Tree · Myrtaceae
Guava
Psidium guajava
Give it full sun, warmth, and protection from frost, and a guava tree pays you back with fragrant fruit for years.
Full sun
Every 5–10 days
90–150 days
USDA 9–11
Overview
Guava is a fast-growing tropical tree from the myrtle family, native to the American tropics and now grown across the warm parts of the world. It reaches anywhere from 10 to 30 feet (3 to 9 m) tall, and many gardeners keep it pruned low so the fragrant, vitamin-rich fruit stays within easy reach.
The tree is forgiving and quick to bear, which is part of its appeal. It handles a wide range of soils, from sand to limestone, and shrugs off short dry spells once established. Its one real weakness is cold, since a night near freezing will burn back the tender growth.
Where winters stay mild, a guava drops into the landscape and starts cropping within a few years. In cooler regions, gardeners grow it in a large pot that moves under cover when frost threatens. Either way, full sun and steady warmth are what bring on the heaviest, sweetest fruit.
Care
The short version: full sun and warmth above all, with deep watering through flowering and fruiting and a lighter hand once the fruit colors up. Feed lightly through the growing season, prune after harvest to keep new fruiting wood coming, and shield the tree from any hint of frost.
Light
Guava wants full sun for the best fruit, though it will get by in partial sun. Too much shade pushes the tree toward leaves and away from flowers, so give it the brightest spot you have.
Water
Water deeply and regularly while the tree establishes and through flowering and fruiting. Mature trees handle drought, but steady moisture means better fruit, and easing off just before harvest concentrates the flavor.
Soil
This is an unfussy tree that takes well-drained loam, sand, even limestone. It runs across a wide pH band of 4.5 to 7.0, so most garden soils suit it as long as water drains away freely.
Temperature
Guava grows happily from 32°F to 95°F (0°C to 35°C) but has no tolerance for frost. A night near freezing burns back tender growth, so warmth is the single biggest factor in keeping a tree productive.
Humidity
Average humidity in the 40% to 70% range suits guava well, matching the warm, moderately humid tropics it comes from. There's no need to chase a number outdoors.
Feeding
Feed monthly through spring and summer with a balanced fruit-tree fertilizer that includes micronutrients. Young trees do best with light, frequent feeding rather than heavy doses, and going overboard on nitrogen costs you fruit.
Pruning
Prune after harvest to clear deadwood, hold the height down for easy picking, and open the canopy to light and air. Because guava fruits on new growth, a little tip pruning keeps fresh fruiting shoots coming.
Repotting
A container guava needs moving up every 2 to 3 years, best done in spring. Watch for roots circling the pot or pushing through the drainage holes, water running straight through, and growth or fruiting that has stalled.
Size & spacing
Left alone, a guava reaches 10 to 30 feet (3 to 9 m) tall and spreads 10 to 20 feet (3 to 6 m) wide. Most gardeners prune it well below that to keep the fruit in reach.
When to plant
Guava is a warm-climate tree that cannot take frost, so timing comes down to keeping it out of the cold. Start seed in late winter under warm conditions, set young trees out in spring once frost has passed, and look for fruit from late summer through fall, with year-round bearing in truly frost-free spots.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: late winter to early spring in warm conditions
- Plant: spring after all danger of frost has passed
- Harvest: flowers in spring; fruit ripens late summer through fall, with some bearing year-round in frost-free climates
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 9–11
Temperature: down to -7°C
Troubleshooting
Most guava trouble traces back to cold, pests in the fruit, or a tree that grows leaves instead of flowers. Match what you see below and act early, before a setback costs you a season's crop.
Blackened, wilting shoots after a cold night
This is frost damage, and guava has almost no tolerance for it. A night near freezing blackens the tender shoot tips and leaves while the trunk often pulls through. Wait until spring to cut back the dead wood, since new growth will show you exactly where the live part begins, and wrap the trunk or throw frost cloth over the tree before the next cold snap.
Fix:
- Wait until spring to prune out clearly dead wood once new growth shows the live boundary
- Protect with frost cloth, mulch, or trunk wraps during cold snaps
- Grow in a container that can be moved indoors in marginal climates
Maggots inside fruit that softens and drops early
Guava is a favorite host of the fruit fly, and the larvae you find when you cut a fruit open are the result. Stung fruit goes soft, discolors, and falls before its time. Pick the crop as soon as it starts to ripen rather than letting it soften on the tree, bag the developing fruit to keep egg-laying females out, and gather every dropped fruit so the flies can't keep breeding.
