Guava

Tamil Name: Goyya pazham; Scientific Name: Psidium guajava;

Expert Level

B G I T

Planting/Sowing

Jun – Dec;

Harvesting

Feb – Jul; Sep – Jan; (2 years later)

First Harvest

~730 Days

General Info

Crop category	Fruit
Life span	Perennial
Type of crop	Tree
Part(s) of the crop to harvest	Fruit
Avg. Height	Up to 6 metres (20 feet)

Climate & Humidity

Optimum growth in tropical and sub-tropical climate. In areas with distinct winter season, the yield tends to increase and quality improves.

Planting / Sowing

When to plant / sow seeds (ideal season):
June to December;

How to plant:
Best method – air layering.

Soil Depth & Spacing Requirements

At least 0.5 to 1m in depth is required; select container that holds minimum of 3 to 5 gallons of potting soil; size of pots for growing dwarf guava tree – 14 inches deep and 13 inches wide. In the ground, plant the layers at a spacing of 5 – 6m either way. Planting should be done in the ball of earth in the centre of pit of 45 cm x 45 cm x 45 cm size.

NOTE: Please go through the Guides in the Knowledge Base for more details on topics ranging from Spacing & Lighting to Soil and Nutrients.

Irrigation

Irrigate copiously immediately after planting, again on third day and afterwards once in 10 days.

NOTE: Irrigation should depend on how moist / wet the soil is. Check your plants everyday to see if they require irrigation or not. Check the Watering & Irrigation guide for more info.

Pruning

Pruning keeps the tree in desired shape and size to develop a strong structure and a healthy plant with more fruits; prune dead and diseased branches regularly; prune unbranched shoots and crossing branches that block sunlight to the base of the tree; it should be done after harvesting and at the beginning of the growing season. Summer pruning is generally avoided as the plants get damaged due to sun burn. Training of plants in young stage is essential in order to build a strong framework and to avoid weak branching.

NOTE: See the Pruning guide for general info.

Harvesting

When to harvest
Layers come to bearing in 2 – 3 years. The first crop can be harvested during February – July and the second one during September – January.

How to harvest
Guava fruits develop best flavour and aroma only when they ripen on tree. In most of the commercial varieties, the stage of fruit ripeness is indicated by the colour development which is usually yellow. For local markets, fully yellow but firm fruits are harvested, whereas half yellow fruits are picked for distant markets. Fruits are harvested selectively by hand along with the stalk and leaves.

NOTE: Harvest periods can vary depending on environmental, climatic, and soil conditions.

Pests & Diseases

Pests	Tea mosquito bug, Aphids, Fruit fly, mealy bug, bark eating caterpillar, scale insect
Common Diseases/ Problems	Fruit rot, Anthracnose / Die back, Red rust, Twig blight, Canker, Grey leaf spot
Pest and Disease prevention measure(s)	Wrap fruits with covers to protect from pests; proper irrigation to control rust in trees due to weather that is too warm; copper spray, neem oil spray or insecticidal soap spray to control diseases and ants.

NOTE: Read Pest & Disease Control for more information.

Did you know?

You can make tea from fresh or dry powdered guava leaves. Guava tea has anti-microbial and antioxidant properties that can help in the treatment of a range of conditions such as acne, diabetes, diarrhea and cancer. [Source] [Learn How]