Feijoa

Care Guide: Planting, Soil & Watering

Overview: Feijoa (Pineapple guava, Acca sellowiana) is a moderate-growing evergreen for full sun in Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical climates (hardiness zone 8+) that tolerates a wide range of soils but does best in fertile, well-draining ground. It needs moderate, regular water — especially while fruiting — yet is fairly drought-tolerant once established.

Quick Care Requirements

Requirement	Ideal Condition
Planting Season	Warm season — spring, summer and autumn (also winter in the tropics)
Growth Rate	Moderate
Soil Type	Fertile, well-draining soil; tolerant of a wide range
Water Need	Moderate — regular water, best for fruiting; drought-tolerant once established

Planting & Establishment

• Best Planting Season: Plant in the warm season — spring, summer or autumn — and in the tropics it can also go in during winter. Plant two different cultivars nearby for reliable fruit set.
• How to Plant:
  • Hole Preparation: Dig a hole roughly twice the width of the root ball to loosen the surrounding soil, keeping it the same depth as the root ball.
  • Soil Amendments: Improve the soil with organic matter or compost to boost fertility and drainage; feijoa is adaptable but rewards a well-prepared bed.
  • Planting Depth: Set the plant at the same depth it grew in its pot, with the root collar level with the soil surface.
• Growth Speed & Expectations: Moderate-growing, reaching 2–7 m over time and taking readily to shaping as a shrub, small tree or hedge.

Soil, Watering & Drainage Care

• Soil Mix & Drainage Needs: Prefers a fertile, free-draining soil and dislikes waterlogging; in containers use a quality well-draining potting mix with ample drainage holes.
• Watering Schedule & Technique:
  • Young / Newly Planted: Water regularly to keep the soil evenly moist while the young tree establishes its roots.
  • Established: Water moderately and deeply once established; keep it consistent while flowering and fruiting for the best crop, though it tolerates short dry spells.
  • Seasonal Adjustments: More during summer heat and fruit development; less in cool or wet weather.

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Feijoa (pineapple guava) is a 2-7 m (6-21 ft) evergreen shrub. The grower says it isn’t a houseplant but grows well in a container – one of the best fruiting shrubs for a large patio or balcony pot.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A large, deep container (grower didn’t state a size); bigger is better
• Indoor Suitability: Not a houseplant; an excellent patio container shrub
• Best Spot: Full sun to light shade
• Soil & Drainage: Aerated, organic-rich mix that drains freely
• Watering in Pots: Keep the mix lightly moist – pots dry faster than open ground; water once the surface starts to dry.

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Houseplant limits: Not a houseplant – it needs strong sun to flower and fruit well.
• Windowsill growing: Too large for a sill; keep it in a container outdoors.
• Overwintering: Fairly cold-tolerant, but in hard-winter areas a potted plant can be moved to a bright, sheltered spot.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & wind: Give it the sunniest spot on the balcony or patio. Walls and paving reflect heat and pots dry quickly, so check moisture often; shelter and stake exposed plants against wind.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: A deep pot with strong drainage holes; skip a standing-water saucer to avoid root rot. Terracotta breathes and dries faster, while glazed or plastic hold moisture longer.
• Potting mix: Well-aerated, organic-rich mix – peat or coir with perlite and a little organic matter; it must drain freely.
• Feeding: Potted plants use up their food faster because nutrients leach out with each watering, so feed a little more often than plants in open ground.
• Repotting: Refresh part of the mix and pot up every couple of years; for established plants, lightly prune the root ball and top growth when you repot.

Bloom & Edible Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Spring to summer
• Flower Appearance: White petals flushed red-pink, with a prominent tuft of long red stamens
• Edibility: Edible — the thick, fleshy petals are sweet and can be eaten raw

Detailed Blooming Overview

Feijoa, or pineapple guava, is that rare plant whose flowers are as useful as its fruit. In late spring and summer it opens showy blooms with a burst of red stamens, and the plump white-and-pink petals are genuinely edible — sweet and a little marshmallowy. Because the petals can be picked without harming fruit set, the bloom offers a first harvest well before the fruit ripens.

