FAQS: Feijoas
Feijoas are a Kiwi favourite. The robust, sweet and tart flavour of a feijoa is like no other and we wait eagerly for feijoa season to arrive each year. But what happens when everything doesn’t go to plan and your feijoa starts to misbehave, or look a bit sick? Below you will find our most frequently asked feijoa questions, and some helpful answers from our experts:
Feeding feijoas – when, what and how much?
Feed your feijoa at the end of fruiting which will be within the next few weeks (early May) and feed with sheep pellets. Spread 4 cups per plant at the drip line of your plants and water well. Also lay mulch around the base and drip line of the trees.
Australian Guava Moth damage
What is the worm that ruins feijoas?
Australian Guava Moth and the only control that we are currently aware of is the Guava Moth Trap (obviously we are talking prevention for next year) and regular use of Neem Granules and Neem Oil. Traps can be found in store.
How do I get bigger feijoas?
You could add some Sulphate of Potash every 3-4 months, or remove some of the crop so energy goes into fewer feijoas but hopefully creates bigger ones. Remember some varieties are smaller fruiting ones so if you plant any new trees, go for the bigger varieties such as Apollo or Golden Goose.
Why am I getting less fruit each year?
This could be because of lack of bees pollination efforts or could be due to drought that we have had for the last two summers. Keep them well watered to reduce stress and plant bee friendly plants like lavender and borage near by.
Feijoa hedge
How do I prune feijoas?
We would suggest if you are growing your feijoa as a tree then prune it so ‘a bird can fly through it’. This will give air circulation to the fruit and create a nice feature looking tree. If you are keeping your tree as a hedge then prune the shrub back by 1/3 once a year beginning after winter fruiting.
How to encourage fruiting?
Feijoas like lots of food. Feed with high nitrogen NPK fertiliser in late winter and well rotted animal manure in autumn, and make sure you provide good drainage for them. If you want a higher yield, plant a few more in the same location and plant two of the same variety. Add blood and bone when you are planting them and they will be very happy.
Can you get Dwarf feijoas?
Yes there is a dwarf feijoa with little dwarf fruit too. It is called Bambina and is available in store.
When do you plant feijoas and how many feijoa trees/varieties do you need?
Fruit trees are normally planted in autumn when they’re partially or fully dormant. Feijoas are really quite hardy and cope with pretty much anything you can throw at them.
Planting more than 1 variety will give you an extended fruiting season. Normally pollination is not a problem as feijoas are very common in NZ gardens and birds will travel a long way to pollinate.
How many different feijoa varieties are there?
There are upwards of 15 feijoa varieties. Some of our favourites are:
Apollo – large oval fruits that are sweet and tasty. Fruits will appear mid-season.
Bambina – compact tree that produces small, sweet fruit. Fruits will appear mid-season.
Mammoth – oblong shaped, medium sized fruits. Sweet fruits are produced in mid/late season
Unique – small/medium fruits that are mildly aromatic and sweet. A self fertile variety that fruits very early in the season
Got a huge feijoa haul? Give some of these delicious recipes a go!
