Ripe feijoa fruits are bright green.
The feijoa or pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana) produces edible, green fruit that tastes of a mixture of pineapple, strawberry and guava. It grows up to 15 feet high and forms a rounded shrub with leathery, oval leaves and pink, edible flowers. Feijoa bushes come from high altitude areas of South America and can survive frost.
Instructions
1. Scrape out the soft pulp from the center of a ripe feijoa fruit and leave it in a glass of water for four days. Strain through a fine kitchen sieve and allow the seeds to dry for several days.
2. Plant in sterile potting compost, burying the seeds at a depth of 1/4 inch. Feijoa seeds take up to three weeks to germinate. Transplant the seedlings into individual pots once they have two pairs of leaves. Feijoa plants can also be propagated from cuttings or by air layering.
3. Plant feijoa plants in a sunny or partially shaded location in the garden are about a foot tall. Choose a sunny location, preferably with slightly acidic, well-drained soil. Leave at least 15 feet between plants, or five feet if you plan a feijoa hedge.
4. Dig a hole slightly wider and deeper than the root ball of plant. Set the plant at the same depth it was growing at in its pot. Fill in the hole and tamp down the soil to eliminate air pockets. Water the plant thoroughly after planting.
5. Cover the soil around your feijoa with a 6-inch layer of organic mulch. Leave a 12-inch mulch free circle around its trunk to prevent it from rotting.
6. Water feijoa plants freely during dry spells and when they are in flower or carrying fruit. Feijoas thrive in areas with 30 to 40 inches of rain per year.
7. Feed the plants every two months during the growing season with a low-nitrogen fertilizer to encourage fruit production.
8. Prune feijoa bushes lightly after the fruiting period to increase yields the following year.
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