Pruning FeijoaTrees

I purchased a few feijoa trees from a local nursery recently. The central leader branch was cut on all young trees (1 gallon). What implications it may have on trees?
Most articles found on web mention that central branch should not be trimmed on young trees. Is it different for feijoa trees?

Feijoa are shrubs. You may prune them as a tree. However, it requires a lot of maintenance since they are prone to sprouting branches anywhere along the central trunk.

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You can train a new central leader if you desire. Or leave it as a shrub.
Can you reference these web articles? I’ve had central leaders destroyed on lots of my young trees by rabbits. It’s not difficult to regenerate a new central leader on most deciduous tree varieties

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In proper conditions, feijoa is fairly vigorous, so after 5 years, the effects of the pruned leader may be negligible. How tall do you want your feijoa plants to get?

Once feijoa fruit is at full size, ripeness cannot be determined visually, each fruit has to be tested by hand for ease of removal from the plant. It is far easier to just pick up fallen fruit. The fruit easily bruises, so shorter plants are better.

1-gallon plants for sale several years ago at OGW had intact leaders.

This has not been my experience with several cultivars I have grown in San Diego county, CA.

(editing after asking Richard about his drop height and surfaces)

I should have said that the fruit easily bruises when falling onto various landscape elements (edgers), firm ground, or a deck–obviously, and no more so than many other fruits.

Feijoas can be handled normally, poured gently from one container to another, and stacked in containers several layers deep without bruising.

Ironically, quince, a fruit that is of winter squash hardness, will get little bruise spots when simply stacked in a box.

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I think any fruit would bruise easily under those conditions. Mine fall in the 1’ to 5’ range onto accumulated leaf fall on top of size 1" sequoia bark.

Thank you for the comment. Most articles refer to Feijoa as shrub or small tree. This information leaded me to impression that “tree” is appropriate use for Feijoa
https://fruitsandnuts.ucanr.edu/dsadditions/Feijoa_Fact_Sheet/
https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/feijoa-sellowiana
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/acca-sellowiana/

I found this information after an additional research (just like you mentioned in your comment)
*Feijoa sellowiana or Pineapple Guava, is a gray-green evergreen shrub or tree (depending on pruning)

Sorry for the delay response. The articles I mentioned refer to delay and/or lower fruit/nut production when central leader is removed on a young tree. I did not save these articles, but will attempt to find them again a next few days.

That is quite likely true. I don’t like the idea of pruning the central leader on young trees myself unless I was grafting a higher quality variety on it.

However it is routinely done to keep trees small/make them into bushes.

The horticultural use of these terms refers to natural endemic growth habit, while the landscaping use refers to pruned shape.

For example, redwoods we encounter in nature are trees but I have seen them pruned as shrubs in botanical gardens.