Flower Characteristics

• Petals are white on the inside, blushed red to pink outside, and thick and fleshy.
• A striking tuft of long red stamens gives the flower its firework look.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Harvesting the petals: The sweet petals can be eaten raw, added to salads and drinks, or used in jams; taking only some leaves plenty of flowers to set fruit.
• Thinning the bloom: In the first two years, before the tree is established, thinning the flowers helps it build strength.
• Pollination: The flowers are pollinated by bees; growing two different cultivars improves fruit set.

Pruning, Training & Seasonal Maintenance

Feijoa tolerates a wide range of pruning, from light annual tidying to hard renewal, and generally responds by resprouting vigorously rather than sulking. The safest and most effective window is late autumn into winter, once the current season’s fruit has finished (fruit is typically gathered from the ground as it drops rather than picked), when removing weak and dead wood shapes the plant without touching the coming season’s flower buds. Depending on how it is grown – as a specimen tree/large shrub or clipped into a hedge or screen – the pruning approach differs meaningfully.

Quick Pruning & Maintenance Specs

Pruning Tolerance	Moderate–High
Primary Pruning Window	Autumn–Winter, after fruit drop
Typical Frequency	Annual light tidy; hard renewal only occasionally if needed
Main Objective	Remove weak/dead wood and keep an open, productive framework (specimen) or a dense clipped face (hedge)
Young Plant Priority	Establish 3–5 strong scaffold stems (specimen) or early lateral branching (hedge); avoid overcropping in the first two years while the plant establishes
Mature Plant Priority	Remove weak, thin branches that can’t support fruit weight; renew a portion of old wood periodically
Best Tool Type	Bypass secateurs for weak-wood removal; hedge shears only if grown as a clipped hedge
Avoid Heavy Pruning During	Spring flowering, since flowers (and the edible petals) and the crop that follows are lost with the cut wood

Pruning by Plant Age & Size

Newly Established

Remove only damaged growth; because the first two years tend to need flower thinning while the plant is not yet established, avoid heavy structural cuts on top of that stress.

Young / Formative

As a specimen: select 3–5 well-spaced main stems and remove competing low growth. As a hedge or screen planting: pinch/head young growth early to encourage the dense branching a good hedge face needs.

Mature / Established

As a specimen: remove weak, spindly branches that cannot carry fruit weight (the exact issue the source guidance flags), and open the centre modestly for light. As a hedge: regular clipping to maintain a dense outer face, accepting that clipped plants carry less fruit than lightly pruned specimens.

Seasonal Pruning Schedule

Post-Harvest / Dormant (Autumn–Winter)

Objective: remove weak and dead wood before spring growth. Remove: thin, weak branches unable to support fruit, and any dead wood. Do not remove: healthy wood carrying next season’s flower buds, which form on the coming spring’s new growth. Expected response: stronger, better-supported branches for the next crop. Flowering/fruiting impact: positive, since it doesn’t touch wood that hasn’t yet produced this year’s flowering growth.

Flowering & Fruiting Wood

Feijoa flowers and fruits on the current season’s new growth, so winter pruning of the previous year’s wood does not remove already-formed flower buds; instead it shapes the framework that the new spring growth – and that growth’s flowers and fruit – will arise from.

Structural Pruning & Training

On a specimen plant, remove branches too thin or weak to hold a full fruit load, per the grower guidance, and keep the centre open enough for light and air; on a hedge, structure is subordinated to a dense, even clipped face.

Special Growth to Remove

Weak, thin or dead branches, as specifically noted for this species; excess flowers/young fruit in the first two years after planting, while the tree is still establishing.

Container & Small-Space Pruning

Feijoa grows well in a container and responds to pruning by staying compact rather than resenting it, so height and spread can be actively controlled with light annual heading back, and root maintenance handled through the container’s own repotting cycle.

