Pineapple guava (feijoa)

About Pineapple guava (feijoa)

Feijoa, or pineapple guava, is a tough evergreen shrub from South America with gray-green leaves, showy red-and-white flowers and egg-shaped green fruit that tastes like a minty pineapple. The flower petals are edible too. It needs some winter chill to fruit well and bears best with a second variety nearby.

UF/IFAS lists zones 8-11; the plant is injured below about 14-20 F and the fruit below 28 F (UGA; UF/IFAS). UF/IFAS says it is not invasive in Florida and is on no federal or state noxious weed list.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

In the ground, space plants 7-14 ft apart (UF/IFAS). Potted trees go back outside once frost danger has passed (no source gives a set number of weeks, so the window is left blank). First fruit comes 2-4 years after planting, with full crops at 8-10 years (UF/IFAS).

Soil

Well-drained soil of almost any type, from sand to heavy clay (NC State; UF/IFAS); steady moisture gives the best fruit.

Test the soil; feijoa grows in well-drained soil at about pH 5.5-7.0 and also needs magnesium, sulfur and trace nutrients (UF/IFAS).

Feeding

• First-year in-ground plants, in March and July: balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10. UGA uses 1-2 oz per plant each time, adding about 1 oz per feeding each year until year eight.
• Established in-ground plants, every 4-6 weeks from late winter through fall: balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or 8-3-9. UF/IFAS uses 0.5-1 lb per young plant and no more than 2 lb per mature plant per feeding; water it in.
• Potted trees, from the start of new growth in spring through summer: complete liquid fertilizer with micronutrients, or a timed-release fertilizer. Feed liquid fertilizer at least monthly, or timed-release about every 12 weeks, because nutrients wash out of pots quickly (UF/IFAS St. Lucie County; NC State). Stop in winter and start again when new growth appears (Maryland Extension).

Don't let the soil dry out for long stretches; dry spells make fruit and leaves drop (UF/IFAS).

Harvest

Fruit ripens September to November; ripe fruit drops on its own or comes off with the lightest touch, and the skin lightens and the fruit softens (UF/IFAS). Gather fallen fruit daily; it bruises easily and keeps about a week at room temperature.

Feijoa gives one crop a year: it flowers in spring and fruit is ready from about September through November, depending on variety. Wait for the first fruits to drop on their own, then gather fallen fruit.

Varieties (17)

Pests to watch for

Scale insects, Thrips

Diseases and problems

Anthracnose

In the kitchen

Cut in half and scoop out the pulp, or use it in desserts, jelly, juice and baking in place of banana or apple (UF/IFAS). The sweet flower petals are edible (NC State; UF/IFAS).

Keeping it: Ripe feijoas bruise easily and keep only about a week at room temperature, so gather fallen fruit daily and use it soon.

Safety: The sources we checked list no toxic parts, and we found no research-based guidance on pregnancy, drug interactions or allergies.

Pets: Not listed as toxic by the ASPCA