Pineapple guava

I have a hedge of pineapple guava that I planted 22 years ago. They are spaced 8 feet apart and most of them are at least 8 to 10 feet tall. I would not plant them any closer than that, as they are so thick now it is difficult to get in between them to pick up the fruit. They are Coolidge, Trask, and one other variety whose name I forgot.

We have a newer planting also that is entering year 4 that consists of Nazmetz, Mammoth, Apollo and Coolidge. We got the plants from Raintree, One Green World, and Menlo Growers. I would be interested in trialing other improved varieties but I don’t know how to propagate them.

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Zea, are you selling pineapple guava fruit that you grow? At a farmer market or U-Pick? I’ve never seen pineapple guava fruit for sale at local farmer markets in my area.

How do you like the taste of Trask compared to other varieties? A couple years ago I have been looking to buy a Trask bush (it’s supposed to be a good pollinator for Nazemetz) but couldn’t find it anywhere.

@LarryGene, funny you should mention it. Tried self-pollinating this weekend…not really sure if I was doing it correctly…It appears there are some more flowers looking to bloom so I’ll give it another try when they pop out…

I’ve got two of them, both about the same size.

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Menolo growers has moore,similac,trask and nazemetz.went there last week to pickup 3 mammoths.

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Nice.just planted a hedge of nazemetz myself.i planted them 8 1\2 feet apart.ill just trim them a bit like a wall.sort of like robert in the youtube video.

https://youtu.be/gMehlDeQ3wI

Looks like this is going to be a great year for pineapple guavas in zone 7A!

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Your are planted out doors? Mine are still whips. I kept them in pots in on the sun porch all winter and moved them outside about a month ago. unknown cultivar grown from seed. I got from an amazon reseller and separated 2 pots into about 11 plants. All would have survived if not for me. 6 are growing strong my largest is over 2ft.

Yeah. I planted 2 PGs 3-years ago and they have gotten big (approximately 3’ tall now)! We had a decent harvest last year and this year looks even better. I’m not sure if its our climate or environment but I didn’t hand pollinate anything last year and we still got fruit (even after eating a boat load of flowers). Does location make a big difference when it comes to PG pollination? I have no idea what varieties these are.

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Zone 7A North NJ I am more worried about winter freezes. Your fruit set would indicate the local bee have no issues. Where did you buy yours?

I think I purchased them from Bob Wells nursery in TX. My guavas have been unfazed by pests, late frosts, snow and ice so far. They are one of the most bullet proof and care free plants on our property. They are also evergreen and make an awesome privacy fence (that’s why I purchased mine).

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Manual pollination is correct when pollen sticks to fingertips or a brush, then is spread to the central flower spike (pistil / style), then pollen is observed sticking to the pistil.

The flower anthers may appear yellow before the pollen is freely released–wait a couple of days. Under the right sun back-light conditions, tapping on a flower will show pollen flying off when it is ready.

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Oh wow i think some of mine are about to flower.nice indeed :slight_smile:

On two coolidges i caught two caterpillars eating the leaves.bit surprised.i do have alot of malva weeds.i guess once i get rid of thecweeds there wont be that many pests.:slight_smile:

Yes, we sell them at farmers markets in San Jose and Cupertino. And Oakland last year, but we’re not going back there this year.

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I got some questions for ya if u could answer :slight_smile:

1.Which variety do u like best?
2.which variety is best seller at farmers market?
3.how many do u have total and do u have pics of the hedge to show?
4.which type of soil are they in?

In my experience, no. Let me say that again: NO. And as I’ve said it in other threads … folks trying to sell coolidge as a pollinator to Nazemetz are simply trying to sell seedlings! Coolidge is a seedling, not a cultivar!!

When I planted the hedge years ago I didn’t mark which variety was which and so I can’t say that one kind is my favorite. And they are all mixed at the farmers market so I can’t say that one sells better. They taste similar enough that I can’t tell them apart, although one variety is more tapered at the end while the others are more symmetrical.

I will take a few pictures in the next few days but don’t have any now.

And Coolidge may be a seedling, but all my varieties have MUCH larger fruit than other seedlings I have seen. Some of my fruit are the size of large lemons.

So i noticed one tree isnt growing.i took pics of the trunk.seems something is eating it? Any ideas what that is? Thinking of taking it out and putting a new one.some leaves on that tree have red spots.

Here are two photos of my hedge and one of the plants starting to bloom. The sun was behind it so it was hard to get a great photo but you get the idea.

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Nice.just bought two more nazemetz from lowes for $36 after coupon.going to get about 5 more but of a different variety.stan mentioned trask is a good polinater for nazemetz.probably get one at menlos unless i find it cheaper price elsewhere.my first flower came out today :slight_smile:

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