Does anyone in the south grow Guava's? I've heard it is possible from a link Danny sent me the other day but I have no idea what tastes best and where to get it. I don't have a greenhouse so I would need something cold hardy to 25F just in case.

I tried Guava here and could never get any seeds to germinate, I planned on moving them in and out as they will not stand the temps in zone 7b.  I love the fruit but I don't need another plant child, LOL.

I grow the pineapple guava. (feijoa) in a protected spot. The fruit and flowers ate delicious

Bill. Zone 7. Middle TN

Should I look for a plant or cuttings? If I have it in a protected spot it will only get partial sun, would that be okay?

The best tasting guavas are ruby supreme and egyptian white having tried different varieties. I have been growing them in a container in my greenhouse. Pine apple guavas will survive outdoor in your area, but the tropical guavas don't tolerate freezing temperatures. They can grow from cuttings but can be a bit tricky, seeds will grow but take longer to fruit and not the same quality

I appreciate the info. It looks like I'm going to have to go with pineapple guava and maybe I could try a strawberry. I'm going to start my hunt for trees.
Seeds and I have a very long hate hate relationship. I've never met one that would grow for me. I am a seed serial killer!

You may try chilian guava, Ugni Molinae.

But honestly, in my mind there are better things to try than guavas.  Then again, I only like guava paste!

Thank you Shah, I'll look into those, do they taste good?

When we lived in the Philippines I had fresh guava most of the time. Boiling the leaves also gives you a great antibacterial rinse. Boys there are circumcised between 8 and 13 years old. All that is used on the wound is boiled guava leaf juice, at least in the province we were in.

I wouldn't know...

But seriously, first of all, guavas are easily kept in pots.  Second, there are lots more worthy plants you can try in the yard--Pitangas, E. Uniflora, and close cousins E. stipitata and E. victoriana are just much more worthwhile plants to experiment with in Houston.  If you want a guava, go with real guavas and keep it potted.

Get a Ruby Supreme guava from Pine Island Nursery in Florida.  You won't be disappointed.

Thanks for the lead padsfan unfortunately it isn't listed on their available list.  am going to call them this morning on the off chance they have one hiding somewhere.

Bass how is your Egyptian guava doing?

Anyone have recommendations for best places to buy guava trees or cuttings? I keep reading great things about Mexican Cream guavas, but can't find a source anywhere. I'm starting to think it might be a better idea to just join CRFG, even though I live outside CA!

We planted a guava where a fig should be.  HUGE mistake.  We hate the fruit.  Nasty!

Mexican Cream is a very good guava. Chilean & Pineapple only share the name, they are nothing like true guavas. Strawberry/Lemon Guava are more closely related but tiny, a little more cold hardy. I grow all these varieties but my Chilean hasn't fruited enough for me to judge it. 

Good thread as fig growers look for other problem free fruit trees like figs.
In any case they are almost true to seed Tami, so cheap to start growing them.

A question:
How does a potted guava respond to root pruning if grown in pot?

Guavas are one of many fruiting plants of the Myrtle family from central and south America. They were first introduced to the eastern hemisphere in 1526 and since then many have naturalized in tropical areas of SE Asia.

Guava cultivars from the species Psidium guajava have a wide range of flavors and growth characteristics -- so if you've only tried one variety then you haven't met them all. Many but not all of them have a strong musk aroma and/or flavor which people seem to either love or hate.

The common name Guava is also applied to a number of other plants, including:

Pineapple guavas (Feijoa) are one of my favorite fruits. Just the right mix of sweet and acid. Around here (SoCal) they are used as landscaping plants and most nurseries sell them. Not sure if what they sell are the best for fruiting however.

From Wikipedia:

Pineapple guava fruits. Just scoop them out with a spoon and enjoy! Wish I had a few now. Yum!

 

Ours was purchased from a nursery and the tag reads, "Tropical Pink."  It's yellow when ripe and pink inside.  Neither one of us liked the taste, but neither of us had ever had a guava before.  The fruit is full of seeds that cling to the pulp, and we didn't like the flavor of the fruit.  The consensus here is to give it one more year to see if the fruit is better, and rip it out before it gets too big if the fruit still sucks.  We'll replace it with another mango or a Bearss lime.  The fruit is worthless to us, and maybe we just wound up with a bad variety, but we aren't willing to give another variety a chance.  What do you do with all those clingy seeds?  I heard they are edible, but the very thought..............  Shudder.

Suzi

Suzi, with that color description, it sounds more related to a strawberry quava. Those have seriously hard seeds and are difficult to eat, though the flavor of the traditional red ones is very pleasing.

Pineapple guavas (generic light green) don't have noticeable seeds.  Suzi, these should do well in your area too since they are pretty drought tolerant.

Thanks Gina!  I'll tell JD what you said, and we might just rip that tree out this week.  It's never going to get better!  Seriously hard seeds.  Bummer!

Why waste water and care on a bad tree?

I think I'll have to actually taste a pineapple guava before planting one. 

Nice to know it's not going to improve.

Suzi

Pineapple Guavas are hardy to 5-10 F depending on cultivar. Of them, Nazemetz is very good and available from retailers. The cultivar Lickver's Pride is excellent but also rare. Pineapple Guava are propagated by air-layer and do not reproduce true from seed.

Hi Suzi, I think some varieties are great for eating, but you aren't always supposed to eat the seeds. My first guava was in Mexico, shared with me by my host mother (who very sadly just passed, she was an absolutely beautiful person). I never found out the variety name, but I remember distinctly (this was almost ten years ago) it had yellow skin and pink flesh. She told me DO NOT EAT THE SEEDS (GI upset with that variety). She scooped them out and we ate the outer rind/flesh portion of the fruit. It's true, you may just not care for the flavor. You might enjoy it more though if you forgo the seeds and wait for the flesh to become sweet, aromatic, and tender. You could also try jumex guava juice. That is a pretty good indicator of how a standard tropical guava should taste I think. If you hate that...perhaps the tree should give up its space for a new fig :).