When I lived in Florida I had a neighbor who had a small tree with beautiful maroon colored blossoms and lovely dark, shiny green oval leaves. When I asked him what it was he said it was a Guava tree and low and behold within 2 months guava fruit was formed and matured from those lovely blossoms.
It was interesting to notice that the Guava fruit did not have to, but could be, picked from the bush or tree or it could be left to fall to the ground where he gathered it up into some old buckets he had.
Further research showed that Guava trees could be grown in the following zones:
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Zone 8
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(10° to 20°)
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Zone 9
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(20° to 30°)
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Zone 10
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(30° to 40°)
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Zone 11
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(40° to 50°)
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Originally from Mexico and Central America its seed has been spread over time by birds, man and other animals and the best place for growing Guava in the United States is Florida and Hawaii, though Guava is grown carefully on the coastal areas of California.
This tree can thrive in both dry and humid climates but will not survive any kind of frost as shown by a tree I saw one time in Florida that had a short exposure to 29° F but was completely defoliated. Yet on the other hand Guavas do not need a lot of tending and often withstand temporary water logging and really high summer temperatures.
The better fruit bearing Guava trees like a cooler season or definite winter. This makes a nice container tree if you order the smaller Guava cultivars. If you plant them outside make sure you give them lots of space to grow and I would recommend 30 feet between your trees.
Honey bees are the chief pollinator of the Guava tree and these trees are usually self-fruited though some strains often produce more fruit when you plant more than one kind of variety. When your winters are mild the Guava will bloom throughout the year and some varieties have white blooms. You can expect the heaviest blooms on your guava tree once you start getting warm weather in the spring.
The Guava does not like salty soil, so those near the coast of Florida and Hawaii take heed and test your soil. Though they will survive in just about any soil condition they will give you a better harvest when planted in rich soils high in organic matter especially is it is well-drained soil with the pH range of 5 to 7.
The Guava seed usually germinates in 2 - 3 weeks but may take as long as 8 weeks. You cannot depend on guavas to come true from seed and since the trees usually start at about $12.00 or so I think it is best to buy a good healthy tree from a reputable tropical tree supplier.
Guava recipes abound on the internet if you look for them. Guavas, it seems, is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium yet high in dietary fiber, vitamin C, A, folate, potassium, copper and manganese making this a good fruit for anyone on a weight loss diet.
"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime… May your day be filled with…Peace, Light and Love,
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