Pineapple guava - Feijoa sellowiana

I've had this for a few years, though never had fruit (maybe I should get another one to pollinate it). This year it has more blooms than it's ever had before. The bright red blooms are strongly contrasted against the dark green leaves on my plant, but all of the pictures I've seen show lighter colored blooms and paler green leaves.

Edit:
Actually, now that I've checked the PlantFiles database, some of the pictures there do look a lot like mine (they list it under the new genus that almost no one uses, so it didn't come up last time I searched on it):
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1398/index.html

This message was edited Apr 29, 2005 5:26 PM

Love that!!!!
You have to have another plant to get fruit?

AHH, I am loving all these beautiful blooms!

Some are self-fruitful, some partially, and some not at all. I need to look up in my records to see if I recorded an exact variety for this one - I know it wasn't grown from seed.

Since they are capable of being pollinated by bees, I just figured that since I had never had fruit before that it must need a pollinator.

I have a pineapple guava that I planted 5 years ago. It is a beautiful 9' tree and just loaded again this year with flowers. I've experienced the same problem as you. It is always loaded with flowers, but no fruits. I spoke with a fruit farmer about it several months ago and he suggested throwing our old grapefruits underneath to attract bees, etc. Unfortunately, I haven't done it yet and it is probably too late in the season. I'm hoping for fruit this year and even purchased a strawberry guava thinking they might pollinate each other. I'll post again if I have any success. Also, you can eat the petals of the flowers. They are sweet and delicious.

Tropicalaria, I just love the flowers on those. Do they stink? Someone told me they had a funny smell.
I have the strawberry and lemon guavas, they are different from pineapple guava, don't know if they cross pollinate. My friend has lots of guava, I'll ask her. She's got some that have huge fruit, I don't like the taste of them, but I love the lemon guavas. It is self pollinating as is the strawberry one.

the flowers on this tree taste like candy

I had lots of flowers this year for a long period of time, but no fruit. The petals are delicious, though. I ended up eating a good many of them :) just grabbing a couple whenever I walked by. I did not notice any bad smell from them.

I, too, 'fell in love' with those flowers when I first saw a photo of them, and I tried to grow it a few years back.....it did *not* enjoy the fall and winter indoors, lost it!

I'd never heard that the flowers were tasty, though!

Thanks for sharing the photo.

can i ask where all of you have your trees planted, full sun etc? and do you prune? thanks, debi

Pineapple guava needs a pollinator that is not a clone of the same tree.
Debi, my trees are all in full sun, I don't prune unless a branch has gotten unruly and needs cut off. I've had trouble with one lemon guava this year. It was loaded to the max with fruit, way too much fruit. I didn't pick any off(I thought the extra ones would just fall off) and the fruit was small and sort of yuckie tasting.

Apparently I need another pineapple guava. Anyone have an extra propagation? :)

Mine currently gets full sun half the day or partial sun all day, depending on the season. It seems to be adaptable to different conditions, though. I have never pruned. I like its natural shape.

thanks, i have a small one in a pot and will be putting it in soon. just like to get all the info i can ahead of time. mine is not a named variety, but the nursery said it was self-pollinating. i don't care so much, i just love the flowers and form. stay safe calalily. debi

Debi, I just reserved a couple of pineapple guavas to pick up in a couple of weeks. Remember....I'm the one that likes instant gratification so I try to buy plants fairly mature (Bad girl!). I had several of these when I lived on the coast of the NC/SC line and I loved them! I saw one that the folks had been training to be a tree and it was really cool, but not what Mother Nature intended so you have to keep up with it, they told me. Since you like so many of the fruits and exotics, you may want to check this web site. I've been to their garden and it is really neat. Go to www.justfruitsand exotics.com. Where is Umatilla?
Barbara
PS/ Yes, they need to be pollinated so I've always had more than one.

This message was edited Sep 22, 2005 7:00 PM

thanks barbara, i will check out the site asap. i know that instant grat thing! me too. this is the first time i've bought little stuff and have to wait for it to grow. umatilla is about an hour south of ocala and an hour north of orlando. we are right on the southern tip of ocala national forest in lake county, smack dab in the middle of the state. debi

Tropicalaria-
I have several of these in one gallon pots that are two years old. They were grown from seed, so no chance of it being the same variety as yours.
I intend to trade them or list on ebay. Write me if interested in one. They are mostly tall for tree shaping, but a few have been topped to be bushes.

Susie-
You mentioned you had the strawberry, and lemon, but didn't have the pineapple...
I thought I sent you some last year?
-T

I remember that Taylor, then I do have pineapple in the jungle somewhere! I think I planted it beside the sugar cane, I need to go check. I find stuff all the time that I have forgotten about.

Seedpicker, I found it!!! It was hidden behind the purple sugar cane, a red leaf hibiscus and a butterfly clerodendron that had gotten a little overgrown! It's healthy, but needs more sun. I need to find a new spot for it.

Lol...that is funny...

...funnier yet, I kinda did the same thing!

I thought..."ok, I have the pineapple, and the strawberry...now I need a lemon one...Susie says she likes the lemon ones..."

I looked it up, and turns out I already have one! lol...I just did't know the common name was lemon guava, lol...I only knew it by the botanical.
-T

LOL, I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that!
I've decided that the area I had picked out for my greenhouse is going to have to be a flower garden. It's in a perfect spot, already has crosstimbers around it and I'm out of room in the flowerbeds.

This may better belong in Propagation but I didn't get any response there. Anyone have luck with cuttings of Feijoa? I have tried repeatedly with minimal success. Any recipe that works? I did one flat the other day with #1 and tip cuttings but from previous failings am not putting money on it. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

I've never been able to root cuttings that were sent to me.

growin-
I've never tried cuttings, either...they are super easy from seed. Usually, you can find the fruits in specialty supermarkets, and sometimes even at super Wal-marts!

They set them out around Christmas each year, and they are only a seasonal fruit that is available for a few short weeks.

I always keep an eye out for them, and buy up a bunch. Mine from seed are not big enough to set fruit, yet, so still have to buy them...

YUMMY!
-T

Thanks seedpicker. I'm gonna try that and see if that works easier. I'm sure if it's "exotic" and seasonal, it will be at an extra premium price here too! I am always looking for interesting seed so if you harvest, let me know. I can trade stuff or $. Thanks. :-)

Well, I always buy up a bunch of the fruits, when I find them, and always scoop out the seeds before I eat them, and save them.

I have close to 100 percent germination with the seeds, so as I said...they are super easy!

I'll keep an eye out, and you do the same. Between the both of us, we should come across some....

Also, I usually post each year, when I find them, to alert others to look for them...
;0)
-T

Awesome! Thanks. I have been rather discouraged with cutting take. I think I've only seen it once in the supermarket here and at a very expensive price (gourmet/specialty). Sometimes I find Loquats for sale in China town but even they are expensive. Feijoas do ok here, some frost damage, on rare occasion fruit (against southfacing wall).

If memory serves me correctly, (which it doesn't always do, lol)...I think I paid a dollar, or dollar-fifty, a piece for them.

Still not bad if you consider each one has about 40 seeds in it. That is much cheaper than T& Morgan, and you get more seeds, and you get to eat it, lol...
-T