Allotments 4 All

Hi folks I am a newbie recently retired to England from New Zealand and I would like some information on Strawberry Guava. Can you grow this plant in England outdoors or would I need to grow under glass? Can you purchase this plant in England and if so from whom?

I`m not sure to be honest. I have a Pineapple guava which flowers but doesn`t fruit. ;D

Hi KHD,

Welcome back and welcome to A4all.

I have been growing these plants for some years, and they are among the very few plants that can withstand almost as much cold in Britain as they are said to on things like http://www.crfg.org or http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/index.html

This is almost certainly because of their roots -  which really don't seem to mind UK winters - especially when planted in a soil mound and well mulched - if using pots you really need either more heat (more than 6C) or a lot more care with watering (at 2-4C capillary matting is the best solution - same as for citrus).

They would probably do well in Cornwall - might even become a weed.

Now for the bad news - even in relatively mild London the tops will die back to the ground in bad winters, and though they re-grow you have to have a string of good years to catch up. Mine didn't and needed help. A cold frame or greenhouse isn't good enough.

The best, cheapest and most reliable way to overwinter them is to plant them in a cold frame or greenhouse with a heat sink - ideally an old galvanised cold water tank per one or two square metres of usable space - an oil drum might be even better.

You fill it before the allotment taps go off, and start draining it in March - because frames warm up more slowly when the heat sink is operating.

Alternatively you could try the old citrus method of bending them flat in autumn and burying them.

To buy them you could try http://www.readsnursery.co.uk/acatalog/Tender-Fruits.html

They are very easy from seed but that will set you back 3 years.

Are you growing the red ones or the yellow (lucida) ones?

BTW. Daitheplant - pineapple guavas are mostly self infertile -especially the ones sold as ornamentals. Reads (above) can supply the rare self-fertile types - maybe agroforestry.co.uk too. Have you tried eating the petals? They are delicious - just like marshmallow.

Cheers.

Thanks Vinlander for the information, I will be attempting to grow the red variety,will also be trying a meyer lemon. I have a fairly large conservatory so will definitely put the lemon inside the guavas I will grow against a south facing wall.

Quote from: Kiwihotdog on March 11, 2011, 18:15:59
Thanks Vinlander for the information, I will be attempting to grow the red variety,will also be trying a meyer lemon. I have a fairly large conservatory so will definitely put the lemon inside the guavas I will grow against a south facing wall.

From recent experience with plants on a SE facing house wall (heated) in the December cold snap - Meyers lemon and Strawberry Guava have very similar hardiness (cut to the ground - or to the trunk - it's not clear yet) - most citrus are less hardy but Mandarin/Satsuma/Clementine are much hardier (or hardy enough to come through without any twig/branch damage).

My strawb guavas with a heat sink didn't drop a leaf - they are in a cold draughty greenhouse snuggled next to a 150 litre galvanised tank with some desultory bubblewrap around them and the tank.

In a normal winter that tank would frost-protect 8 cubic metres of greenhouse.

Bubblewrap may help your method if it includes the warm wall, but if there isn't a house on that wall I doubt it will count against another week of -10 or so.

Heatsinks - especially big water ones - are absolutely reliable - even if you just stack up old lemonade bottles full of water inside the bubblewrap.

It's so easy, and the plants are not cheap (though you could keep some seedlings indoors as insurance).

It's different if you are in Cornwall of course.

Hope this helps.

By the way - they don't root from cuttings - you could try air layering (or stooling) but it's touch and go.

Check out the yellow one (lucida) - fruit 3 or 4 times the weight and that translates to more flesh to less seeds (not that they are a problem - easily eaten - nothing like grape pips). The flavour is true guava - delicious - but without that berry taste you may be after.

Cheers.

PS. You really ought to put your citrus on raised damp capillary matting through the winter - it helps excess water to leave the pot and it provides just enough water when they need it - citrus hate waterlogging but really don't like drying out - no matter how cold it is.