PlantFiles: Guava, Tropical Guava, Goiaba, Araçá-goiaba
Psidium guajava

Tropical guavas do really great in the Phoenix area. You can find an article on growing them in the lower Arizona desert at the following link.

[HYPERLINK@www.phoenixtropicals.com]

Greenhouse culture not difficult. Not particular as to soil. Bark of 'Nana' cinammon brown, peeling, attractive.

I grow three varieties and I have not found them as susceptible to pests as citrus or other plants. SB

I've got a guava tree (ruby X supreme) located on a south wall here in Phoenix. Seems to handle all the water and sun you can give it in summer once established. I cover it on cold nights, but here in Phoenix I don't really have to worry about that too often.

It is probably the easiest of the truly 'tropical' fruit trees we can grow here in Phoenix. So much can be grown here, so it confounds me as to why people don't grow more interesting things in Phoenix.

Guava is on the pest plant list in Hawaii, seed spread by birds, rats and pigs and becomes invasive. However, it is unlikely to be evaluated for biological control (unlike strawberry guave, for which research is ongoing) because of commercial orchards on Kauai and Hawaii (Big Is). I often find the bark attractive with a smooth satiny sheen and varigated shades of reddish-brown, blonds and grays. Do like the fruit fresh and in jams and juices, the also make a guava chiffon cake here, my son's favorite. It is not supposed to grow over 25'H. It grows at elevations below 500M. My neighbor has a "pear guava" (do not know species) which is OK except fruit is frequently stung by insects making it unusable. I was quite surprised to dicover little guava trees coming up in my yard, and not by seed, as when I dug down I found them growing from root that had gone under wall and back up near surface some 15'-20' from tree.

Guavas are seen growing wild almost everywhere on the windward side of our islands. They have established as wild flora all along the roasides.

Unfortunately, except for kids using them as misiles to throw at each other, guavas are not used much by the home cook.

On a commercial basis it is used for juice, jams and jellies mostly and sometimes for ice cream. It is the most un-utilized fruit in the islands considering the abundance with which it grows.

In my newspaper columns I try to print as many recipes with guava as I can find and test to encourage the use of them.

Very high in vitamin C content!

I just noticed that I didn´t reviewed one of my favorite fruits, which I consume in many forms, and is very, very easy to grow in tropical and subtropical climates.

Growing Guavas (Pisidium )
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Guavas are small trees or shrubs with leathery leaves and a bark that peels easily from the branches. They are native to tropical America. The fruits are round, ripening from green to yellow or red. They are very acidic and are full of hard round seeds.

Note: In the UK it will be very difficult to get the fruit to ripen. However, they do make a very attractive ornamental plant.

Varieties
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Desert - P. cattleianum - Strawberry Guava - slightly sweeter reddish-purple, plum size fruit.

Soil Conditions and Siting
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Guavas will grow in any soil as long as it is moisture retentive and well drained. They require a lot of sunshine so it is best to plant under glass or in a container in a sunny, sheltered place or against a south facing wall.

Planting
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Plant bushes 15ft (5m) apart.

Feeding
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An annual mulch of well-rotted manure is normally sufficient. This will help to keep the moisture in the ground as well.

Watering
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Ensure that the plant is well watered, this is particularly important during its first year of growth.

Pruning
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Nip out top shoots to keep the plants bushy.

Protection
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Protect from frost.

Harvesting
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Pick fruits when ripe.

Pests and Diseases
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Birds, Aphids.

These trees do well on the beach areas and are very fast growing. They fruit after 2 years growth. They are susceptable to numerous insects, such as whiteflys and numerous types of scale.The fruit is very acromatic and may be eaten fresh or made into a juice or paste for later use. They also need regular watering and applicatons of a complete fertilizer insure a large crop.

It might be worthwhile to list all the fruits here that
are called "Guava" in an effort to clarify any prospective confusion.

GUAVA, COMMON (Psidium guajava)
GUAVA, BRAZILIAN ( Psidium guineense)
GUAVA, CATTLEY (Psidium cattleianum)
GUAVA, COSTA RICAN (Psidium friedrichsthalianum)
GUAVA, PINEAPPLE (Feijoa sellowiana)
GUAVA, PUERTO RICAN (Psidium microphyllum)
GUAVA, STRAWBERRY (Psidium littorale)

It is interesting to note that of all the "Guava" fruits, only the Pineapple Guava comes from a species other than Psidium.

Guava is a common shade-tree or shrub in gardens providing shade while the guava fruits are eaten fresh and made into drinks, ice cream and preserves. Guava has spread widely throughout the tropics with moderate rainfall because it thrives on a variety of soils, propagates easily and bears fruit relatively quickly. The fruits contain numerous seeds that can produce a mature fruit-bearing plant within four years. Guava is widely grown for its fruit in the tropics. It has a distinctive fresh aroma with a sweet musk odor and the vitamin C content is higher than citrus.