Fix:
- Harvest fruit early as it begins to ripen rather than leaving it to fully soften on the tree
- Bag developing fruit to exclude egg-laying females
- Collect and destroy fallen and infested fruit promptly to break the breeding cycle
Plenty of leaves but little or no fruit
A guava that grows lush and green but won't set fruit is usually getting too much nitrogen or too little sun, both of which push the tree toward leaves over flowers. Old wood that never gets pruned is the other culprit, since fruit forms on fresh growth. Move it into full sun, switch to a balanced fruiting feed, and prune lightly to bring on new fruiting shoots.
Fix:
- Move to or maintain full-sun exposure
- Reduce high-nitrogen fertilizer and use a balanced fruiting formula
- Lightly prune to stimulate fresh fruiting shoots
Toxicity
Guava is one of the easygoing ones. The fruit is a well-loved food, eaten skin, flesh, and seeds, and no part of the plant is listed as poisonous to cats, dogs, or other animals. Share ripe fruit freely, and only keep portions sensible the way you would with any treat.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
A cat that nibbles guava has nothing to worry about, since no part of the plant is poisonous to them.
Dogs None
Dogs can eat a little ripe guava without harm. Go easy on the amount, as too much of any fruit can loosen the stomach.
Horses Safe
Guava is not toxic to horses, and the leaves and fruit pose no danger if a horse grazes on them.
Rabbits Safe
The fruit is safe for rabbits in small amounts, though their diet should stay mostly hay rather than sweet treats.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can browse guava without ill effect, and the fallen fruit is a familiar forage in the tropics.
Birds Safe
Birds eat ripe guava readily and spread its seeds far and wide, which is exactly how it escapes into the wild.
People Safe
Guava is a popular fruit eaten fresh or cooked, and the whole thing, skin and seeds included, is good to eat.
The ripe fruit is safe; as with any new food, offer pets only small amounts and avoid letting them swallow large seeds or pits of other fruits.
Varieties
Guava comes in many named cultivars, sorted mostly by flesh color, sweetness, and tree size. A few turn up again and again in home gardens.
Ruby Supreme
A pink-fleshed selection grown for its sweet, aromatic fruit and steady bearing in Florida.
Mexican Cream (Tropical White)
This one carries mild, sweet, creamy white flesh on a fairly compact tree that suits smaller gardens.
Lucknow 49 (Sardar)
A widely grown Indian cultivar that yields heavily, with large fruit and white flesh.
How to propagate
Guava is easy to multiply, and the method you pick decides whether the new tree matches the parent. Seed is simplest but variable, while cuttings, layering, and grafting all hold a cultivar true.
SeedEasy
Spring in warm conditions · Germinates in 2 to 8 weeks; bears fruit in 2 to 4 years
Starting guava from seed is simple. Sow in spring while it's warm and the seeds sprout over 2 to 8 weeks, but the tree won't match its parent and takes 2 to 4 years to bear, so seedlings are best for rootstock or a bit of experimenting.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Warm growing season · Several weeks to root under mist or high humidity
Take semi-hardwood cuttings during the warm growing season and root them with bottom heat and a rooting hormone. Give them several weeks under mist or steady humidity, and they hold the exact traits of the tree they came from.
Air layeringModerate
Warm growing season · Roots in about 6 to 10 weeks before severing
Air-layering is a dependable way to copy a cultivar true to type. Done in the warm season, the wrapped branch roots in roughly 6 to 10 weeks, and only then do you cut it free as its own plant.
GraftingDemanding
Warm season onto vigorous seedling rootstock · Unions establish over several weeks
Grafting is the standard commercial route for named cultivars and the surest way to guarantee fruit quality. Worked onto a vigorous seedling rootstock in the warm season, the union knits together over several weeks.
Myths
Guava needs grafting or a second tree to cross-pollinate before it sets fruit.
Guava is largely self-fertile, and even seedling trees bear fruit on their own. Grafting earns its place for a different reason, since it locks in a known cultivar and brings the tree into fruit sooner. A single tree will fruit without a partner.