re: Louisiana Tropical Fruit Gardening - Experiences and Updates

quote:

---

Have you tried propagating guava cuttings? I need to prune mine and was thinking about trying to root some of them.

---

I have tried it exactly once. I have a very rare and sought after cultivar called Jalisco Red that I had to prune into a better shape. I took the 5 cuttings, which were all green growing tissue, dipped them in rooting hormone, and planted into a sterile perlite and peat mix with a moisture dome. They all died.

There are a lot of YouTube videos that make it seem simple but if you read the tropical fruit forums you will see that it is not.

Guavas are extremely easy to air layer and that is the preferred propagation method if you need a clone.

I have several big guava trees so I will probably try cuttings again, but yeah. It's not a simple thing. And I have grown a lot of things from cuttings.

I have a lot of experience with Nagami. They are tough as nails and vigorous. My ag extension agent will tell you to plant in any month that is not July or August. You could probably get away with planting it now especially if it will get some afternoon shade.

BUT... we are on a 5-6 year streak of extremely cold lows and my bet is we see sub 20F again this winter. I wouldn't want a tree to struggle through the summer then get walloped in the winter. I would wait until February to plant.

They do great in pots and will give you more fruit than you can eat.

I do have a free 22” x 20” pot. I know that’s quite the jump in size but I guess it would be fine as long as drainage is good.

Got the Guava pruned and put a bigger stake in. It seems to be doing well. Went ahead and attempted some cuttings. I’ll keep things updated.

You've got that guava going perfectly. Central leader will shoot branches off later. Your goal is branches at good angles and high enough that they won't touch the ground when loaded with fruit. Ruby supreme is about the size of a softball and heavy. Once you have your structural shape built, you will prune those branches back hard every year and that's where your new fruiting wood will come from.

Yes, although I usually discuss fertilizer in the context of soil. Conventional container gardening wisdom (which sucks), will tell you that your soil should be your nutrition. I will tell you that your soil should be an ideal home for healthy roots and that your fertilizer should sit on top of the soil.

What are you trying to grow?

More important than fertilizer for blueberries is soil acidity. Make sure that pH is low, low. Like 4-5 low. Get some soil sulfur if it is not low enough.

Holly tone is an excellent organic fertilizer for almost all trees.

Nagami potted up in its hopefully permanent home. Nearly 30 gallons of sand/peat/perlite mix. Also added a couple inch layer of composted wood chips and a couple inches of bark mulch on top. Sprinkled in some azomite to the base mix and some dr. Earth + osmocote with the compost. We’ll see how this setup performs.

I really need to find a bulk source for perlite. The 8qt bags from Lowe’s aren’t going to cut it if I keep using this mixture.