Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Pineapple Guava
Pineapple Guava is an evergreen large shrub or small tree with gray-green leaves that are silvery underneath. In late spring it opens white flowers with bright red stamens, and the thick petals are edible. Egg-shaped green fruit with a sweet, pineapple-like flavor follows in fall. It makes a handsome hedge or screen that also feeds you.
Best for: an evergreen hedge or screen that also bears fruit, a large shrub or small tree with edible flowers, and spots with afternoon shade.
It grows into a dense evergreen shrub about 10 to 15 feet tall and wide. Plant it about 6 to 8 feet apart for a hedge or screen, or closer to 6 feet for a quicker one. You get privacy and fruit from the same plants.
Late spring flowers have white petals and a bright tuft of red stamens. The thick petals are sweet and edible, so pick a few without hurting the fruit crop.
Egg-shaped green fruit ripens in fall and into winter, depending on the variety. Many plants bear better with a second plant nearby, so plant two for a bigger crop.
In the Valley it does best with shade during the hottest hours of the afternoon. Letting it go too dry makes the fruit drop, and it dislikes soil that stays wet.
- Quick hedge or screen6 ft apart
- Shrub border6-8 ft apart
Water new plants often while they root in, then stretch the time between waterings. Once rooted it handles dry spells, but steady deep water keeps fruit from dropping. Let the top of the soil dry between waterings.
It takes full sun, but in the Valley it does best with shade during the hottest afternoon hours. An east side or light shade from a tree works well.
Prune lightly after you pick the fruit. Shape it as a hedge, or train it into a small tree.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Can you eat pineapple guava flowers?
Yes. The thick white petals are sweet and edible. Pick some and leave the rest to set fruit.
When does pineapple guava fruit?
The fruit ripens in fall and into winter, from about September to January depending on the variety. Watch for it from September on.
Do I need two plants for fruit?
Many plants bear better with a second one nearby, though some varieties set fruit alone. Plant two if you want a reliable crop.
Does it need shade in Phoenix?
It takes full sun, but it does best with some shade during the hottest hours of the afternoon. An east side or light afternoon shade works well.
How often should I water it?
Once rooted it handles dry spells, but steady deep watering keeps the fruit from dropping. Let the top of the soil dry between waterings, since it dislikes staying wet.
How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?
Plant about 6 to 8 feet apart, or about 6 feet for a quicker screen. The Spacing tab shows both.
How big does it get?
It grows about 10 to 15 feet tall and wide as a large shrub or small tree. Give it that much room, or prune it as a hedge.
How cold hardy is it?
It is rated to about 15°F, colder than a normal Valley winter, so it needs no frost cover here.
When should I prune it?
Prune lightly after you pick the fruit. It can be kept as a hedge or trained into a small tree.
Pineapple Guava for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Pineapple Guava is an evergreen shrub or small tree with edible flowers in spring and sweet, pineapple-flavored fruit in fall. Below: size, spacing, sun, water, pollination and pruning.
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Pineapple guava in Phoenix
Pineapple guava is a reliable low-desert fruit. It takes sun but does best with some afternoon shade here.
Pineapple guava hedge spacing
Plant about 6 to 8 feet apart for a hedge or screen, or 6 feet for quicker cover.
Edible pineapple guava flowers
The thick white petals are sweet and edible. The red stamens make the flowers easy to spot in late spring.
When is pineapple guava ripe?
Fruit ripens in fall and into winter, depending on the variety.
Watering pineapple guava
It handles dry spells once rooted, but steady deep water keeps the fruit from dropping.
Pineapple guava cold hardiness
It is rated to about 15°F, so a Valley winter does not hurt it.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.