden at home. I wanted some smaller plants for fruit to suit a moderate size backyard and some no fuss perennials to plant amongst them.
I chose a yellow cherry guava (Psidium cattleianum var. littoral) and a pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana syn. Feijoa sellowian) for fruit and some salvias for interplanting.
Guavas grow from cool temperate areas, tolerating a light frost, through to sub tropical climates.
Here’s my pineapple guava, pruned back to keep it compact, unfortunately pruning off the fruit this season. It’s surrounded by the gorgeous velvet flowers of Mexican sage (Salvia leucanth).
This is a Salvia that is perfect for sensory gardens because the velvet flowers just beckon you to touch them. The underside of the leaf is also like cotton wool. the whole plant dies back in winter and regenerates with more vigour each springtime.
But I’m chomping down on my cherry guava. The yellow variety is apparently sweeter than the red cherry variety and it tastes great. Eat the skin and all, just watch out for a few small but hard seeds. It’s only small fruit as seen by contrast against this Australian 50 cent peice. Perfect for a snack straight off the tree or, if you can be bothered, it also makes terrific jam.
I planted mine in a pot because I wasn’t quite sure exactly where I wanted it to go. In fact, it’s a great plant for pots, just use good quality organic potting mix and at least a 30cm (12 inch) pot. Tip pruning keeps it compact but it’s a bit tricky because you get flowers, buds and fruit all at the same time.
It’s a perfect plant for any backyard.
Hello, Love your guavas!
How do you think guavas will withstand fruit fly?
We have had a lot of trouble with fruit (?) flythis summer.
Not sure that they are fruit fly. We lost a lot of fruit, tomatoes and figs. At the earliest sign of ripening the fruit was ‘stung’ which resulted in grub infestation. We’re in Shellharbour, south of Wollongong.
Thanks.
Estelle, guavas will be vulnerable to fruit fly. You were probably right assuming fruit fly with your tomatoes, figs etc. – typical targets. Get some pestguard bags from Green Harvest. Link below:
http://greenharvest.com.au/pestcontrol/exclusion_prod.html#PestGuardBags
A good site for controlling fruit fly:
http://preventfruitfly.com.au/
Estelle, It is fruit fly that you have in your fruits, tomato etc. Unfortunatley they will attack guava as well.
Use some pestguard bags from Green Harvest:
http://greenharvest.com.au/pestcontrol/exclusion_prod.html#PestGuardBags
Visit this site for great info on controlling fruit fly:
http://preventfruitfly.com.au/
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I have been growing a strawberry guava for almost 2 years, in the ground and have not got any fruit as yet. I have seen some small buds and flowers appear but thats it. I usually give the plant a feed with Dynamic Lifter and the occasional drink of Seasol and still nothing. Foliage is nice and lush though.
Dynamic Lifter is concentrated chicken manure in pellet form. It’s high in nitrogen so it encourages leaf growth at the expense of flowers. Try using some blood and bone or rock dust to give a bit more potassium to encourage fruiting.
Would you recommend feijoa or psidium littorale as a hedge planting to 1.5m near the front of our country home south side . Is shaded / and consequently damp but well drained ?
Want an evergreen with little attention, but happy to prune annually.
Feijoa would be a good choice but either will be ok as long as drainage is good. Fruit production will be affected by lower light levels but if it’s a hedge you’re after rather than fruit then both will thicken up nicely with regular pruning. You may need to keep pruning a couple of times a year until you get the required shape. It’s always best to prune lightly more often than cut back into bare wood.
I have two cherry guava trees the fruit is woody in color instead of the nice red they were last year and not edible could you tell me how to fix this problem and what is the best fertilizer thank you
I have the red cherry guava, which has been in for a few years now and gets masses of fruit. But also lots of fruit fly. I keep it pruned under 2m, and have success by wrapping up the whole tree in a large piece of fruit fly exclusion mesh from Green Harvest. It has to be completely enclosed including tied around the trunk above ground level. Mesh goes on after the green fruit have all set. Usually a bit late with this and have to discard some days worth until we start getting ‘clean’ fruit. The fruit ripen really quickly. You can still eat them with fruit fly but have to eat the fruit a bit greener (I guess before the grubs hatch!). I grew up eating the greener fruit because the ripe ones were all wormy! Tasty and still a little bit tart. It is a very attractive bush when not fruiting. But can get into the bush and be a weed in some places.
I have a red variety next to my chook pen in Brisbane, Queensland. Just noticed today it is loaded with fruit! Not really the season at all, but handy because there are no fruit fly around at the moment.
Guava trees need to be given micronutrients viz. trace elements such as Copper, Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Magnesium, Boron at least once a year. Iron is important and given as a chelate in acid soils. A standard mix of trace elements is also available at Bunnings Warehouse
We have just purchased a Strawberry Guava, and would like to know if this is ok in WA Perth and is it a weed. If so should it be planted in a pot. We have a very small garden in a retirement village.
Thanks
Doug
I would check with your local council environment department if you have any concerns.
Hi,
I need to know if I can find guava fruit harvest throughout the year in specific areas of Queenslad state.
I need guava fruit throughout the year because I am thinking in a commercial project
alexyshr@gmail.com
Thanks