Tools

Bypass secateurs for removing weak or dead branches on a specimen plant; loppers for thicker old wood being renewed; hedge shears only where the plant is being maintained as a clipped hedge rather than an open specimen.

Tool Hygiene & Disease Risk

Routine – aphids are the only pest noted, with no documented transmissible disease, so clean, sharp tools are enough.

Cut Placement & Technique

Cut weak or dead branches back to a healthy lateral or the branch collar rather than leaving stubs; on a hedge, shear to a consistent face while occasionally reaching in with secateurs to thin the interior and prevent it from going hollow.

Heavy Pruning & Rejuvenation

Tolerated – an overgrown or leggy feijoa can be cut back hard in winter and will resprout strongly, though expect reduced fruiting for a season or two while it rebuilds flowering wood; spreading a hard renewal over two winters reduces that gap.

Post-Pruning Care

Water normally through the following spring flush; avoid heavy feeding immediately after a hard cut, since the plant is already primed to push vigorous regrowth on its own.

Common Pruning Mistakes

Pruning hard in spring and removing the season’s flowers and fruit; leaving thin, overloaded branches unremoved until they break under fruit weight; shearing a specimen plant into a hedge shape by habit, which sacrifices its natural flowering form for no reason if it isn’t being grown as a hedge.

When NOT to Prune

Avoid pruning during spring flowering and early fruit set; avoid heavy work on very young, still-establishing plants beyond the recommended early flower thinning.

Recommended Tools (by task)

• Removing weak or dead branches on a specimen plant – bypass_secateurs: precise cuts sized to this shrub’s typical wood
• Renewal cuts on older, thicker wood – loppers: extra leverage for wood beyond secateur capacity
• Maintaining a clipped hedge or screen planting – hedge_shears: only relevant where feijoa is grown as a formal hedge rather than a specimen

Pruning Troubleshooting

Problem	Possible Cause	What to Check	Corrective Action
Branches breaking or sagging under fruit	Thin, weak wood left unremoved	Branch diameter versus typical fruit load in that area	Remove weak branches in the winter pruning pass before they’re overloaded again
Little fruit despite regular clipping	Hedge shearing removing most of the current season’s flowering growth	Whether the plant is sheared during or just before spring flowering	Shift shearing to the post-harvest dormant window, or lightly thin instead of shearing if fruiting matters more than a formal shape
Sparse, leggy growth	No renewal pruning of old, unproductive wood	Age and density of interior branches	Remove a portion of the oldest wood each winter to stimulate fresh growth

Pests, Diseases & Troubleshooting

Overview: Feijoa or pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana, family Myrtaceae) is a notably tough, largely pest-free evergreen fruiting shrub; its few real problems are fruit flies and birds attacking ripening fruit, sap-sucking scale, mealybugs and aphids on soft growth, and root rot in waterlogged soil. Grow it hard in free-draining soil and full sun, keep it open and clean, and most issues never take hold.

Quick Troubleshooting Overview

Issue / Pest	Main Symptom	Primary Solution
Fruit fly	Stung, prematurely dropping fruit with soft, maggoty flesh	Trap and bait, remove fallen fruit, bag or net where pressure is high
Birds	Pecked, gouged ripening fruit	Net plants; harvest promptly as fruit softens and drops
Scale & mealybugs	Bumps or white cottony tufts on stems/leaves; honeydew and sooty mould	Horticultural oil, prune to open the canopy, protect predators
Aphids & thrips	Distorted, sticky new growth; silvery flecking on young leaves/flowers	Water jet, insecticidal soap, beneficial insects
Root rot	Wilting, dieback and dark roots in wet, heavy soil	Improve drainage, water less, plant on a mound

