Pineapple Guava Care
Acca sellowiana
An evergreen shrub or small tree with edible, delicious fruits and showy flowers. It likes full sun and well-drained soils; although drought tolerant, it wants regular irrigation for quality fruit; in the landscape it is used as a specimen or hedge plant.
Monthly care calendar
Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.
- Watering: Not required, natural rainfall is sufficient.
- Pruning: Light pruning can be done to shape the plant, open up its interior, and remove dead branches.
- Plant protection: A dormant application (e.g. Bordeaux mixture) can be applied for protection against scale insects.
- General care: Check drainage.
- Frost risk: In hard and prolonged frosts, cover the root zone with mulch or dry leaves; also protect young plants. It is damaged below about -10 °C.
- Watering: Not required, natural rainfall is sufficient.
- Pruning: This is the last time for pruning. It should be finished before new shoots start.
- General care: Remove the weeds around the roots.
- Frost risk: In hard and prolonged frosts, cover the root zone with mulch or dry leaves; also protect young plants. It is damaged below about -10 °C.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall and the soil is dry, 10-15 L/plant every 15 days.
- Fertilizing: Apply a balanced fertilizer or well-rotted organic fertilizer once when it wakes from dormancy.
- General care: Adding mulch (e.g. compost, bark) around the roots retains moisture.
- Watering: Once a week, 10-15 L per plant; reduce if it rains.
- Plant protection: Check fresh shoots for aphids or scale insects.
- General care: Rapid growth period.
- Pests & diseases: Continue observing.
- Watering: Once a week, 15-20 L per plant. Keeping the soil moist during flowering is important for flower and fruit set.
- Plant protection: Do not spray during the flowering period to avoid harming bees.
- General care: The flower petals are edible.
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- General care: The fruits begin to form.
- Pests & diseases: Avoid overwatering to prevent root rot.
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. Water the area around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
- Pruning: Prune as soon as flowering ends. Next year's flower buds form over the summer; late pruning reduces flowering.
- Plant protection: Traps can be hung for the Mediterranean fruit fly.
- General care: Do not neglect watering.
- Pests & diseases: Check for scale insects.
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. Water the area around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
- General care: Continue regular watering to support fruit development.
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- General care: Wait for the fruits to ripen. Spreading a clean cloth underneath makes harvest easier.
- Pests & diseases: Netting may be needed to protect ripening fruits from birds.
- Watering: 10-15 L/plant every 10-15 days, stop once the rains begin.
- General care: The fruits drop by themselves when ripe; keep the area beneath clean and collect them daily.
- Pests & diseases: Prevent diseases by collecting the rotten fruit that has fallen to the ground.
- Watering: Natural rainfall is sufficient; it is not necessary.
- Fertilizing: After harvest, a potassium-heavy fertilizer (e.g. autumn fertilizer for fruit trees) can be given to strengthen the plant.
- Pruning: After the harvest is completely finished, light clean-up and shaping pruning can be done.
- General care: Clear the leaves that have fallen onto the soil.
- General care: Evergreen leaves continue to lose water in winter. Water thoroughly once before the soil freezes.
- Frost risk: In hard and prolonged frosts, cover the root zone with mulch or dry leaves; also protect young plants. It is damaged below about -10 °C.
The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.
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