Pineapple guavas

It’s understandable why pineapple guavas could have an identity crisis! It’s not a pineapple, though the fruit has a pineapple like taste and it’s not a guava. In fact, it’s often called a feijoa!

Pineapple guava (Acca sellowiana), not to be confused with cherry guava (Psidium littorale var. longpipes), is a hardy, evergreen shrub with leathery leaves that grows to around 3 m tall. They produce gorgeous (and edible) pink and white flowers in summer and the fruit, which appear in autumn, are green and oval shaped with soft creamy yellow coloured sweet and fragrant flesh. They’re best picked when the fruit are almost ready to fall off themselves. Fruit can be used in jams, cakes and sorbet and the flowers incorporated in fruit salads and desserts.

They prefer a full sun position and it’s best to grow a few different varieties to improve pollination and fruit set. Pineapple guavas will grow from cool to sub-tropical areas and make a fantastic edible and very attractive hedge. They can also be grown in a pot.

Apply Yates® Dynamic Lifter® Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser around the root zone every 6 weeks from spring to autumn to both improve the soil quality and promote healthy growth and lots of flowers and delicious fruit.

It’s important to note that pineapple guava fruit can be affected by fruit fly so it’s crucial to start baiting with Yates Nature’s Way® Fruit Fly Control from when the fruit are still small and continue baiting until harvest.