How to grow Guava
Updated October 2026
Guava is a fast, tough little tropical tree with fragrant fruit that can crop twice a year in Florida. It is also listed as an invasive plant in Florida, so if you grow it, manage it so it cannot spread: pick up fallen fruit and pull seedlings and suckers.
📖 Our full guide: How to Grow Guava
Not to be confused with: Common guava (Psidium guajava) is not the same as pineapple guava, or feijoa, which is a hardier shrub from a different genus. Strawberry guava is a different Psidium species that is also invasive in Florida.
Where to plant
Guava grows best in warm, frost-free conditions, ideally between about 73 and 82°F, and slows when temperatures fall below 60°F. Young trees can be killed at 27 to 28°F. Mature trees take short spells of 25 to 26°F, and colder weather damages or kills the wood, although layered trees often resprout from the ground.
Plant in full sun in the warmest part of the garden that does not flood or stay wet after summer rain. Guava grows in sand, loam, rocky soils and muck. Where the water table is high, UF/IFAS suggests planting on a mound 2 to 3 feet high and 4 to 10 feet across.
- South Florida: common guava is a Florida Invasive Species Council Category I invasive. The current UF/IFAS assessment rates it caution, manage to prevent escape, in Central and South Florida, and an earlier UF/IFAS fact sheet advised against planting it in South Florida at all.
- Central Florida: guava can be planted, but manage it to prevent escape. Pick up fallen fruit and remove seedlings and suckers. In North Florida the assessment does not consider it a problem species.
- North Florida, the Gulf South, Texas and the Pacific Northwest: guava needs USDA zone 9b or warmer outdoors, and parts of these regions are colder. Grow it in a large container you can move under cover.
- Southern and Northern California: plant in spring after the last frost and cover young trees on frost nights.
- Hawaii: common guava has naturalized across the main islands and forms dense invasive stands in forests, so pick up fallen fruit and pull seedlings. Plant at the times shown in the calendar for your area.
- Colder regions: only in a heated greenhouse.
Choosing a variety
Florida grows two types. Pink or red-fleshed guavas are eaten ripe and soft; UF/IFAS lists 'Homestead', 'Barbi Pink', 'Blitch', 'Hong Kong Pink' and 'Patillo'. White-fleshed guavas are eaten while still green and crisp; examples are 'Crystal', 'Lotus', 'Supreme' and 'Webber'.
Buy a named variety grown from cuttings or air layers. Seedlings do not come true and may take 3 to 8 years to fruit.
How to plant
- Choose a healthy tree, typically in a 3-gallon pot, that is not root bound. Check it for pests and trunk damage.
- Clear a ring of grass 3 to 10 feet across. Dig a hole 3 to 4 times wider and 3 times deeper than the container. On sandy soil, no fertilizer, topsoil or compost is needed in the hole.
- Backfill with native soil and set the tree so the top of the root ball is level with or slightly above the surrounding soil. Water in straight away.
- Water at planting, then every other day for the first week or so, then once or twice a week for the first couple of months.
Watering and feeding
Young trees need water twice a week through dry spells in their first year. Established trees tolerate long droughts, but water during bloom and fruit development, as drought then reduces fruit set and size. Avoid lawn sprinklers on a timer near guava trees, as frequent overwatering leads to root rot.
Feed young trees every 1 to 2 months in the first year, starting with about 1/4 pound of a balanced fertilizer with magnesium and building up to 1 pound per tree. After that, 3 or 4 feeds a year in proportion to tree size are enough. On alkaline soils, guava often needs chelated iron.
Pruning and care through the year
- Keep grass 2 to 5 feet back from the trunk, and never hit the trunk with a mower or string trimmer.
- Prune young trees at 1 to 2 feet to make them branch, then tip the main branches when they reach 24 to 36 inches.
- Keep bearing trees between about 3 and 10 feet tall with regular selective pruning; taller trees blow over more easily.
- Pruning after a short dry spell forces new growth, and guava flowers on new growth, so pruning can be used to spread the crop through the year.
- To stop spread, pick up fallen fruit, which birds and animals carry away, and pull up seedlings and suckers.
Harvesting
Trees usually start bearing 3 to 4 years after planting. In Florida there is often a main summer crop and a smaller one in early spring.
Pick pink guavas when the skin turns from light green to yellow and let them soften at room temperature. Pick white guavas full size while still green and eat them crisp. Both keep 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator.
Growing in pots
In cold regions grow guava in a large container with free-draining potting mix, keep it in full sun in summer and move it somewhere bright and frost free for winter. Prune to keep it compact.
Propagation and saving seed
Guava does not come true from seed. Named varieties are grown from air layers, grafts or stem cuttings 6 to 8 inches long taken from recently matured shoot tips.
Companion planting
Guava roots spread past the canopy. Keep the area under the tree clear of lawn, and avoid heavy lawn fertilizer nearby, which UF/IFAS says can reduce fruiting.
Keep apart
Avoid planting these close to guava.
- Lawn and weeds Grass competes with the shallow roots, and mowers and trimmers easily wound the trunk.
Pests and diseases
In Florida, the Caribbean fruit fly is the most important guava pest. Bagging fruit is the simplest home control.
Pests to watch for
- Caribbean fruit fly Larvae inside the fruit, which make it inedible. Cover fruit with a paper bag once it is about 1 inch across.
- Thrips Red-banded thrips cause leaf drop and brown, russeted fruit skin, mostly in summer and fall.
- Whitefly Small, waxy, yellowish insects under the leaves.
- Scale Small bumps on twigs and leaves with sticky honeydew.
Diseases to watch for
- Anthracnose Large, irregular dead spots on young leaves and circular brown to black spots on fruit, sometimes with pink spore masses.
- Leaf spot Dark, smoky patches under the leaves and leaf drop; open the canopy and use copper sprays.
Common questions
Is guava invasive in Florida?
Yes. Common guava is a Florida Invasive Species Council Category I invasive. The current UF/IFAS assessment rates it caution, manage to prevent escape, in Central and South Florida, and not a problem species in North Florida. If you grow it, pick up fallen fruit and remove seedlings and suckers.
How long does a guava tree take to fruit?
A tree grown from a cutting or air layer usually fruits 3 to 4 years after planting. Seedlings can take 3 to 8 years and may not be like the parent.
How cold can guava trees take?
Young trees may be killed at 27 to 28°F. Mature trees survive short spells of 25 to 26°F, but colder weather damages the wood. Layered trees often regrow from the base after a freeze.
How do I keep worms out of my guavas?
The worms are usually Caribbean fruit fly larvae. Cover each fruit with a paper bag once it is about 1 inch across. Bagging also helps against the guava moth.
When is a guava ripe?
Pink guavas are ready when the skin changes from light green to yellow; let them soften at room temperature. White guavas are picked full size and green and eaten crisp.
Can I grow guava in a pot?
Yes, and in areas colder than zone 9b that is the only practical way outdoors. Use a large container, prune to keep it compact, and bring it under cover before frost.
Sources we checked: UF/IFAS EDIS: Guava Growing in the Florida Home Landscape (HS4/MG045); UF/IFAS Plant Directory: Psidium guajava, common guava; UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas: Psidium guajava.
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