Acca sellowiana
¿¿50 seeds
"Pineapple gauva"
Family of the myrtle bush. This evergreen shrub grows to 3-6 m in height. Hardy to zone 8.Feijoas prefer cool winters and moderate summers (80¿¿to 90¿¿¿¿F), and are generally adapted to areas where temperatures stayabove 15¿¿¿¿F. Flower production is poor in areas with fewer than 50 hoursof chilling. The flavor of the fruit is much better in cool than in warmregions. Even thought the plants are relatively hardy, sudden fall frosts candamage ripening fruit and late spring frosts can destroy blossoms. Springfrost damage is most likely in mild-winter areas, where the plants are notcompletely hardened off and respond to warm spells by blooming early.
Location: To protect the fruit from sunburn and other adverse effectsof high temperature, choose a plant site away from hot, reflected sun. Thefeijoa can tolerate partial shade and slight exposure to salt spray. Theyalso make an excellent foundation planting, either singly or as an informalhedge.Soil: Feijoas will grow in a wide variety of soils. The bestharvests, however, come from plants growing in well-drained soil with a pHbetween 5.5 and 7.0. They are fairly salt tolerant, but salinity slowsgrowth and reduces yields.
Irrigation: Foundation plantings of feijoas in summer dry Californiahave survived for several years without supplemental water. Lack of water,however, will cause the fruit to drop. For quality harvests, water deeply ona regular basis, especially during flowering and fruit periods, and mulchthe soil around the plants to protect the shallow roots.
Fertilization: Feijoas grow slowly and require only light applicationsof a complete fertilizer. A feeding of 8-8-8¿¿NPK once every two months can speedgrowth.
Pruning: Pruning is not required to keep plants productive, but alight pruning in the summer after fruit is harvested will encourage newgrowth and increase yields the following year. Thinning the plant alsopermits easier harvesting. When grown as a hedge, the feijoa responds wellto heavy pruning or shearing, but this reduces flower and fruit production.
Propagation: The feijoa grows easily from seed, but the seedlings arenot always true to type. Seeds are separated by squeezing the seedy pulp intoa container, covering with water, and letting the liquid stand for 4 days toferment. The seeds are then strained out and dried before sowing. The seedswill retain viability for a year or more if kept dry. Germination takesplace in 3¿¿weeks. The plant fruits in 3 - 5¿¿years from seed. Vegetativemeans are necessary to reproduce a variety. Young wood cuttings will rootwithin two months with bottom heat and mist. Whip, tongue or veneer graftingmethods are sometimes successful, as is air-layering and ground layering.Cutting-grown plants of named varieties are most desirable, because they canbe trained in a variety of ways, and can be maintained as multitrunked shrubswithout concern that suckers will develop into "rogue" branches.