Common Pests & Management

• Fruit flies (Ceratitis capitata / Bactrocera / Anastrepha spp.):
  • Symptoms: Females sting ripening fruit to lay eggs, leaving small puncture marks; the flesh around them softens, browns and is tunnelled by white maggots, and fruit drops early. Pressure is highest in warm regions with a long fruit-fly season.
  • Prevention & Control: Hang lure/protein-bait traps to monitor and reduce numbers, pick up and destroy all fallen and stung fruit (do not compost), and bag or net where infestation is heavy. Harvest fruit as it firms and drops naturally rather than leaving it hanging over-ripe.
• Birds (various species):
  • Symptoms: Pecked, gouged and half-eaten fruit as it ripens and softens, and knocked-down fruit under the plant.
  • Prevention & Control: Net vulnerable plants as fruit approaches ripeness, and pick promptly, since feijoa fruit is usually harvested as it drops. Scare devices give only short-term relief.
• Scale insects (Coccus hesperidum / Hemiberlesia spp.):
  • Symptoms: Flat brown, tan or hard grey bumps along stems, twigs and leaf veins that do not brush off; soft scales excrete honeydew that blackens with sooty mould.
  • Prevention & Control: Prune to open a congested canopy and improve light and airflow, scrape off light infestations, and spray horticultural oil to smother crawlers, repeating to catch generations. Ants farming scale for honeydew should be controlled, and parasitic wasps and ladybirds encouraged.
• Mealybugs (Planococcus citri):
  • Symptoms: White, cottony waxy clusters in leaf axils, on shoot tips and around the fruit calyx, with sticky honeydew and sooty mould.
  • Prevention & Control: Dislodge with a water jet, spot-treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and control ants that protect and spread them. Keep plants unstressed and encourage predators.
• Aphids (Aphis spp.):
  • Symptoms: Colonies of green or black aphids on soft new shoots and flower buds, distorting growth and leaving honeydew.
  • Prevention & Control: Hose off, use insecticidal soap on stubborn colonies, and rely on ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Thrips (Thrips / Frankliniella spp.):
  • Symptoms: Silvery flecking and fine black specks on young leaves, flowers and fruit skin; can scar developing fruit.
  • Prevention & Control: Tolerate light damage, use blue/yellow sticky traps to monitor, and treat heavy pressure with insecticidal soap or spinosad, protecting pollinators by spraying in the evening.

Diseases & Fungal Issues

• Fruit rot / anthracnose (Colletotrichum / Botrytis / Pestalotiopsis):
  • Symptoms: Soft brown rotten patches on fruit (in the field or in storage), grey mould in damp weather, and dieback of blossoms; wounded or fruit-fly-stung fruit rots fastest.
  • Treatment & Management: Harvest and store clean, undamaged fruit, remove mummified fruit and prunings, and keep the canopy open and dry. Copper sprays are rarely needed on this resistant plant but help in wet climates if rot is recurrent.
• Leaf spot (Cercospora / Pseudocercospora spp.):
  • Symptoms: Small brown to purplish spots or blotches on leaves, occasionally causing some leaf drop in wet, humid conditions.
  • Treatment & Management: Rake up fallen leaves, improve airflow, and avoid overhead watering; the plant usually shrugs this off without treatment.
• Phytophthora root & collar rot (Phytophthora spp.):
  • Symptoms: Poor vigour, yellowing, wilting and branch dieback with darkened roots and a rotted collar in wet, heavy or poorly drained soil.
  • Treatment & Management: Prevention is key: plant in free-draining soil or on a raised mound, avoid waterlogging and deep mulch against the trunk, and water deeply but infrequently. There is no easy cure once established.

