After three years, my strawberry guava is finally blooming. I didn't even know that the flowers were fragrant until I smelled this one.
Strawberry guava
I adore Strawberry guava! When you have lots of flowers to waste pop one of them in your mouth for a treat! The flowers themselves are edible and yummy! :)
Tropicalaria, how big is your tree? Mine has grown well but has not bloomed. SB
It's pretty small and has bushed out, about three feet wide and two feet tall. I grew this one from seed. I would prefer a tree form but I have no idea how to prune it. I wonder if cuttings would root?
Edible flowers eh? Just like the pineapple guava--but completely different!
They are delicous and make great jam, but, they can also get infested with the little worms each year in the fruit--a real pain. Is this a problem anywhere else? I am in the Orlando, Florida area.
I sure hope these aren't the same worms that destroy my cherries. On the other hand, I don't even know if these will set fruit parthenocarpically.
All guavas can get fruit fly larva. This is the same fly that can destroy papayas. I have both and have had some trouble but fortunately both produce enough fruit that I get more than enough for us. Below is picture of our Cattley Guava. It is about 4 years old and 10 foot tall.
DW
Beautiful Guava tree, dwallace! I have been bottoming mine out because of their beutiful shiny trunk for the ones coming up the driveway and I still have a few to plant further away and let them bush out. They grow wild here so I need to take them out back. Maybe I can make a deal with the bear to stay back there instead of coming to the farm.
All I have is golden guava (3ft tall) and 2 baby pineapple guava. I would love to get seeds for others if anyone has extra (trade or sase).
strawberrry gauvas are super yummy
I have a strawberry quava tree that is about 5 feet tall, has very small fruit that is not ripe yet. Last year it had a couple of fruit on it. Its a cute little tree. I planted it a couple of years ago and it was about 4 feet tall. I still don't know what the fruit tastes like.
Linda
I have 2 strawberry Cattley Guava loaded with fruit. Last year the fruit rats got most of the fruit. The ones I did manage to get were watery and had no flavor. The trees are only 2 years old. Should the fruit be sweet and strawberry-like in flavor? Is there something I can do to help with the sugar content? Or should I just leave them to the rats? I planted the trees as a hedge.
Is it lime that sweetens the fruit? Can't remember but my mom did that to keep the citrus sweet. Maybe you can read up on that. One of my books says use 4-6-8 fertilizer.
Com on guys! I sure would love to get a few seeds from you for SASE!
Cyberageous
Are you still are looking for guava seeds?
I have an unknown pink variety and Ruby Supreme seeds left over.. Just let me know if you want some.
Dale
Sure Dale! I don't know why- guava is very popular here but you can't find plants or seeds. I will d-mail you my address. Thank you so much! I can get more dwarf papaya seeds if I may reward you for your generosity.
Just a note that my strawberry guava flowered for about a month. Lots of flowers, no fruit. I suppose I'll need a second one for pollination.
Cyberageous
I sent you a Dmail this morning.
You are right about the difficulty finding tropical guava trees for sale. You can find Cattley everywhere but unless you go to a nursery that has a good variety of tropical fruit trees you rarely see tropical guavas.
At the Manatee Rare Fruit tree sale I brought 20 or so tropical guava trees and everyone sold. I also brought 15 nice Cattley guavas (a couple had flowers and/or fruit) and only a couple sold. I guess you never know.
Good luck with the seeds.
Dale
Good morning! I already had lunch and about to do my "horizonal digestion". We do our gardening at dawn and dusk when it's the coolest.
My neighbor brought me a tray of guava paste that she just made for me to send to Darius. That was so nice of her. Excuse type-o's- I broke my glasses. This guava paste was wonderful- I can't imagine better quava. Ours grows wild here but tastes good- not great tho. My trees (local variety) are less that 2 years old and were rootbound for quite a while before I finally got to plant them in the ground. I hope by next year, they will take off and fruit. Yours is magnificent!!!!! How old is it?
It was pretty good size when I got it, maybe two years old. It has been in the ground two years now and really took of this summer. It has both flowers and fruit on it right now.
I have a much smaller one next to it that is only a couple of years old and is may 5 feet tall now that has not flowered yet. Below is a picture of it.
