Growing Thai Guava At Home - From Seeds, Cuttings

Growing Thai Guava At Home

Hello gardeners, we are back with a new and interesting topic called growing Thai guava at home. Do you want to grow Thai guava at home? Well, this article may help you to grow Thai guava at home. Follow the complete article to know all the requirements for growing Thai guava at home.

Introduction to Growing Thai Guava At Home

Thai guavas are also called Farang in Thai. This is the same word used to denote a foreigner or an item that was a western import into Thai culture. The name even refers to this species of guava being introduced into the Thai region via European traders in the early 17th century about 300 years back.

Step By Step Guide For Growing Thai Guava At Home

Thai Guavas are usually the size of a softball with apple green skin that can range from bumpy to very smooth. The flesh is very white with pale yellow seeds and tends to be drier than the pink type of guava fruits. Thai guavas are only very mildly sweet and have a very little fragrance. The crunchy flesh and hard seeds are both very edible.

The Thai guava tree is grown on the ground will grow up to nearly 12 feet in height in tropical regions and it will grow in a very smaller size if it is grown in a container or a pot. Thai guava plants survive in any soil with good drainage and proper sunlight for best flowering and with good quality fruit production.

Things You Will Need For Growing Thai Guava At Home

Seeds/cuttings
Suitable container or pots with a required number of drainage holes at the bottom
Suitable Fertilizers
Watering can
Pruners

Suitable Soil for Growing Thai Guava At Home

For growing Thai guava in pots better to choose a quality potting mix or make your soil substrate using equal parts of compost, sand, and even soil.

Growing Thai guava is possible in any variety of soil types. It is one of the plants that can tolerate different soil types very easily. It can be grown even in heavy clay-rich or very sandy soil with pH ranging from 4.5 that is acidic to 9.4 which is alkaline, but a loose and well-drained soil that is very rich in organic matter and neutral to slightly acidic in pH is ideal and optimum for growing Thai guava at home in containers or pots.

Suitable Container for Growing Thai Guava At Home

Thai Guava tree grows large that is around 12 to 15 feet in height but in pots, it can be reduced to 2-3 m. so, choose a pot or container that is at least 3 gallons or 10 inches to provide the plant a sufficient space or room to grow roots. It is very better to choose or select a clay pot with sufficient drainage holes in the bottom.

Suitable Location for Growing Thai Guava At Home

Thai guava loves the sunny and warm exposure to grow very well. It is a tropical plant but it is very much adaptable to temperate climates with moderate winter when grown on the ground.

If you are growing Thai guava in a container or pots in the tropics you can choose a location that receives shade in the afternoon and at least six to eight hours of sunlight daily. In colder zones, place the Thai guava plant in a spot that receives full sunlight for healthy growth and more fruiting.

Propagation Methods of Thai Guava At Home

Method 1: propagated from cuttings
Method 2: propagated from seeds

Propagation of Thai Guava from Cuttings

Growing Thai guava from cuttings requires more specific temperature and humidity, this method is very suitable in warm and hot climates. Take softwood cutting from a healthy Thai guava tree. The cuttings should be very flexible and shouldn’t snap when bent. Remove all but remain the top two leaves. Dip the bottom of the cuttings in a rooting hormone and plant them in a moist potting mix for healthy growth.

Propagation of Thai Guava from Seeds

Thai guava seeds are propagated easily with a very high germination rate. The main thing is that they must be very fresh and need to be obtained from a quality source. You can also use seed fresh seeds that are collected from the fruit but it is very much better to buy seeds from a seed store or online.

If you are using seeds obtained from Thai guava fruit. Firstly, better to rinse them in soft water, which is not very cold then wrap the seeds in a cloth and then dry them for a couple of hours. Then pour them in a cup of normal warm water and then soak the seeds for 3-4 hours. Prepare a pot or container filled with seed starting mix, and then sprinkle seeds in it. Now put the pot or container on a hot or warm, well-lit spot, like a windowsill. To speed up the germination process, you can even install a small plastic or cellophane over the top of a pot.

Temperature Requirement for Growing Thai Guava At Home

The optimum and ideal temperature for germination of Thai guavas falls in the range of 20 to 28°C. In winters, the temperature must not fall below -3°C for young Thai guava trees. A mature guava tree that is at least 3 years old can bear temperature down to -6°C. Remember, Thai guavas are not frosted tolerant, especially young plants, so if in a climate or weather where the temperature falls below the range given here then it is much better to keep the plant indoors until the temperature rises.

Thai Guava Tree Flowers and Pollination

The Thai guava tree blooms in early spring but may bloom all year in mild climates
The Thai guava tree will have a perfect flower with male and female parts in each flower
Honeybees will pollinate the Thai guava flowers
If there are no bees in your area or place you live in, then you may hand pollinate the flowers
Spray your Thai guava tree with a 5 % solution of urea mixed with a wetting agent just before they flower. When the urea spray dries, then water your plant. This may increase the duration of fruit production

Water Requirement for Growing Thai Guava At Home

When a plant is very young or forming flowers you need to water it regularly and deeply to stay the soil slightly moist. The evenly moist soil at the time of fruiting helps in developing more juicy and sweet fruits. In winter reduce the watering. one of the foremost interesting facts about guava trees is that they’re drought tolerant and once established they will survive only on rainfall and bear long periods of drought. Still, it better to stay the soil slightly moist.

