I have been growing Guava in Florida for 14 years, and last night I saw this question on a gardening community: "Can you grow guava in Florida?" Then I decided to write this complete growing guide for Guava.
To make this article truely useful for every gardener in Florida, I suggested some varieties for all three regions: North Florida, South Florida, and Central Florida.
Yes, Florida does grow in Florida. Guava is a suitable fruit tree for Florida's climate; thus, just plant it and water it properly, and it will grow on its own. But there will be a huge harvesting difference when you take proper care of a guava tree.
Pruning is the key to increasing your regular harvest by up to 400%. I will teach you how to take care of your Guava tree in Florida with the pruning guide.
When is guava season in Florida
Guava mainly produces fruit twice a year, a main summer harvest (August–October) and a smaller spring one (February–March).
I have noticed one interesting thing: When it rains, the fruits taste less sweet. Let me know in the comments if you notice the same.
If you are interested in growing other fruit trees, read: Best fruit trees to grow in Florida.
Best Guava Varieties to Grow in Florida
Let's start with variety selection.
It's difficult to find a specific variety you are looking for in a nursery.
Note: This guide will be applicable to all the guava varieties (might have slight changes based on your region)
| Variety | Flesh Color | Typical Annual Yield (mature tree) |
Fruit Size & Flavor Notes | Suitable USDA Zones in Florida |
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homestead | Pink | 80–120 lbs | Medium-large, mild-sweet, few seeds | 9b–11 | Heavy reliable crop, good disease resistance, few seeds | Flavor milder than many varieties |
| Mexican Cream | Creamy White | 60–100 lbs | Medium, very sweet, pineapple-like aroma, low seeds | 9b–11 | Outstanding creamy flavor, low seeds, great for desserts | Slightly less cold-hardy, fruit bruises easily |
| Red Indian | Deep Red | 50–90 lbs | Medium, intensely sweet & aromatic, many seeds | 9b–11 | Best pure guava flavor, perfect for juice & jelly | Lots of hard seeds, thinner flesh |
| Ruby Supreme | Pink | 100–150+ lbs | Very large, sweet, thick flesh | 9b–11 | Largest fruits, extremely high yield, thick flesh | Needs excellent nutrition & heavy pruning |
| Tropical Pink | Bright Pink | 70–110 lbs | Medium, very sweet, juicy | 9b–11 | Consistent heavy bearer, beginner-friendly | Softer fruit = shorter storage life |
| Tropical White | White | 70–100 lbs | Medium-large, crisp when green, sweet when ripe | 9b–11 | Eat green or ripe, good shelf life | Less intense flavor than pink/red types |
| Red Malaysian | Deep Red/Magenta | 30–60 lbs | Medium, stunning color, extremely sweet | 10a–11 (protect in 9b) |
Gorgeous color & ornamental leaves, very sweet | Lower yield, more cold-sensitive |
| Crystal | White | 60–90 lbs | Medium, crisp, mild acid, excellent when green | 9b–11 | Long harvest window, popular eaten green | Less sweet when fully ripe |
| Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana) |
White (jelly-like) | 20–50 lbs | Small–medium, sweet-tart pineapple-guava flavor | 8b–11 | Extremely cold-hardy, beautiful hedge, pest-free | Not true guava, smaller & different flavor |
| Barbados Cherry Guava (Strawberry Guava) |
White or Red | 40–80 lbs (hundreds of small fruits) |
Small cherry-sized, sweet-tart strawberry-like | 9a–11 | Prolific, tasty small fruits, very cold-hardy forms | Category I invasive in Central & South FL — plant only in pots |
The harvesting or yield numbers are for a mature Guava tree in a healthy condition and a good environment.
All the varieties I mentioned here are suitable for a home garden. There are three other popular varieties that you see in the market: supreme, ruby, and blitch. But they are not suitable for a home garden.
Reference: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG045 (IFAS Extension)
If you are planning to grow a Guava tree in a pot or container, you may expect a 30-50% lower production.
Note: I have grown a few Guava varieties in Florida (Not all the varieties that I mentioned in my list). I verified the information using data from commercial guava growers and university research.
A lot of gardeners don't like to grow Guava just because of too many pest attacks. There are many flies that lay eggs inside ripe guava. But no need to worry. On GardenVive, I have published a lot of articles on how to get rid of pests organically.
If you notice the leaves are turning purple at the beginning of winter, this is normal. Here is the full guide on that: Purple leaves on Guava
Once you select the perfect Guava variety for your garden, it's time to select the perfect planting location.
