North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[claude sweet <sweetent@home.com>]

Kieran or Donna wrote:
>  Someone came into the Florida nursery where Iwas
> working in '89 and said they were from Cal. and they grew grafted
> feijoas
> there.  Apparently they were crazy about them, and were disappointed
> at the
> Florida nurseries offering only generic bushes.  But if NONE of them
> crop
> anyway, what does it matter?  I know they have to have X pollination.
> They
> seem very mysterious.  Donna


Seedling feijoa should cross pollinate, but the fruit size, shape, flesh
quality and flavor would vary.

Although evergreen, they should experience a dormant period during the
winter. This usually is accomplished by the plant receiving a relatively
low number of winter chilling hours so even Southern California plants
can achieve successful cropping.

The problem in southern Florida may be the lack of chilling if there is
no flowering. However, if pollination is a problem, there may be a lack
of pollinators. Birds eat the fleshy flower petals and carry the pollen
form flower to flower on their feathers.

Feijoa is rather cold hardy when fully dormant and can with stand brief
periods in the low 20's without protection. Mulching and careful site
location should allow the plants to survive in cold winters as it will
regrow from the roots.

Feijoas can be grown from cuttings, a practice I would recommend in
colder climates so extremely cold winters would not kill the graft.

Claude Sweet
San Diego, CA

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