Garden Blog - Top Tropicals

Date: 12 Feb 2025

How to grow a Guava Tree: Practical Guide to Growing Guava

Guava (Psidium sp.)

🍉 How to grow a Guava Tree: Practical Guide to Growing Guava

  • 🍑 Guava Trees (Psidium sp.) are beloved for their flavorful fruit and easy-growing nature. These fast-growing trees are reliable producers and can thrive in a variety of climates, making them a favorite among home gardeners. Guavas are compact and can be grown in containers, making them suitable for small spaces and urban gardens.
  • 🍑 Light and Soil


    Guava trees thrive in full sun, requiring at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily to produce the best fruit. They prefer well-draining soils rich in organic matter but are adaptable to a range of soil types, including sandy or loamy soils. Slightly acidic to neutral soil is ideal. While guavas tolerate poor soils, enriching the soil with compost or manure will improve growth and yield.
  • 🍑 Pruning tips


    Pruning is essential for maintaining the shape, size, and productivity of guava trees.

· Frequency: Prune guavas annually, ideally after the fruiting season, to encourage new growth and improve airflow.
  • · Remove dead, diseased, or crossing branches to maintain tree health.
  • · Shape the tree to allow sunlight to penetrate the canopy, which enhances fruit production.
  • · For container-grown guavas, keep the tree compact by trimming back vigorous shoots regularly.


🍑 Guava in containers


Guavas are well-suited to container growing. Compact varieties like the "Nana" guava are ideal for pots. Use a large container (at least 15-20 gallons) with good drainage. Fill it with a high-quality potting mix enriched with organic matter. Place the container in a sunny location and water consistently. Regular pruning helps maintain a manageable size and promotes fruiting in container-grown guavas.
  • 🍑 Watering


· Guava trees require consistent watering, especially during dry periods and the fruiting season. While they can tolerate short periods of flooding, ensure the soil is not waterlogged. Water deeply once or twice a week, depending on your climate.
  • · Fertilize guavas 3-4 times a year during the growing season with a balanced fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus to promote flowering and fruiting. Adding organic matter like compost or manure annually boosts soil fertility and improves yields.


🍑 Harvesting

  • · Guava trees are quick to fruit, often producing their first harvest within a year of planting. For container-grown trees, fruiting can start in even smaller pots, such as 1-gallon containers.
  • · Signs of ripe guava fruit include:
  • - A change in color from green to yellow (depending on the variety).
    - A sweet, fruity aroma.
    - Slight softness when gently pressed.
  • · Harvest ripe guavas by hand or with pruning shears. Consume fresh or use them to make juices, jams, or desserts.


🍑 Health Benefits of Guava

  • · Guava is a nutrient powerhouse, offering numerous health benefits:
  • · Vitamin C: Boosts the immune system and helps protect against colds and infections.
  • · Potassium: Supports healthy blood pressure levels.
  • · Antioxidants: Contribute to glowing skin and may reduce the risk of cancer.
  • · Fiber: Aids digestion and helps regulate blood sugar levels.


🍑 Popular Varieties of Guava

  • · Tropical Guava (Psidium guajava): Sweet and aromatic, suitable for warmer climates.
  • · Cattley Guava (Psidium littorale): Cold-hardy with a slightly tart flavor.
  • · Cas Guava (Psidium friedrichsthalianum): Known for its sour taste, perfect for juices like Costa Rica’s traditional "Agua de Cas." Cold hardy, disease resistant and vigorous, productive variety.
  • · Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana): Fruity and floral, thriving in cooler climates.


🍑 Additional Tips

  • · Guava trees are relatively pest-resistant but may require monitoring in humid climates for mealybugs. Use neem oil if needed.
  • · Planting multiple guava varieties ensures a continuous supply of fruit.
  • · With their fast growth, compact size, and delicious fruit, guava trees are a fantastic addition to tropical garden, greenhouse or patio.


📚 More from previous posts about #Guava

🛒 Shop Guava Trees

#Food_Forest #Guava

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Date: 22 Feb 2025

If you are missing Northern fruit that dont tolerate hot climate, plant this

Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus)

🍇 If you are missing Northern fruit that don't tolerate hot climate, plant this

in Tropical Raspberry Mysore (Rubus albescens x niveus) is from India. It thrives in heat!
  • 🔹 Unlike common raspberries from up North that can not tolerate heat, Mysore Raspberry grows very well in hot humid climates.
  • 🔹 Grows very fast into a scrambling shrub with flexible stems.
  • 🔹 Blooms and fruits throughout the year.
  • 🔹 The fruit turns purple black when ripe, it is very juicy and sweet.
  • 🔹 One cluster may contain as many as couple dozen fruit.
  • 🔹 Great for large containers and will produce large amounts of fruit.
  • 🔹 Cold hardy to upper 20s F.


