Pineapple Guava ripening?

Larry,
How did yours do this year?
Neither of my two plants had a flower on them.It might have been the temps,with the coldest being about 15F last Winter,which could have froze the buds.They didn’t grow much at all during the Summer,like being in suspended animation,only the past few weeks did I see some young leaves forming.
Another possibility is the pots may be too small and the plants are root bound.I am presently putting them in 50 gallon grow bags. Brady

63 pounds and several hundred fruits this year from the single bush here. Set new records for individual fruit size, two largest were 5.6 and 5.4 ounces.

There has been some success by a home gardener in the PDX Metro region with container-grown feijoa with plants producing fruit after a few years. He is transplanting to in-ground for the fruitful plants.

The 15 degrees and container-growing could be affecting your plants. Very hard to keep a long-term container plant evenly watered.

The term “feijoa”, with various spellings and pronunciations, is the current commercial term used in Russia, New Zealand, and Australia, where the fruit is quite popular. I prefer the term as it individualizes the fruit and gets away from the “pineapple” aspect that Richard accurately points out is more pear-like.

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If that is a Coolidge type, then the bush is evidently well cared for. For a Nazemetz that is cared for and fed like a fruit tree, I would expect typical fruit weight of 8 oz and larger fruits in the range 12-13 oz.

I’m mad I let my Nazemetz die and One Green World doesn’t seem to sell it anymore. I got 3 fruit from my Coolidge and none yet from Mammoth and Nikita.

I have a seedling of a fruit from Larry’s tree, which is likely a seedling itself. It has yet to fruit, nor have my two other seedlings that are much larger and several years older than the Coolidge. Maybe Coolidge is popular because of its precocity.

I tried grafting one year, and quickly decided that was a losing proposition.

It is widely sold as an ornamental shrub with edible blossoms.

The original name is Feijoa sellowiana, with Feijoa honoring the Portuguese naturalist João da Silva Feijó and sellowiana honoring the German botanist Friedrich Sellow. More recently, the classification was changed to Acca sellowiana, but the name Feijoa is accepted and used worldwide. It’s definitely shorter than Pineapple guava.

There exist multiple cultivars, many bred in New Zealand and Australia (feijoa is very popular there, especially in NZ) and some in California. I have 12 different cultivars, many purchased about a year ago from Patrick Schafer, who is a well known feijoa enthusiast in Northern California. All his trees are grafted to seedlings, so grafting feijoas is a viable approach for an experienced horticulturalist.

This year I had fruit from Mammoth (2nd harvest), Nikita, Flavia, and Nazemetz (all 1st harvest). I like the flavor of Mammoth and Flavia more than that of Nazemetz, and also the fruits of Mammoth and especially Flavia are quite larger. However, fruit quality in first few harvests might be not characteristic, so I will hold my judgement until I have more experience.

All my feijoa trees are on drip irrigation during the dry season (approximately April to October), and the irrigation is turned off during the wet season. This year, rains in Nor. Cal. started in late September, which is about a month earlier than usual. This year, I picked the fruit from Oct 23 to Nov 18. I only pick the feijoa fruit when it’s fully ripe, i.e., it when it falls from the tree. Fruits can be eaten right after they’re picked from under the tree or kept in a refrigerator for a few days. I eat them in the same way I eat kiwi fruit — cut in half along a longer axis and scoop the flesh with a spoon.

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How big of a difference is there in taste between named varieties? I have two seedlings from two totally different nurseries and they both taste the same.

For me, it’s noticeable, for example, Mammoth was quite sweeter than Nazemetz, but that can change as trees mature.

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I agree. :slight_smile:

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I used to think they all tasted the same but after a few years of eating them I don’t even want to eat my seedling anymore and just eat the Nazemetz. My Coolidge didn’t fruit much this year and squirrels got what did fruit off it.

I’ve tasted feijoas from at least a half-dozen sources, and they all have the same basic flavor and aroma, the differences being sweetness, texture (neither are flavors), and complexity of flavor. About one in ten of my fruits are slightly minty.

An Apollo I tried was very sweet.

My 1993 bush is an unknown variety, possibly a seedling. This year’s harvest was 16oct-11nov. Due to hard surfaces below, I pick directly from the bush. Fruit that comes off with a light touch is ready for eating or storage, will soften rapidly at room temps, stores well in fridge for a whole month.

Am currently attempting to root ten cuttings.

One problem with the name feijoa is it seldom passes an auto-spellcheck.

Could this be related to your climate?

Nice to know that there are taste differences. I’m going to leave mine on the tree. Temperature is scheduled to go to 28 on a couple of nights. Maybe the fruit won’t get all the way cooked…

Should be fine!

I’ve had California fruit and fruit imported by a Russian grocer, plus various processed products. Currently working on a jar of feijoa jam from Azerbaijan. Overly sweet but the basic feijoa flavor component and aroma is there.

But Pineapple Guava jam is already on the shelves in San Diego county specialty markets!

Larry, where did you get the Azerbaijani jam?

Good Neighbor Russian grocery store in Portland, Oregon.

It is branded as Bagdan Feyxoa cemi, (sublabeled feijoa jam)
Product of Azerbaijan.
Made at the Lankaran Canning Factory, near the Caspian Sea.

It seemed unlikely, but the fresh feijoas at that grocery store had the exact same appearance as those pictured growing in the Lankaran region. The fruits looked well-traveled and past their prime.

The jam is too stiff, could be quality control issue or intentional. Most jams and preserves in that store are very loose.

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Disappointed that I haven’t seen a single fruit on my pineapple guava…I’ve had them going on two years now, maybe they need some more time.

Any idea of the age of your plants?