Pineapple guava

Sun

Full sun for flowering and fruiting; tolerates partial shade with fewer flowers and fruit.

Water

Water regularly while establishing. Established plants tolerate dry spells, but need consistent moisture during flowering and fruit development for a good crop.

Soil

Well-drained soil, preferably slightly acidic to neutral. Tolerates sandy soils and some clay, provided roots do not sit in water.

Height

10-20 ft (3-6 m)

Spread

10-15 ft (3-4.5 m)

Flowers

Late spring to early summer; fleshy white petals, flushed pink inside, surrounding conspicuous red stamens.

Foliage

Evergreen. Opposite, oval, leathery leaves with grey-green upper surfaces and silvery, felted undersides.

Growth

Slow to moderate.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen
• Fragrant
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.8 ft (0.54 m)

2. After 1 year

   4 ft (1.1 m)

3. After 2 years

   6 ft (1.8 m)

4. After 3 years

   8 ft (2.4 m)

5. After 5 years

   12 ft (3.6 m)

About 7 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant in a sunny position sheltered from severe frost and cold, drying winds.
• Water deeply during dry weather for the first two growing seasons, then during prolonged drought and fruit development.
• Apply a 2-3 in (5-8 cm) organic mulch, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Feed lightly in spring if growth is weak; avoid excessive nitrogen, which encourages leaves rather than fruit.
• For better fruit set, plant two genetically different plants that flower together; self-fertility varies between cultivars.
• Protect container roots from freezing and provide winter shelter where outdoor temperatures fall below its reliable range.

Pruning. Prune lightly in late winter or early spring, after the worst frosts, removing dead, crossing or crowded branches. To form a small tree, gradually remove lower branches; repeated hedge clipping reduces flowers and fruit.

Harvest the green fruit in autumn, usually September–December in the US, October–November in the UK and mild coastal Canada, and March–June in Australia. Ripe fruit is fragrant, yields slightly to gentle pressure and detaches easily; collect freshly fallen fruit daily rather than pulling off hard, firmly attached fruit.

Late winter

Remove damaged and crossing branches after severe frost risk has passed.

Spring

Plant when the soil is workable, renew mulch and feed lightly if needed.

Late spring

During flowering, hand-pollinate with a soft brush if fruit set has been poor, ideally transferring pollen between different plants.

Summer

Water during prolonged dry spells, especially while fruit is swelling.

Autumn

Collect fallen ripe fruit frequently; use promptly because it bruises and deteriorates quickly.

Late autumn

Move container plants into a bright, frost-protected position where winters are too cold.

• Grow as an informal evergreen hedge or screen, allowing enough width to avoid constant clipping.
• Train as a small multi-stemmed tree beside a patio, where the flowers and silvery leaf undersides can be seen closely.
• Combine with rosemary, lavender and olive for a dry-climate planting with contrasting leaf textures.
• Use in an edible garden with other mild-climate fruiting shrubs, leaving clear ground beneath for collecting fallen fruit.

Garden styles it suits: Mediterranean, Coastal, Edible landscape, Backyard orchard, Modern courtyard and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Rosemary, Lavender, Rockrose, Agapanthus, Olive and Strawberry tree.

Wildlife: Flowers provide pollen for visiting insects, and birds may eat the fleshy petals and help pollinate them. Ripe and fallen fruit can attract birds and mammals.

• Few or no fruit: improve sun exposure, maintain moisture during flowering and add a genetically different pollination partner; hand-pollinate if necessary. Cool summers may still prevent ripening.
• Scale insects and sooty mould: inspect stems and leaf undersides, control ants where present and treat scale with a locally approved horticultural oil according to its label.
• Fruit fly in affected regions, including parts of Australia: collect fallen fruit promptly and use locally recommended exclusion bags, netting or baiting programmes.
• Yellowing or declining growth in wet soil: reduce irrigation and improve drainage; plant on a raised mound where drainage is poor.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. Ripe fruit and flower petals are edible for people; information on livestock and pet consumption of leaves and other parts is limited. Large amounts of fruit may cause digestive upset.

• Common guava (Psidium guajava)

  Common guava has prominently veined leaves without the dense silvery felt underneath, and white flowers with white rather than bright red stamens.

• Strawberry guava (Psidium cattleyanum)

  Strawberry guava has glossy leaves without silver-felted undersides, white stamens and smaller, rounded red or yellow fruit.

• Olive (Olea europaea)

  Olive has much narrower leaves, small cream flowers in clusters and fruit containing a single hard stone.

The common name refers to the fruit's pineapple-like aroma and its resemblance to guava.

Propagation. Sow fresh seed, but expect variable seedlings that may take several years to fruit. Use semi-ripe cuttings in summer or grafting to preserve a named cultivar; cuttings can be slow and unreliable to root.

Accepted botanical name

Feijoa sellowiana Acca sellowiana is an older name for Feijoa sellowiana.

Native range

Argentina Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast and Uruguay.

Measured

Average height 450 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.