STRAWBERRY GUAVA -- ..PLANTING.. -- last update 10/25/2019

PLANT: Strawberry Guava -- Psidium cattleianum

DATE PLANTED: 7/5/18

PLANTING NOTES:
Purchased small (quartish?) at Richard's Garden Center. Thriving, healthy plant.

Tilled shaded area s/w corn of backyard (shaded by overhead eaves on s/side of house & west block wall). A real bitch to dig, hardpan about three inches down.

Backfilled with mix of native soil, coco coir, vermiculite, steer manure, and mulch. Amended with worm castings. Did not have micorrhizae. Could not find AZOMITE. Planted with root flair exposed. Mulched with straw/leaves apx. 4" high. Watered in heavy. Drainage did not seem great.

Rather water-logged for a long while. Finally dried out, but was losing a lot of leaves. Remaining foilage looks good though. Helped by rains 7/20 & 7/21.

Building soil in spot directly north of it. Spot also hardpan & not dug out. Would be good for small, shade-loving, shallow-rooting plant.

Strawberry Guava at time of planting, apx. 7/5/18

Mildly stressed Strawberry Guava 7/22/18

OTHER'S COMMENTS:

Strawberry guava generally grows to heights between six and 14 feet (2 to 4 meters), although they can grow taller. As the name suggests, this tree usually produces a red fruit, but yellow fruits are also possible.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Strawberry Guava Plants: How To Grow A Strawberry Guava Tree https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/guava/growing-strawberry-guava.htm

This tree is hardier and will tolerate more difficult conditions than common guava. Although it prefers a warmer climate, the strawberry guava will remain hardy down to temperatures as low as 22 degrees Fahrenheit (-5 Celsius). It does best in full sun.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Strawberry Guava Plants: How To Grow A Strawberry Guava Tree https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/guava/growing-strawberry-guava.htm

Cattley guavas do not do very well in Phoenix because they struggle in our hot summers and alkaline soil. With a lot of effort a cattley guava can be kept alive but will still most likely end up producing sour fruit. Cattley guavas can be distinguished from tropical guavas because they have smaller thicker shinier leaves and small fruit. They come in two cultivars named Strawberry Guavas and Lemon Guavas.
http://www.phoenixtropicals.com/guava.html

Tropical guavas do very well in the summer in Phoenix. In fact, the higher the temperature gets the more rapidly they grow. However, newly planted guavas should be protected from afternoon sun their first summer.
http://www.phoenixtropicals.com/guava.html

Guavas are hardy down to 29 degrees Fahrenheit so it is best to plant them close to houses, walls or other objects that store heat at night. When planted in a good microclimate within the city, there is little reason to be concerned about a guava during the winter.http://www.phoenixtropicals.com/guava.html

Plants that like lots of water are happy on the same schedule as your grass. This schedule equals a watering frequency of every other day in the hottest part of summer and every one to two weeks in the coldest part of winter. Other times of the year fall between these two extremeshttp://www.phoenixtropicals.com/guava.html

Guavas grow rapidly and are therefore heavy feeders. During the growing season, approximately April to October, a guava can be fertilized every 2 to 4 weeks using a high nitrogen fertilizer. They should not be fertilized during the cool time of the year when they are growing slowly. I have found the fertilizers with a 5 to 1 nitrogen to phosphorus and potassium ratio work best, such as fish emulsion 5-1-1, and Miracle Grow 36-6-6.http://www.phoenixtropicals.com/guava.html

UPDATE

7/20/18

Started to look a little rough. Leaves wilting.

UPDATE

7/27/18

About half the plant died back. Had a solid week of 115+ temperatures.

UPDATE:

8/5/18

Still looking pretty rough, 105ish temps and little rain. Have been watering every other day. Does have some new growth, but everything is still dying back.