by Avis Licht
You can eat the petals from this plant. They’re good!
The Pineapple Guava is one of my favorite plants. It serves many purposes in the edible garden. It’s an easy care, evergreen shrub that has edible flowers, edible fruits and somehow, the deer DON’T eat it. How could you know?
Where I live, deer eat almost all our plants, so having one that does all these good things is a real treasure.
Climate:The Pineapple guava grows in Zones 8 – 10. What this really means is that it likes some cool weather, can go down to 10 deg. F, likes rain in the 30″ – 40″ range, and doesn’t like super hot daytime weather – not so good in the desert.
Soil: It’s adaptable to a wide range of soils, including acidic soil, but prefers a humus rich soil that is well drained. Adding compost and not manure works for this plant.
Water: This is considered a drought tolerant plant, meaning it survives with relatively little water, but needs adequate water for good fruit production. During dry spells you should give it additional water. In real terms, this means observe your plant. In real terms, in the garden, you always need to observe your plants. Everyone’s garden is different from the norm that all these books talk about. You’ll always want and need to adjust requirements to your own situation.
You can prune it, you can eat it, you can watch the hummingbirds feed on the flowers
Sun: Full sun is best – but it can tolerate partial shade
Wind:The Pineapple guava makes a good windbreak. It can take some salt air, but I wouldn’t put it on the dunes as a first line wind break.
Care: What I really love about this plant is that it needs so little care. It just grows happily on its own. You can prune it for shape or let it alone. If you prune it back hard, you will lose some fruit production.
Pests: Almost none. Well, I haven’t seen any.
Fruit and flowers: The flowers which bloom late Spring are edible. The thick petals are spicy and are eaten fresh. The petals may be plucked without interfering with fruit set. The fruit ripens in late Fall, which is a great boon, since almost everything else in the garden is gone. The fruit in the picture below, came from my garden on December 22 after many days of frost. They taste fresh and tangy. We eat them by scooping out the fruit with a spoon. Or you can cook them in puddings, pastry fillings, fritters, dumplings, fruit-sponge-cake, pies or tarts.
Cut the fruit in half and scoop it out with a spoon. Really tasty.
If you live in the right climate, I really think you ought to try growing the Pineapple Guava. It’s a giving and a forgiving plant for your edible landscape.
If you want to know a lot more about this plant go to this site at Purdue University.
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These grow, totally untended where I work in North Berkeley. I’m shameless about foraging them, since they fall on the ground when ripe.
Lisa and Robb recently posted..‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
It’s great you found the Pineapple Guavas What a shame for them to go to waste. I first found out about them 30 years ago when my parents grew one in their backyard. My kids would scramble around on the ground gathering them up and eating them by the dozens. They never could understand why none of their friends knew what a guava was. Merry Christmas.
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Oh man, I wish we could grow pineapple guava in Missouri! Can it grow in a container?
Pineapple guavas get pretty big, but I don’t see why you couldn’t try it in a container. You can grow figs in a container with no problem. The main question is where are you going to put it in the winter? South side of a house is the best choice. Good luck. It’s always worth a try. Remember, it takes a few years for the plant to start producing, but it’s still a beautiful shrub during that time.
I have two Pineapple guava tree/bush, in Fremont, Ca. (12+ yrs), the fruit is so good and I share them with my family, chuch and co-workers, they all enjoy them as well. I cut the tip off and use a grapefruit spoon to dig out the yummy fruit!!!
Enjoy yours, when the fruit drops to the ground, it’s ready to eat. Only thing is I get home late and out looking for fruit with a flashlight everynite in the Oct.-Nov. months. Can’t wait to try the flowers. Silly me only just found out mine produced fruit this last year.
You’re right about them falling to the ground when ripe. I’ll add that to the post. When my kids were young, they happily crawled around on the ground to pick up the guavas. Now they’re grown and it’s up to me. Glad you discovered them.
I have what I know is a guava… and based on your photo of the flower, is probably a pineapple guava tree. Someone gave it to me, maybe 2 years ago. It is pruned as a tree with about a 3 foot trunk, about 5 feet tall overall, not including the huge pot it is in, that dries out easily. It has never set fruit…. It also seems infected with scale, so was going to get rid of it… but now your description makes it seem worth saving….
SO…. SHOULD I TRY to save it? I have a VERY SMALL GARDEN in Zone 9-10 coastal cool CA fog land… will it fruit here? Is it worth putting in the ground & taking up valuable space in my tiny yard? How large do they get? Do they taste like the pink guavas in Hawaii?
Thanks!
Well, you have some interesting questions about your Pineapple Guava. First of all, guavas take a few years before they start producing fruit, so that could be one problem. Second of all, plants in pots often don’t get enough nutrition to thrive. They have limited root space AND pots dry out fast, as you noticed. Clay pots and wooden planters dry out faster then sealed pots. Scale can be a problem. I would spray it with Safer Soap Insecticidal solution. It is completely organic and effective. As to the size of your yard: Guavas can get big and will overwhelm a small yard, but they can also be pruned. You could send me a photo of your yard and I could give you a better answer. It is a great plant, but possibly not exactly right for you. I don’t know about the pink guavas in Hawaii. Hope this helps. Let me know what you decide to do.
I love this fruit i grew up eating it off the bushes that we had in our drive way, as a kid me and my sister ate this all the time. i just didn’t know what it was called. now that i found the name of this fruit im going grow me some.
[...] The pineapple guava plant blooms in a burst of protruding red-yellow stamens and pink-white petals. Also known as Feijoa sellowina, the plant produces tangy green guava fruits that ripen in autumn, according to Edible Landscaping Made Easy. The fruit lends itself well for use in pies, pastries and tarts. [...]
Even though we are in Zone 9, I am concerned about our hotand humid summers. Would a pineapple guava tree/shrub do well with afternoon sun in Charleston, SC?
Maria,
Pineapple guavas are native to Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. They do well in high heat, but need 50 hours of winter chill. I think they will do fine in your climate in the afternoon sun. They may not set as much fruit as in a more northernly zone, but should do bear fruit.
Have you seen any in your neighborhood? That often tells the tale. Sometimes an unusual shrub is not seen until some else, like yourself plants it with success.
Let me know how it goes. I’d certainly give it a try.
Avis