Thai Guava Tree Care

How to Prune Thai Guava At Home?

Pruning Thai guava is very essential to keep the Thai guava tree growing in a pot or container in desired shape and size to develop a strong structure, healthy plant, and increased fruiting.

Dry, dead, damaged, or diseased branches can be pruned at any time. The crowns of the tree grow naturally and well-branched and do not need regular cutting. The best thing is to cut back too long, unbranched shoots and branches that are crossing each other branch and blocking the penetration of sun rays after the harvest or at the beginning or start of the growing season.

Fruit Thinning of Thai Guava At Home

Whenever the first time your Thai guava tree blooms to form fruits it is very better to deadhead the flowers, never allowing the fruits to set. You need to do this if your plant is weak.

You need to allow no more than 4 fruits per branch. Also, better to thin out the fruits if they are developing on a small and weak branch.

Repotting Of Thai Guava At Home

Repot the plant in one more size bigger than the previous one. Never plant a plant in a too big pot or container directly, change the pot or container from time to time once the plant has outgrown the current one.

Suitable Fertilizers for Growing Thai Guava At Home

Guava responds well to the monthly fertilizing. When the tree is young and isn’t bearing fruits, fertilize your potted guava tree with 6:6:6:2 [N P K Mg] to hurry up the expansion of the plant.

When the tree starts to touch fruits change the composition to 8:3:9:2 [N P K Mg].

The guava tree is additionally vulnerable to iron deficiency (symptoms include yellowing of the leaves in between the dark green veins). It is often corrected or prevented by periodic application of chelated iron.

How to Mulch Thai Guava Growing At Home

Do mulching with organic matter so that your plant retains moisture. Mulching can also help in insulating the root of the Thai guava tree in winter.

In case if you miss this: Growing Roma Tomatoes In Pots.

Common Pests and Diseases in Growing Thai Guava At Home

Thai guava tree care from pests and diseases is not much required when it is grown in a pot or container. This fruit tree is very tough for pests but you should keep an eye on common garden pests. The common pests are mealy bugs, guava scale, whiteflies, fruit flies, and thrips that can affect it.

In diseases, the Thai guava plant suffers from rust, which occurs in too warm weather or climate and high humidity. Besides this, anthracnose and leaf spot can be a major problem too, both of these occur in wet humid weather or climate and spread it through splashed water. With proper irrigation, you can very easily prevent this.

Harvesting Thai Guava

Thai guava fruits mature after 4-5 months of anthesis for harvesting. However, it depends upon the climate and variety. To avoid possible damage to fruits rather than shaking the tree hand picking at regular intervals is usually recommended. Harvesting Thai guava requires care and is typically handpicked. Harvesting of ripe Thai guavas shouldn’t take quite 2 to three days during the peak of the season due to potential losses from insects and over-ripening of fruits.

Commonly Asked Questions for Growing Thai Guava At Home

How do I know when Thai guava is ripe?

Ripe Thai guavas are people who have gone from bright green to a softer yellowish-green color. If you see slightly pink on the fruit, it’s in its prime. If you do not find any that are yellow, you’ll always buy green guava and await them to ripen. Smell before you decide on

How do I cut Thai guava?

If you want to chop the Thai guava, place it on a chopping board and halve it. Then slice it into wedges as you’d an apple. If you favor not eat the rind, halve the guava and use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the rind, as you’d an avocado. Then, you’ll slice the flesh if you want.

How long does it take to grow a Thai guava tree?

Thai guava grown from seed will bear fruit in about 8 years; from seedling, Thai guava will produce fruit in 3 to 5 years. Thai guava fruit will be ripe and ready for harvest in about 20 to 28 weeks after flowering and pollination.

Do Thai guava trees lose their leaves?

Thai guava fruits are very high in vitamin C. The Thai guava trees give good shade because they will not lose their leaves in the winter season. They give fruits in about 2 years after planting if they are given proper and enough water.

Why is my Thai guava tree turning yellow?

Most Thai guava plants will turn yellow as a sign of stress and if the weather or climate is exceptionally hot or cool, or wet or dry, this could be even the culprit. There is a chance that the yellowing leaves are even a symptom of nematodes. Several nematodes attack Thai guava trees from roots.

How can we increase the Thai guava fruit size?

Pre-flowering sprays with 0.4% boric acid and 0.3% zinc sulphate increase the fruit yield and fruit size. Spraying of copper sulphate at 0.2 to 0.4% increases the expansion and yield of guava. The plants start bearing at an early age of two to three years but they attain full bearing capacity at the age of 8 to 10 years.

Why did my Thai guava turn brown?

if you notice rusty or brown spots that emerge during humid weather or climate, it is often a spread of parasitic algae infecting your guava. While algal leaf spot is comparatively harmless to both plant and fruit, severe infections can reduce vigor, decreasing the energy the plant has got to put into developing guava fruits.

Conclusion of Growing Thai Guava At Home

The above information may be used for growing Thai guava in pots or containers, terrace, balcony, backyard.

Growing Thai Guava At Home – From Seeds, Cuttings

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