Growing Difficulties & Abiotic Problems

• Poor fruit set:
  • Cause & Symptoms: Flowers but little fruit, usually from inadequate cross-pollination (many cultivars need a second variety and bird/bee pollinators) or from heat/water stress at flowering.
  • Correction Strategy: Plant compatible cultivars for cross-pollination, encourage pollinators, and keep plants evenly watered during flowering; some self-fertile cultivars set better alone.
• Fruit drop:
  • Cause & Symptoms: Small fruit dropping after set, from water stress, heavy crop, or poor pollination.
  • Correction Strategy: Maintain steady moisture (mulch, deep watering) through fruit development and avoid drought/flood swings; a light fruit thin can improve size on heavy crops.
• Iron/nutrient chlorosis:
  • Cause & Symptoms: Yellowing leaves with green veins on very alkaline soils, or general paleness when underfed.
  • Correction Strategy: Feed with a balanced fertiliser in the growing season, mulch with organic matter, and correct high pH or apply chelated iron where needally soils cause chlorosis.
• Sunburn / wind scorch:
  • Cause & Symptoms: Bleached or browned foliage and scalded fruit on plants suddenly exposed to intense sun or hot, dry wind.
  • Correction Strategy: Acclimatise gradually, shelter from harsh wind, and keep well-watered; feijoa is tough but young plants appreciate some protection while establishing.

What Helps — Products & Tools

Feijoa needs very little spraying: focus on fruit-fly traps and prompt removal of fallen fruit, plus netting against birds, as the main measures. Keep horticultural oil and insecticidal soap on hand for occasional scale, mealybug, aphid and thrips outbreaks, and reserve copper fungicide for wet-climate fruit rot. Free-draining soil and open pruning prevent nearly all disease.

Propagation Guide

Feijoa can be grown from seed, but because it is largely cross-pollinated, seedlings vary in fruit quality, so the site notes that grafting or another vegetative method is necessary to reproduce a good, known cultivar true-to-type; semi-hardwood cuttings are also commonly used in cultivation for the same purpose. Propagation is Easy from seed and Moderate by cuttings or grafting.

Quick Propagation Specs

Best Propagation Method	Vegetative propagation (cuttings or grafting) for named cultivars; seed for species plants or rootstock
Alternative Methods	Air layering (less common)
Propagation Difficulty	Easy (seed) – Moderate (cuttings, grafting)
Seed True-to-Type	Variable – fruit quality of seedlings is unpredictable
Vegetative True-to-Type	Yes
Best Propagation Season	Spring, within the site’s spring-summer-autumn planting season
Seed Germination Time	Not documented on site; commonly a few weeks to about a month under warm conditions
Cutting Rooting Time	Commonly several weeks to a couple of months

Growing from Seed

Seed Handling & Viability

Clean the small seeds out of the ripe fruit pulp before sowing.

Sowing Season

Spring, within the site’s spring-summer-autumn planting season.

Sowing Depth & Orientation

Sow shallowly – the seed is small and should be barely covered.

Germination Conditions

Warm, consistently moist, bright conditions.

Germination Time

Not documented on site; generally not difficult, commonly within a few weeks to about a month.

Stem Cuttings

Cutting Type

Semi-hardwood tip cuttings.

Best Timing

Late spring to summer, during active growth.

Cutting Preparation

Take a cutting with a few nodes, strip the lower leaves, and reduce remaining leaf area to limit water loss.

Rooting Setup

A well-draining mix such as perlite or sand, under mist or a humidity dome.

Rooting Hormone

Often beneficial for more reliable rooting, though not strictly required.

Rooting Time

Commonly several weeks to a couple of months, and can be somewhat slow.

Grafting & Budding

Why Grafting Is Used

To reproduce a superior, known cultivar true-to-type, since seedling feijoa varies in fruit quality – matching the site’s own note that grafting is necessary.

Preferred Grafting Methods

Not detailed by the site; whip, cleft, or side-veneer grafting, or chip budding, onto seedling rootstock are the standard techniques.

Rootstock

Seedling feijoa.

Scion Selection

Healthy wood from a proven, good-fruiting cultivar.

Best Grafting Season

Spring, during active growth, within the site’s spring-summer-autumn planting season.

Graft Aftercare

Protect the union until it knits, and remove rootstock suckers below the graft.