🛍 OrderTropical Raspberry

#Food_Forest #Container_Garden

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Date: 5 Mar 2025

What is your favorite blue tropical flower?

Eranthemum pulchellum - Blue Sage, Lead Flower

👏 What is your favorite blue tropical flower?

  • 💙 In full bloom right now: Eranthemum pulchellum - Blue Sage, Lead Flower that we mentioned earlier.
  • 💙 It is the brightest gentian blue flower - very unusual color in the tropics!
  • 💙 Winter heavy bloomer
  • 💙 Attracts butterflies and bees 🐝
  • 💙 Compact shrub, responds well to pruning.
  • 💙 Shade lover. Will happily bloom in the shade!


🛍 Order oline

#Hedges_with_benefits #Shade_Garden #Butterfly_Plants

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Date: 2 Apr 2025

TROPICAL FRUIT HEALTH BENEFITS GUIDE, Part 1:

🍑 What fruit and edibles can help with health issues and VITAMIN deficiencies



We've got a handy little cheat sheet to help you choose the right foods when you're low on vitamins or dealing with health issues.
Save it and give your body a tune-up!


12 powerful vitamins and their food sources



1. 👁️ Eye Sight Protector
(Vitamin A - Retinol):
Mango, Loquat, Papaya, Carambola, Moringa, Annato, Annona, Cherries, Peach, Blueberry.

2. ⚡ Energy Booster
(Vitamin B1 - Thiamine):

Jackfruit, Pineapple, Banana, Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan), Camellia sinensis (Tea plant), Coffee, Yerba Mate, Wiriwiri and Biquinho Pepper

3. 💧 Cell Repairer
(Vitamin B2 - Riboflavin):
Dragon Fruit, Sapote, Avocado, Moringa

4. ❤️ Heart Helper
(Vitamin B3 - Niacin):

Guava, Jackfruit, Sapodilla, Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan), Passion fruit, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Yerba Mate, Cacao, Annona, Mulberry, Cinnamon, Camellia sinensis (Tea Plant), Curry Leaf

5. Stress Fighter
(Vitamin B5 - Pantothenic Acid):

Avocado, Mango, Dragon Fruit, Camellia sinensis (Tea plant), Clitoria (Butterfly Pea), Lippia alba (Poleo)

6. 😊 Mood Balancer
(Vitamin B6 - Pyridoxine):
Banana, Jackfruit, Sapote, Passion fruit, Banisteriopsis caapi (Ayahuasca), Cacao

Continued in next post...⤵️

🛒 Explore tropical fruit trees with benefits

#Food_Forest #Discover #Remedies

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Date: 31 Mar 2025

MANGO VARIETY CHEAT SHEET

Mango fruit on a tray

Mango fruit on a tray

🥭 MANGO VARIETY CHEAT SHEET
How to pick the right mango tree for your yard, Quick Guide

  • 🟠 Condo Mango - for containers and small spaces


    1. Cogshall - Compact and colorful, with sweet flavor and fungus resistance.
    2. Ice Cream - Stays under six feet with rich, dessert-like flavor.
    3. Julie - Caribbean favorite with sweet tropical flavor, but very cold sensitive.
    4. Mallika - Indian condo mango with rich, sweet flavor and hints of citrus and melon.
    5. Carrie - Super sweet and fiberless, perfect for small yards.

📚 More: Top 10 Dwarf "Condo" Mango - great for container culture.
  • 🟠 Most popular varieties everyone wants


    1. Alphonso - Rich Indian mango with coconut-like flavor, highly prized.
    2. Maha Chinook - Rare, ultra-sweet Singapore mango, good for pots.
    3. Fralan - Hardy tree with sweet green fruit that cracks when peeled.
    4. Fruit Cocktail - Tastes like a blend of pineapple, citrus, and guava.
    5. Nam Doc Mai - Most beloved Asian mango, semi-dwarf and versatile.
  • 🟠 Most vigorous reliable producers


    1. Glenn - Easy to grow, consistently produces excellent fruit.
    2. Pim Seng Mun - Super productive and reliable.
    3. Sweet Tart - Intense flavor, new and exclusive variety.
    4. Fruit Punch - Tastes like a medley of tropical fruits.
    5. Orange Sherbet - Sweet citrus flavor on a moderately vigorous tree.


🛒 Select perfect Mango trees and enjoy your own treats

#Food_Forest #Mango #Discover

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