I see, yeah, the inner part looks more substantial.
I’m curious what the fertilization schedule looks like for people getting good bloom and fruit on their feijoas here in the PNW. Might be a moot point this year because many stem tips look dead from the January freeze, but I’m curious whether to fertilize before it starts waking up, or whether to wait another month or two.
The last couple years I did only very diluted fish fertilizer, but I’m thinking I’ll give a heavier feeding this year and see if it helps with the number of flowers.
I’m seeing bud swell on my feijoas a little early this year, but it does look like the January freeze killed all the tips (thus probably most of the potential flower buds as well?).
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My limited experience with Feijoas indicates that they flower on branches lower down on the plant. I’ve only had six flowers on one seedling last year, but all of the flowers were quite low on the bush. The flower buds were hard to spot; I didn’t see some of them until after the conspicuous blossoms appeared.
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I believe the flower buds form on either side of dormant terminal vegetative buds, but they can form anywhere on the bush. The lower ones may be less likely to get zapped by bad freezes than the exposed ones on top of the bush, though.
I looked at a bunch of photos of Feijoa flowers and found that many did form at terminal locations, but there were also many that formed lower down on the stems. My plants were subjected to damaging winter temperatures; so, it makes sense that terminal buds were killed.
Those are exactly what I meant: they form right at either side of the dormant bud over the winter. The new growth this season starts just above the flowers. I’ve never seen flowers come from any point other than right next to where the new vegetative flush formed in spring.
In other words, follow the new green stems (this spring’s growth) back until it meets bark. All flowers will be at that junction. No flowers will come directly from older wood, nor will they come from green stems other than right at the base of the green where it meets the bark.
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I see what you mean now. Yes. The leaf obscures it, but I’m pretty sure that’s exactly where this bud came from. I’ll check the other buds to see if it’s the same behavior.
There’s a second flower bud in the background there too. Same thing, right at the base of the spring flush.
Vast majority of feijoa blossoms form as swincher describes above, but there are the occasional 2- or 3-year wood blossoms on my old plant; the record from a couple of years ago was a quad bloom on 25+ year-old wood, a 4" thick branch low down.
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I have flowers develop everywhere usually. This year might be different as there is significant cold damage.
Fruits are always lower down the bush.
You’re saying even locations that don’t grow new branches from the same bud site where the flowers emerge?
Yes, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen flowers but no branches develop.
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Are these older plants?
My trees are all under 4-6 years old. So not old.
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I guess I’ve noticed something similar. At the end of a branch were new growth normally comes from, sometimes it doesn’t seem to grow out. Instead it seems to develop extra blooms there.
Found this plant along the road used as landscaping.
No new growth on this branch, and instead of the normal 2 or 3 blooms with growth, it has 12.
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I thought the January freeze had zapped all the potential flower buds, but I’m seeing a few at least:
None on Larry’s variety, sadly. Maybe next year!
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I’m seeing flower buds on many varieties. But they are behind where they were last year.
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I thought the same thing on account of the freeze. Then all of a sudden—bingo—the nakita and a seedling that had never fruited before stated pushing out seemingly countless future blooms.
How is your waingaro faring? Mine has only showed a few blooms so far, and last year it was the most productive. Currently the nakita, Coolidge and a couple seedlings are loaded up. I’m hoping the waingaro soon catches up with the rest.
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