Dale
I didn't get to see the image! Ahhhhh. I bet it's as beautiful as the older one!
Lets try it again.
Dale
This message was edited Sep 19, 2006 7:28 AM
I can't wait for my guava to grow. My neighbor's guava is fruiting like crazy and she gave me some homemade yummy guava paste.
I can't even imagine how wonderful the cattley guava is.
My husband brought me a strawberry guava cuban pastry. Boy was it awesome!
Dale- I never got a d-mail from you so please don't think I am rude for not getting back to you.
How well will tropical guava do in zone 8, North Carolina?
I would love to have a few seeds to experiment with. I am a novice at this sort of thing.
Regards,
Haydee
I don't know anything about guava in zone 8 except that it grows like crazy here. I planted all my guava seed, sorry but maybe another DG'er might still have some. Maybe next year I can help you with seeds.
My strawberry quavas are finally ripe and boy are they delicious. The seeds are a pain but the fruit is wonderful.
I can save seeds if anyone still wants them.
Linda
Haydee,
I had pineapple guava when I lived at Sunset Beach, NC (south of Wilmington) and the flowered, but didn't fruit. I think if it had fruited there still wouldn't have been time for the fruit to mature before the weather turned too chilly. If you're closer to the water, the temp will stay up a couple of more degrees than inland. I think you can do the pineapple guava there, but you might want to plant on the south side of your house. I loved the flowers on mine!
Barbara
I have a pineapple guava that blooms profusely,but doesn't fruit.I just bought some frozen(unknown type)guava from an oriental mkt.,and planted the seeds. Hoping some will come up. If you have extra seeds or cuttings of a cross pollinator,I would love some.I'm not sure what it needs to fruit. aimee
Wow, this is an old thread. My Strawberry Guavas are covered with fruit, as is my Guava 'Nana' and the Lemon Guava. They are VERY difficult from cuttings, aimeelea. I have tried many times and I have never had one root. I can refer anyone who is interested to another forum/thread describing the somewhat specialized technique that is apparently necessary to root these from cuttings.
Seeds, OTOH, are easy. I have Lemon Guava seeds for anyone interested.
stessbaby,
I'd like to have some of your lemon guava seeds. Should I send you a SASE?
John
Topanga Canyon, Ca.
Are Guavas true to seed?
I'm glad I found this tread. For those of us in lower zones than 9. Listen up. Guava can grow successfully in our regions. Only problem is, does it need another variety for cross polination? I've one, brought from Lowes a couple of year ago. It's about 5' tall, spreading habit. It tolerated the weather well, last year I've noticed one single flower. No fruit! (I'm contemplating on moving it to a brighter, more sunny area), but now, new question arises; cross polination? Any input would be appreciated.
Kim
Mine in the GH seem to set fruit without any trouble. 'Nana,' Lemon, and Strawberry Guava have all set fruit separately on their own.
Lemon and Strawberry are separate species or subspecies, not varieties, and so I think that they are true from seed. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
SB
Stressbaby;
I've Lemon tree in GH, during the winter months they bloomed so profusely. Comes spring. All flowers fell off. Lack of polinators (insects, bees) I gathered?
They said that Blueberries require a different variety, as does Paw Paw. Some fruits tree/vine have male/female flowers. The info. sometimes is more than I can digest on one sitting. lol
Kim
Stressbaby, I would love to have some of your seeds. JLMK if you still have some I send an enve.
Thanks!
Caren
I have never had trouble with either my Ruby Supreme or Strawberry guava flowering and fruiting. I am not aware of any other guava trees in the immediate area.
I have grown hundreds from seeds and are ready to plant in about 18 months. I have never had luck with cuttings either but I do not have a misting bed either. Air layering is another popular way of propagtion.
Dale
It's helpful info. Thanks. I was just wondering whether I should move mine, or needing to get more in order to set fruits.
Thanks all.
Kim
My guava have few flower buds! Finally. I'll see if I beat the chipmonds and squirrels to its fruit this year!!!
The Strawberry Guava turned color abruptly, almost overnight. Taste, to me, is slightly better than the Lemon Guava.
Congrats!!!! Stressbaby, which zone are you in? May I ask?