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Feijoa/Pineapple Guava
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John S
PDX OR
2800 Posts
(Offline)
1
January 6, 2016 - 7:21 pm

One of our members posted about this on another site, but I don't like being attacked for being an organic grower so I don't post there.

I grow a seedling and Coolidge. We have fruit every year, about as much as we can eat. The seedling ripens in November, Coolidge in December.  The seedling tastes better, is larger, and also puts out more fruit than Coolidge.  

The flower doesn't have nectar because a local bird in Argentina and S. Brazil eats the delicious petals, and then pollinates, which is why you can eat the petals without affecting the fruit set.  

It's evergreen, has beautiful flowers and botanically diversifies the yard. What's to not like?
John S
PDX OR

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Larry_G
185 Posts
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2
January 6, 2016 - 8:22 pm

Around here, feijoa would not need any non-organic treatment.

There is a very minor leaf blight that takes a few infant leaves and a gray mold that takes a few of the earliest fruits, otherwise squirrels and possums are the only pests. I've never seen a weevil notch even though they are in the yard.

This year's 152-pound crop was a good 3 weeks early and done by early November. Photo from 2012.

Photo taken 2012

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John S
PDX OR
2800 Posts
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3
January 6, 2016 - 10:30 pm

That is an impressive yield.  I don't get nearly that much fruit. Squirrels don't bother mine yet.  I agree that they don't need much to keep them healthy.  Pretty nice that way. I have to admit that I was pretty intrigued by your pollination technique. I use the old kids' artists' paintbrush and I don't nearly get that much.

John S 
PDX OR

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Larry_G
185 Posts
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4
January 7, 2016 - 8:15 pm

2014 saw a poor walnut yield on this city block and the squirrels ganged up on my feijoa bush, eating many tiny fruits. They were even eating caneberry protocane sprouts in the spring. Good nut yield in 2015 reduced the pressure here.

The paintbrush method is prevalent on web videos and text, but with over 1,000 blossoms (est. 4,000+ last year) the brush is too slow, I've done that. For the past 10 years I just go at it with both hands and run fingertips through everything, transferring pollen from stamens to central pistils. Can probably do 500 blossoms in 25 minutes--including ladder movements. Peak bloom season lasts about 3 weeks.

This bush is over 10 feet in all directions, perhaps your bushes are not so large. This bush would be twice as big if it were not for many prunings over the years. I don't even see ants on this plant, just mammals! Squirrel, possum, and cat, and no doubt a raccoon has been in it--but I've actually seen the other three.

Photo from 2015.

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Delvi83
24 Posts
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5
January 14, 2016 - 10:52 am

Very good plant...ornamental and gives delicius fruits. It's also pretty cold-hardy...at least as an Olive and could withstand 0°F. Many cultivars are not self-fertile...so you might need more plants !!!!

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GH
Battle Ground, WA
127 Posts
(Offline)
6
July 28, 2018 - 9:35 pm

This is an older post that should still be of interest to forum members, especially those in the Pacific Northwest and warmer areas.

Pineapple guava sounds like a fantastic plant. It's hardy to zone 8, maybe zone 7(?), it's evergreen, and it's drought-tolerant. It would probably make a lovely hedge, also. The flowers look beautiful, and the edible fruit is ripe in November or December.  Wow.

Since a few years have passed since this post was started, has it proven to be a great shrub?  It would be interesting to hear people's experiences.

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John S
PDX OR
2800 Posts
(Offline)
7
July 29, 2018 - 7:44 am

I've grown it for decades, and it produces good unique fruit every year. The flower petals are also delicious. Yes it is evergreen and pretty and I put it in the front of the house for the winter. No disease pests. Very little damage from anything.

John S
PDX OR

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Larry_G
185 Posts
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8
July 29, 2018 - 8:53 pm

"...in front of the house for the winter"

John, is your plant mobile (potted) or in-ground in front of the house for evergreen effect?

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John S
PDX OR
2800 Posts
(Offline)
9
July 30, 2018 - 11:45 am

It's in the ground, just for evergreen effect. I think it would have suffered a lot more damage over the years if it was in a pot, both due to summer dryness and heat and winter cold and diseases.

John S
PDX OR

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Larry_G
185 Posts
(Offline)
10
August 5, 2018 - 8:58 pm

GH,

As you can see, feijoa is not a hot topic here. The two plantings mentioned above are decades old and continue to be reliable. The planting at the HOS Arboretum had a good crop in 2016, I did not see it last year.

I know of one person just west of Portland that has had small crops with potted plants. Named varieties in our area have been more successful than seedling plants. Of the various plantings I have seen in Portland, most are removed while still small or else they do not produce fruit. There were two 4-foot bushes in the former Reed College community garden that bore heavily with large fruits circa 1998. The whole area was to be bulldozed for a new dormitory and when I notified the community garden supervisor, those plants were removed to an unknown location by the gardeners of that plot.

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