Guava

Guava Grow Guide

Popular Guava Varieties

Guavas come in many different types a few key types depending on your location are:

Strawberry / Cherry Guava – Psidium cattleianum – Popular small red guava – prolific. Tastes is sweet with hints of strawberry and a little tart and bitter. Dense coverage of small shiny evergreen leaves.

Lemon Guava – Psidium cattleianum – Small yellow guava similar to the strawberry but with sweet slight lemon flavours. Dense coverage of small shiny evergreen leaves.

Hawaiian Guava – Psidium guajava – Large tropical-tasting fruit with bright pink centre and yellowish outside when ripe. Large matte leaves that can be used for tea.

Ruby Supreme – Psidium guajava – Popular selection of hawaiina guava. Large tropical-tasting fruit with bright pink centre and yellowish outside when ripe. Large matte leaves that can be used for tea.

Indian Guava – Psidium guajava– Large crunchy guava with green skin and white flesh. Large matte leaves that can be used for tea.

Mexican cream – Psidium guajava – Medium yellow guava with light creamy flesh. Large matte leaves.

When to Plant

It is best to plant new Guava plants in Spring to Autumn so they have time to get established before winter. Avoid planting during the peak of summer as this can stress new plants out.

How to Grow

• Choose a sunny spot with 6-8 hours of sunlight or dappled part shade.
• Dig a hole twice the size of the current pot. Prepare the soil with free-draining compost.
• Small trees may need a sturdy stake to support them.
• Keep new plants well watered, especially during summer
• Keep base weed free and well-mulched. Pull mulch away from the trunk to avoid rotting.
• Prune in Autumn after fruit to maintain size.
• Fertilize with compost or compost/ worm teas.

Care/ Maintenance

Plants will grow quickly and can be pruned in late Autumn after fruiting has finished. Young trees may produce more fruit than they can hold if branches look under stress you may need to thin fruits off before branches snap. Fruits are susceptible to fruit fly. Net the tree or individual fruits after the flowers have finished and turned into small fruit. Strawberry guavas ripen quickly and regular harvesting can reduce fruit fly.

Some trees will get damaged by frost and lose their leaves. Plant in warm protected areas of your garden.

Pests / Disease

Rats and birds love the sweet fruit. Exclusion nets or bags may help or harvest regularly.

How/ When to Harvest

• Guavas will ripen around late summer – autumn. Each variety will vary and strawberry guava will often put on multiple crops.
• Guavas will change colour and come off easily in your hand when ready.

Reproducing

Guava can be grown from both cuttings and seeds. Easy to grow from seeds but may be slightly different to the original plant.

• Save seeds from mature well ripe fruit. Rinse off the flesh and soak in a jar of water for 24 hours. Plant seeds in quality compost and potting mix and keep warm and well-watered until they sprout.
• Take 15cm cuttings from semi-hardwood. Remove the bottom half of the leaves and the top shoot. Place in moist soil to root. Keep in the shade to prevent cutting and drying out.

Cooking and Using

Guava can be used fresh or frozen.

Guava pairs well with: Citrus, Strawberry, Lime, Watermelon, Papaya, Peach, Pineapple, Mango, Melon, Coconut, Kiwifruit, Pear, Chilli, Mint, Ginger, Apple

Guava ideas:

• Juices
• Smoothies
• Cakes
• Icecream
• Jam/chutney
• Cheesecake
• Tea
• Fruit leather

Preserving the Harvest

Guava can be frozen to use in larger batches as you wait for more to ripen.

Guava Posts

Strawberry Guava and Apple Fruit Leather

Previous Feature Plants