Site Selection and Planting Guide for Guava
Florida's sandy soil is really good for planting guava. You just need to make sure you are not planting it in low-lying areas prone to flooding or standing water after summer rains.
The guava tree hates water-saturated areas.
Full sun is a must-have for this tree.
If you are planning to plant multiple guava trees in your garden, make sure you are giving at least 10-15 feet of distance between two adjacent guava trees.
If your soil is too sandy, add some heavy clay and organic matter to improve the soil quality.
Sand has no nutrients in it.
How to prepare the soil and plant a guava tree in Florida
If you ask me when to plant a guava tree in Florida, my answer will be "Early spring (March–April) for root establishment before summer heat". This is the best planting time for Guava in Florida.
Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball but not deeper than that. Now make the soil mixture.
Soil mixture: Mix in 1 part organic planting mix (e.g., Espoma Citrus-Tone) to 1–2 parts native soil. This will be best for a potted guava tree.
If you are planting in the ground, you don’t need the soil to be perfectly amended. Just add some organic compost or vermicompost with your regular garden soil.
You can add some extra cow manure for better results. Your focus should be on water drainage. The soil should drain excess water easily.
If you are a container gardener (Best for patios or northern edges of zone 9), use a 15–25-gallon pot with drainage holes and well-draining potting mix.
DO NOT forget to water after planting. For the first week of plantation, keep the soil moist.
Caring guide for a guava tree
An established guava tree is really easy to maintain. They don't demand much care. But if you give it extra care, in return it will provide you heavy harvest.
It is not unusual to see fruits on your Guava tree year-round. But the main guava season is mentioned earlier.
Watering
Deeply water young trees 2–3 times weekly. Let the soil dry in between watering.
If possible, use drip irrigation to avoid wetting foliage.
Less watering is good in winter, but do not let the soil dry for more than two days.
Note: After 2 weeks of plantation, mix nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer with water and apply it to the soil. It will help to grow foliage quickly. DO NOT apply it before the blooming season.
Fertilizing
I have tried different types of fertilizer on my guava trees just to see how they work. But the best one is balanced citrus fertilizer (e.g., 8-3-9).
3–4 times yearly: February, May, August, and November.
People often search on Google, What is the best fertilizer for a Guava tree?
In reality, there is no such thing as that. In different growth stages of a fruit tree, it demands different types of nutrients. I have clearly explained it here: Best fertilizer for fruit trees based on growth stage.
When you see buds coming, use phosphorus-based fertilizer.
How and when to prune a guava tree in Florida
Best pruning time: February to early March is the time when you should prune a guava tree in Florida.
Your main goal is to make your guava tree a multi-trunk tree (8–10 feet tall).
In the first growing season, let it grow if it has more than two branches. If it has only one or two branches, just cut the stem. (Anywhere you would like above 2.5 feet of height)
It will produce new branches below from the pruned area. In the next growing season, after the tree is shaped (year 2–3), you only do light annual maintenance pruning.
If you are a lazy gardener and do not want to control pests like an active gardener, do not go for a multi-branch tree. It will be difficult for you to control pests.
I am not growing it in a hurricane-prone area.
If you are from a hurricane-prone region, you should not do this. For you, a single trunk or open-center vase (3–5 main scaffolds) format is standard.
You can make it like this by pruning from 18 inches:
Multi-trunk guavas tend to split in hurricanes and are harder to spray/pick.
In mid-March to May, you can lightly prune some new foliage or new stems just like this:
Here is a tip for my regular readers: Always maintain a 2–3-foot grass-free zone around the trunk. You can mulch this area in winter. It will keep the soil moist, and the grass will not steal nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus from your beloved guava tree.
Pest control
These pests attack the most on a guava tree and guava fruits:
- Caribbean Fruit Fly
- Guava Whitefly
- Red-Banded Thrips
- Grub worms
If you see larvae tunnel into fruit and rotted fruit from the inside, it's due to the Caribbean fruit fly.
You can bag your fruits. Use paper bags. Spinosad sprays are effective in preventing the Caribbean fruit fly.
If you notice sticky honeydew or sooty mold on the leaves or fruits, it's due to guava whitefly. Horticultural oils or insecticidal soaps will work the best on them.
Note: If you want to make insecticidal soap at home, read this article: home remedy for whiteflies - In the last two sections of that article, I have written how to make horticultural oil and insecticidal soap at home.
For grub worms, check this: Get rid of grubworms
For Red-Banded Thrips, leaves will start silvering. Use neem oil for that.
Request to my readers:
It takes a lot of time to write a growing guide for fruit trees. Consider subscribing to this site to motivate me to write more for Florida gardeners.
